Forum Discussion

courtneybee's avatar
courtneybee
Joining in
5 hours ago

Dodgy lack of complaint registration? Recommendation: escalate to Ombudsman

I tried to raise a complaint in September and didn't receive any acknowledgement and no way of tracking the complaint. They also didn't email me my live chat transcripts.

I just tried to raise another complaint and had the same problem on the web form - tracking number ****, and 'there's nothing to see here' when you click 'track your complaint'. I've noticed other people mentioning the same thing - seems very suspicious that they've been aware of this issue for so long and there's still no resolution.

After 8 weeks since my first complaint I plan on escalating to the Ombudsman, I have proof of the issue and it's totally unacceptable to have no escalation route. All I've been trying to do is change my direct debit bank details - the bills page on my account just asks me to 'clear outstanding charges' endlessly before I can change my direct debit details, but then after making the payment you still can't change it. So you're essentially paying multiple times for the same terrible service just for them to ask you for the bill again a few weeks later.

Just posting here to recommend that anyone else facing the same issue makes a complaint to the Comms Ombudsman. Even if you don't have proof of your initial complaint try to get in touch with them after 8 weeks have passed, just to see if you can get them to take it up. I think they need to be aware that VM aren't following their own process.

2 Replies

  • JPL8's avatar
    JPL8
    Rising star

    I spoke to the Ombudsman recently. One of the concerns they raised was that if you’re locked out of your account then it’s impossible for you to track your complaint.

    When I finally saw the details of the complaint after it was resolved, it bore no relation to the complaint I made.

    You’ll need evidence that you tried to raise a complaint. If the Ombudsman takes up your case, then VM have to pay a fee. Obviously, VM will be keen to avoid that and the Ombudsman will ensure everything is fair and above board for both parties. 

    In my case, the Ombudsman asked me to give VM 2 more weeks to resolve it, which I did. They managed to fix it one day past the deadline. Took three months overall though 🤦‍♂️

  • Hello courtneybee,

    Welcome to the Community, and thanks for taking the time to post here on the forums. I’m sorry to hear of the issues that you’re experiencing while trying to log your complaint with us.

    I'd be happy to take a further look into this for you; however, I would need to confirm a few details via private message. Please look out for my message, and we can get started.
    Kind Regards,
    Steven_L