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Flossie123's avatar
Flossie123
Tuning in
2 months ago

Helping 79 year old neighbour who is being charged £91 for services he doesn't use

Hello - please can you advise? Found out my lovely 79 year old neighbour and his wife are paying £91 a month (£83 for package and £9 for calls this month) for services they dont use. He is out of contract but doesn't recall when this happened. All he wants is to keep his phone number and have a good broadband for wifi in the house and his smart TV. Turns out he got a tv box in the post a few years ago and it is in the box. I think he was missold.

I called Virgin with him. It took almost an hour to get through and then the woman on the other end didn't seem to understand the problem and talked over me and him offering him a better tv package for £81... I was simply furious and can see how our elders can get so confused. After 40 mins I asked to speak to retentions and got another woman who kept offering just broadband for £55. For context I have mix bundle, phone and high speed broadband at my house for £42 a month - Online a 'new' customer can get just the broadband for £23 - she offered the phone and broadband for £55.00 This is daylight robbery and I will not settle for my friend and neighbour to be scammed - what can I do next? Is it possible to speak to a UK retentions team and see if they can undertand how horrendous this situation has been taking SO much from a very vulnerable customer? Thank you in advance - I am steaming.....

advice needed
out of contract
overcharging for services
vunerable adult

6 Replies

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  • Carley_S's avatar
    Carley_S
    Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
    2 months ago

    Hi Flossie123 

    Welcome to the Community Forums. 

    Sorry to hear of your concerns about your neighbour's monthly amount. 

    We don't have a solely UK retention team. We have agents over different locations who all will be able to support with discussing available deals. If there isn't a suitable existing customer deal available at this time and they're out of contract. They can look at switching providers if they wish to seek new customer deals elsewhere.  As with all providers, we've introductory offers for new customers. At the start of all of our customers’ time with us, they'll have benefited from such a deal. Once expires, we'll do all we can to offer the best existing customer deal available.
    We aren't able to support package changes on our side, or speak with someone other than the account holder regarding these types of changes. There should be other deals available through their online account if they're looking to renew with us, and prefer not to speak with the team directly. Alternatively, they can use the One Touch Switch process to switch your provider. This process allows for a much smoother transition between providers, with little to no service gaps. If they know which deal they want with a new provider, they can sign up with that, choosing to switch using One Touch Switch. The new provider will then arrange your installation and disconnection. Ensure they're choosing a date of installation after your contract ends with us to save from any early disconnection fees. You can find out more about One Touch Switch here

     

    It's also important to advise any new provider of the request to port the landline number from the old provider. This will allow the landline number to be transferred through a number port request to the new provider. Both landlines need to be active for this to be successful, so you might find a landline service remains active a little longer than other services, if it is needed for a number port request. 

     

    I would also recommend that if your neighbour is not able to manage their account themselves if possible, they have a power of attorney who can help manage their account with whatever they decide to do. We have accessibility support services for an array of different needs for those that require that extra help. You can find more about this here. 

     

    Please let us know if you are having any further issues or have any questions at all. We'll be here to help on the Community Forums if needed.

    • Flossie123's avatar
      Flossie123
      Tuning in
      2 months ago

      Thank you - just had a notification you replied - if they could do those things they would have donethem and thank you - mentioning power of attorney is just glib - I'm their neighbour and they should have autonomy and some service that shows an iota of care - even I had issues so heaven help older vulnerable customers - we have found another provider 🪂 with an offer at £35 - all calls, all broadband plus TV channels. 

      • David_Bn's avatar
        David_Bn
        Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
        2 months ago

        Thanks for coming back to us Flossie123, and we're sorry we've not been in a position to assist on this matter.

        We're pleased to hear that your neighbour has been able to find a solution to their needs, at a more suitable price and with their needs taken into account.

        Do feel free to come back to our Community Forums if you require any further assistance.

        Thanks,

        David_Bn

  • GuildfordUser's avatar
    GuildfordUser
    On our wavelength
    2 months ago

    Imagine being so heartless that you treat a 79 year old this way. 

    What an awful company.