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shazz's avatar
shazz
Tuning in
7 months ago
Solved

Prices so confusing I've cancelled my DD - end of contract - start of new contract

I'm at the end of an 18 month contract.  In month 17 I told Virgin I was cancelling at the end as the price was jumping up too high.   They persuaded me to stay and I now have a new contract - starting just before the other one is ending. 

However,  the last payment on the old contact is more than £20 dearer that what I've been paying.    I've been paying £52 per month and for month 18 they wanted about £70.   I haggled on the phone and managed to get £12.50 knocked off that but I still think that month 18 of an 18m contract should be the same amount I've paid the whole time i.e. £52.22.  Why is it dearer?

Also,  my new contract now has TV in the package because it was much cheaper than without    (I didn't have that before.  I don't watch live TV and I don't have a TV licence.  Noting that here in case I end up in court)    and I was promised that the £35 fee for installation was waived.  I talked to someone the other day and he said that £35 will be added to the start of my new monthly bill.    I don't know what I'm supposed to be paying now.

Is it £70ish to end and another &75 to restart?  I think it should be £52.22 last payment due now then new contract £49 next month.  

I'm so fed up of all this confusion every time I end a contract and start a new one I've cancelled my direct debit till I get a proper explanation and know exactly what's coming out of my bank.     I need help please.

  • unisoft's avatar
    unisoft
    7 months ago
    shazz wrote:

    It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

    But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.

    That's correct. Any live broadcast stream including on streaming providers (so live football on Amazon Prime for example) or BBC iPlayer content. It's not just BBC channels, so any Virgin TV box means a TV licence required.

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  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    7 months ago

    VM contracts don't end in the normal sense, but change from the 18 month contract to a 30 day rolling one. It's a common misconception the contract ends. When the 18 months are up, the discounted price also ends, hence people ring to get a better price by haggling and threatening to leave etc.  The price increase is most likely you didn't cancel within the exact 30 day window before the 18 month finished, and ran on to the next billing cycle?  VM generally bill  for the entire month, work out the actual time before cancellation and then refund the difference. 

    • shazz's avatar
      shazz
      Tuning in
      7 months ago

      That's what they told me.  However I called them exactly a month before the end.   

  • nodrogd's avatar
    nodrogd
    Very Insightful Person
    7 months ago

    You will not be prosecuted for not paying a TV Licence unless you are actually watching live broadcast TV (scheduled or not) or using the BBC iPlayer. Streaming On Demand services like Netflix are exempt. What you might get is a visit from the inspection agency the BBC employs.

    • shazz's avatar
      shazz
      Tuning in
      7 months ago

      It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

      But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.

      • Ashleigh_C's avatar
        Ashleigh_C
        Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
        7 months ago

        Hi there shazz 

        Thank you so much for your post and welcome to the community forums, it's great to have you back. 

        I am so sorry that you have faced this issue with your service and  confusion regarding your bill. I would be happy to take a closer look into this with you via a private message and we can break down the bill so far. 

        I will pop you a PM across now, please keep an eye out for the envelope at the top of your screen alerting you to a new message.
         

  • shazz's avatar
    shazz
    Tuning in
    7 months ago

    Can someone tell me where some of my replies are going?    Is someone deleting them?  

    I asked - is it true that if I choose not to use my telly box (because I don';t watch live TV) that it will affect the performance of my internet and my home phone?   That's what the man at Virgin told me.  I can't see how.

    • Roger_Gooner's avatar
      Roger_Gooner
      Alessandro Volta
      7 months ago
      shazz wrote:

      Can someone tell me where some of my replies are going?    Is someone deleting them?  

      I asked - is it true that if I choose not to use my telly box (because I don';t watch live TV) that it will affect the performance of my internet and my home phone?   That's what the man at Virgin told me.  I can't see how.

      This is rarely an issue because the most bandwidth a stream uses, if it's UHD and HDR, might be 30Mbps and M50 will cover that. Of course a household full of streaming people will use a lot more.

      There's no need to worry about phone as VoIP usage is trivial.

  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta
    7 months ago

    I don't think anyone is deleting your posts.

    I can't think how not using the TV service would affect your BB and phone connection.

    I would have thought you could put the TV box in a cupboard and not use it but that would be a bit odd if you are paying for it each month. View the links I posted above before doing that though.

    I have never used VM TV before. I wonder if there is a way you could apply some kind of 'parental lock' to stop you actually or accidentally viewing any live TV channels. Most AV equipment now has some kind of locking features. Someone who knows how the TV boxes operate may advise.

    • shazz's avatar
      shazz
      Tuning in
      7 months ago

      I can't think how it would effect  them either.   I had to plug box in to get the contract started, or else it wouldn't start  (that's what they told me)   but I'll put it away in the cupboard,  IF I get these prices sorted.    

      btw,  I cancelled my DD because I don't know exactly how much they're taking from me.  My virgin contract page hasn't been updated either.   That's why I'm here.  I don't have plenty of cash for other people to take what I certainly didn't agree to.   

      Wish I could sort things faster.  Been sorting my dad's problem in the PM's too since Sunday and now I've given my details to someone else for another private chat thing and they've also vanished.    They ask a question then ignore me for days.   

      Thanks for helping.  nn.

      • goslow's avatar
        goslow
        Alessandro Volta
        7 months ago

        You are more likely to get useful help from the VM forum team on here than via other VM support routes but the VM forum team comm's in topics and PMs is not in real time like a messaging/chat service. Delays happen when agents are working on other topics and/or the agent is off shift.

  • Adduxi's avatar
    Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    7 months ago

    If you are so worried about the TV Box, and you are within the 14 days of that new contract, just cancel and go to another ISP for just broadband?  Why take something you don't want?  I know VM are a "bundle" provider, but there are plenty of others who will just provide BB at a reasonable cost.

    • shazz's avatar
      shazz
      Tuning in
      7 months ago

      Lots of reasons, Adduxi - 

      1 I got a good deal,  lots cheaper than I was paying, apart from the dodgy numbers at the end of 1 contract and beginning of the new one which I am trying to untangle here.   Doesn't help when the PM people have gone awol.

      2.  I'll have to give up my email addresses.   Yes, I do intend to get a generic one that nobody can take away from me.  (been saying that for donkeys)

      3.  I predict whatever new company I go for will have the same (swear word) to haggle through at the end of their good looking contracts too.

      If I get this sorted I'll wrap up that telly box and put it in the cupboard.   

      • Adduxi's avatar
        Adduxi
        Very Insightful Person
        7 months ago

        LOL !

        As for point 2 - Do this without delay !!  I moved my NTL emails a long time ago, and boy am I glad.  It was a real pain, but well worth it in the end.  Even now VM do not allocate mailboxes to new customers, and it seems they are now purging old orphaned accounts.  In fairness it is in the T&C's that mailboxes are supposed to be deleted after 90 days, but looks like a lot slipped through the net.

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta
    7 months ago

    Is your direct debit still cancelled?  If so I'd suggest you get it reinstated because VM can get nasty in cases like this. You can't use non-payment as a lever to get better terms.