Final Bill!?

Yes I'm disputing it. To have one email from VM on the date I switched specifically saying

Switching ref: 0615889413

YouFibre Limited let us know that you’re switching your Broadband over to them on 24 October 2024. Although we hope you change your mind, here’s everything you need to know about your switch.
 
£304.13 Early Disconnection Fee

I was disconnected on that date from VM. Then I've now got a final bill saying i've missed a payment (when my direct debit is still set up with you and i've had a credit added for £27.99) then the bill now states...

Total Early Disconnection Fees 24 October £364.96

I have never missed a payment and my account is up to date, so it is very confusing to say the least. Why send me an email requesting £304.13 and then another a few days later for £364.96???

You should see the mess leaving with One Touch Switching causes VM. You get disconnected fine on the day of the switch, you get an email saying they're sending out a package to return your hardware. VM then sends you an email the same day saying what your early leaving fee is. You think everything is going to go swimmingly.

Then it all goes completely pearshaped. VM take payment as normal for that month, then create a final bill crediting you for that last payment they just took, followed by another bill a few days later saying you didn't pay your last payment (after taking it!) and adding another £60 to the earlier quoted leaving fee.

Honestly, in my experience VM make it as difficult as possible to leave them. If you could PM me too Ashleigh_C it'd be much appriciated.

Knowingly taking an additional payment 10 days after the contract has ended and a final bill produced when no monies are owing is clearly a breach of the Direct Debit Guarantee. I will be complaining as such both to my bank for an immediate refund of the £107 and to OFCOM over the unscrupulous behaviour of VirginMedia.

I might accept that the refund of the £15.71 might take a few days but there is zero reason why VirginMedia should be taking additional payments out of my bank after the final bill has been produced.

As I have said previously, for a modern digital company there is no excuse.

So my contract and service ended on 26th May.

My final bill was calculated on the 28th May and I was £15.71 in CREDIT

Yesterday 06th June VirginMedia have taken a Direct Debit from my account for £107.00 !

When will VirginMedia correct this and refund me the £122.71 they now owe me?

This is a breach of the Direct Debit Guarantee so unless someone can assist with getting this refund processed quickly by VirginMedia then I am considering raising a complaint accordingly.

VM have billed you for a period after your proposed disconnection date, but until your services are cancelled, they remain live.

If the bill were generated after an actual disconnection, that would be different.

There might be a bill adjustment between disconnection & DD being taken, but that's another issue.

Hello thebands

Sorry to hear of the confusion around the bill received following your request to disconnect services.

As the other members of the forums have advised, we require 30 days notice to cancel services. During this time we will continue to bill you as usual so a bill will be received during that time. Once the services are disconnected a revised final bill will be produced taking into account any payments made for services after the disconnection date.

Depending on the balance at that time, we will request the revised amount form your bank or arrange for a refund of any credit balance there may be.

Read through https://www.virginmedia.com/help/leaving under "how does my final bill work?

"If your account is in credit, the amount will be refunded to you 45 days from your disconnection date (we need this time for everything to be updated with any additional charges or credits once your account has been closed)."

Proves my point! There is no rational reason why VM need to take monies beyond the disconnection date and no rational reason why it takes 45 days to process a refund in a modern digital based company. Enjoy the 45days interest you are making on my £107 VM you bunch of money grabbing *****. I don't think I will entertain being a VM customer ever again.

"VM continues to bill you as per normal right up until the day you are disconnected (so the bills keep on coming as per their normal schedule)."

So can anyone tell me how long after my disconnection date (26th May) does it take VM to produce my final bill and how long after that until they credit back anything they owe me?

It stinks of sharp practice, knowingly taking monies from customers for periods where the contract is ended. Says it all really about the whole retention process, the enormous price hikes to long standing customers (£107 for broadband and TV with BT Sport!; that's £1300 a year, think about it!), the 'offers' that are only available for new customers, the way that disconnections hang up on you when trying to cancel, the way that disconnections lie to you (yes lie! They actually told me that if I waited another month to cancel that the prices might go down - as if!), the way that 3rd party firms suddenly start phoning you multiple times a day after you have cancelled, never leaving a voicemail. The way they try to sell broadband speeds, Gigabit speeds that your average household could never really take advantage of. Horrible company. Can't wait to be rid.

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thebands wrote:

both mention 'package changes' but don't specify what those package changes are.

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Post up a redacted copy of the bill for a second opinion if it would help. Have you made any changes to your services on the dates listed against the "package change".

goslow has already answered about the final bill process, but as a headline view - until you are actually disconnected, there is the possibility you may remain a customer. And so billing continues - this is common across the UK telecoms industry.

VM continues to bill you as per normal right up until the day you are disconnected (so the bills keep on coming as per their normal schedule).

Shortly after you are disconnected you should receive a final bill. If you are in debit, you pay the balance and leave VM. If you are in credit VM should refund you (although not necessarily quickly).

https://www.virginmedia.com/support/help/billing-and-payment/bill-explainer/my-final-bill-explainer

Once you have been disconnected you should receive returns packaging from VM (although non-receipt of packaging is a regular source of complaint on here). You may need to request it.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/return-or-recycle-equipment