Poor experience after receiving damaged promotional offer TV

Hi all 

It's with great regret and sadness that I find myself having to now post on this forum - unfortunately I have now come to the end of my tether with VM and their shocking and disgusting behaviour towards customers including myself who has just joined after transferring over from Sky. I now know this history has long been long recorded and documented over the last few years resulting in fines from Offcom, woeful ratings on trust pilot from 102k people surely they have to be held accountable for how they treat the consumer and operate as a business - my fault and part in this is, i should of done much more homework before leaving Sky and joining them, for which I can only describe as the worst customer care, support and service i have ever experienced in my 44yrs on this planet.

I have never ever once reverted to being a keyboard warrior but this experience has to be shared and is bordering on the brink of breaking law(s) and legislation for which consumers are covered by the  Consumer Rights Act 2015. 

I joined VM back in August after agreeing to enter a specific bundle in order to procure a telly which was classified as a promotional offer upon joining. All bills paid and then finally on October the 11th 2025 my telly turned up. Unfortunately for myself I was due to have major arm reconstruction with bones and tendons worked on and reacttached after a very serious accident. My landlord was so kind to help repaint the main bedroom for me as i wasnt keen on the colour, for which the telly was the main purpose and to help me settle and rest in comfort, he actually took the telly in on the day of delivery  and then placed it in the spare bedroom as I was awaiting further furnishings and also a TV stand to be delivered as with a new bed before settling into my new home - there was no need to open the box and this took place 3 weeks after. I was under strict guidance not to lift anything heavier than a cup of coffee for 6 weeks and my arm was heavily casted and in a sling for many weeks. The rehab and recovery process is still very much in its infancy and ongoing. All of this evidence has been provided to VM of my arm and even laying in a hospital bed 

A close friend come round to assist with setting up and mouting the telly to our dismay we was totally shocked to see the state of the telly screen totally damaged and with which looked like an entry or impact point. Upon further review of the packaging there was a hole and puncture of the packaging. ( im now blaming myself for not being more vigilant and switched on but was totally unaware of a 48hr reporting policy. It may be a policy but company policies is not legislation and law 

I got straight on to VM and it was a call centre in India the automated  phone service was woeful..... please press 1, please press 2 didnt recognise input cycling around in circles and even down to submitting vocally my post code which it would not recognise...... is this done to keep you on phone line longer or just done so you finally give up ? ( this happens regularly upon calling) After finally getting through to an advisor who's English was very poor and very hard to ascertain ( said without prejudice) i was informed to send in the substatantion and they would replace the telly within 72 hours with their supplier once received - I have called so many times emailed them so many times spent hours and hours trying to get this resolved  and at one point I was offered a new phone handset...... it's not a phone it was a telly 

So this is where the real debacle of a situation opens up and becomes so much deeper. After not hearing back from VM for many days I decided to chase them up with further phone calls yet again to be advised I never informed them within 48hrs notice and it is their company policy that the telly cannot be replaced amd was in the terms and conditions , it certainly couldn't be repaired . I was absolutely shocked at their stance and how this was just brushed off with no accountability or support as a new customer.

I decided to put in a formal complaint and again the length of time and correspondence back was woeful and unacceptable. Finally upon receiving an email I was advised that I was at fault and should of reported the damage TV within 48 hrs but they offered me a token gesture of £50 for the TV. I flatly refused this paltry offer i just wanted the TV plain and simple and this was of course the lure into joining them and my considerable large package, the telly wasn't on offer unless you took the package suggestions. In essence the TV cost is generally subsidised within the contract that spanned 24 months and at a package deal circa of 2.5k - you are paying for the telly !!! I also requested a phone call from a manager or a senior manager and not a phone operative, they said this would take place within 48hrs - surprise surprise no phone call. The emails the complaints the phone calls have been exhausting to the brink I was now becoming frustrated, angry and totally stressed out, this was the last thing I needed after trying to recover from surgery. Many days went by and I have received further emails saying " we have tried to contact you" ........... er no you have not, please advise how and when this took place - no response surprise surprise. At every stage of their correspondence the headed letters state we have tried to contact you ..... but really they have not.

 

This battle has now been going on for months, i recieved one voicemail saying can i call them back , but with no direct contact to do so, I have finally been offered a goodwill gesture of £250 for which is the cost of the telly, again I refer to the above paragraph in essence this a refund of the telly cost not a good will gesture...... but thanks Virgin this certainly doesn't alleviate the shocking customer care and service provided and the complaint procedures that have taken place. 

I have now seeked legal advice and after reviewing further more online customers have experienced the same thing and the reviews are very disturbing on customer service , how can anyone maintain a business model and operate on this basis. People shouldn't be tolerating this kind of behaviour and VM should not be able to opearte on this basis and get away with it, sadly for me I have now entered a contract i simply do want to be in as the my trust and faith has been totally broken , VM do not deserve a single penny out of me moving forwards, and im desperate to have this contract quashed and be able to leave without any penalties being imposed  , every single basic principle of morals, respect and boundaries have been broken, treated with utter disregard and contempt towards the consumer and with continued efforts to attempt to brush this under the carpet and nor take accountability.

They actually emailed me last week to say they was going to finally replace the telly but have now followed up saying it's rejected as I didn't report within 48hrs - what a complete joke and bunch of charlatans 

I'm now reporting VM to trading standards, Offcom will be contacted and im seriously thinking of serving a letter before action pending on further review of this case from a legal team I have sought advice from. This whole situation has become a complete mess but I do not want to stay with them whatsoever on any levels beyond this 

What as sad situation i am now left with no choice but to flag and report via this method but unfortunately this needs to shared.

Whatever you do.... do not sign up or join this shoddy and appalling company nothing appears to have changed since being fined by Offcom and they have been voted the worst media company out of 15 

"At Virgin media we put our customers first" clearly not but what you will do is treat them very poorly and with complete disregard 

I sincerely hope the authorities come down on them like a ton of bricks and throw the book at them yet again for how the operate 

Do not join this company are 102k people wrong - i wouldn't even give them a Zero 

 

Regards