Disconnected after accepting online renewal, now struggling to get the original offer honoured

Virgin Media disconnected me earlier this week after abysmally failing to process my online contract renewal. I have since been reconnected, but getting customer service to honour the original renewal offer is proving to be a real nightmare.

A timeline of what has happened:

In mid-September 2025, I informed Virgin Media that I want to terminate my contract due to a massive increase in my monthly subscription cost, from £56.52 to £197.52, which was due to come into effect on 19 October 2025. I asked for a straightforward cancellation of all services, without doing a one-touch-switch to another provider.

A few weeks after my cancellation request, I received an email from Virgin Media with an offer to renew my existing package for a further 24 months at a cost of £44.02 per month.

I accepted the online renewal offer on 7 October 2025 and received an order confirmation by email on the same day, stating that my existing package would be extended by a further 24 month at a monthly cost of £44.02, with an annual price increase of £4 each April. The email also said that the estimated activation date for the new package would be the 10th October 2025.

On 17 October, I noticed that the new contract details were still not showing in my online account and called Virgin Media customer to inquire as to the reason for the delay. The customer services agent informed me that, contrary to the information provided in the order confirmation email, it might take up to 15 days for online renewals to be processed.

As my existing contract was due to end on 19 October, the agent told me that she would suspend the disconnection and manually monitor my account so as to ensure that the renewal of my existing package at a monthly cost of £44.02 was processed correctly. She also promised to keep me informed by telephone as soon as the renewal of the contract had been processed. I was further promised that I would receive a full refund for any additional charges raised against my account until the renewal process is complete, so as to ensure that I am not overcharged for my existing package.

During the night of 22-23 October, all Virgin media services at my address were disconnected.

On 23 October, I called Virgin Media once again. The agent puts in a reconnection request and promises that, once I am reconnected, the renewal offer will be processed.

On 25 October, Virgin Media reconnected all services and bills me £206.88. My online account says that I am now "out of contract". There is still no sign of the online renewal offer, which I accepted on 7 October, and for which I was sent an order confirmation and two pre-contract documents. When I call Virgin Media, the agent tells me that the online renewal offer was voided by the (erroneous) disconnection and that he is unable to recreate the package price that I accepted when renewing my contract, since the "pricing tool" is not available within the first three days of (re)activating an account. He suggest that I call again "after 72 hours" to see what can be done.

I am now left wondering what will happed in three days. The online renewal offer that I accepted on 7 October was substantially better than anything I was previously offered by the retentions team over the phone.

I am shocked that Virgin Media has failed to process the online renewal within the promised 15 days and I am now left picking up the pieces. What will happen in three days if the telephone agent is unable to match the online renewal offer that I accepted on 7 October? To make matters worse, a charge of £206.88 was raised today against my account, which now appears to be “out of contract”.

I feel like I have hit a dead end with customer services and that my only way forward is a formal complaint and, if this fails, contacting the Communication Ombudsman.

Is there really no other (and quicker) way of getting this problem of Virgin Media’s own making resolved in a satisfactory manner?