On web chat I just want to give notice that I do not want my contract to auto-renew on July 3. They insist I can only give 30 days notice. Not a day before or after (OK, after but I pay another month).Can they force me to auto-renew if I cannot notify exactly on the 30 days as that seems positively immoral at best and possibly illegal?I have made it clear, I do not wish to cancel, just not auto-renew. Surely it should be possible to simply switch it to do not auto-renew once they have been told not to rather than put obstacles in place forcing customers to take very specific steps not to stay with VM

Hi Santipolo 👋. Sorry for the confusion that you are facing regarding your contract package, we can simplify for this for you. It does not auto renew, if falls into a rolling monthly at a non discounted rate, which means the discounted term has come to an end and there will be no Early Termination Fee but we still do require 30 days notice to terminate your services. We can terminate your services during your discounted contract term up to 60, 45, & 30 days, but that is the notice period to terminate, should you leave still in your 18 month discounted term you will get Early Termination Fees. To avoid Early Termination Fees the final date of service has to be the contract end date on your contract. With those who say they can and cannot do it on various days prior, that is a departmental decision for each department you interact with. Some have permissions and some have not, what ever that department states is their limitation to access the calendar for termination end date timescales. We hope this helps. Sabrina

If you are coming to the end of your minimum term then you will automatically move to a rolling 30 day contract once the minimum term is finished.Your discounts from the minimum term period will cease (unless you renew) so your monthly price will increase to the 'standard' price after the minimum term period ends.Once you are on the rolling 30 day contract you simply give 30 days notice to cancel (which can actually be upto 60 days notice in advance)

Hi Santipolo, Thanks for taking the time to contact us via the Community. It's lovely having you on board with us in the Forums. ⭐ We're sorry to hear you're looking at cancelling at the end of your minimum term. We don't automatically renew contracts. Once the minimum term ends, you move to a 30 day rolling contract. There is a minimum notice period of 30 days to leave and the maximum notice we can take is 60 days. As long as you contact us between 4th May and 3rd June, the team can set the account to cancel on the 3rd July. Let us know if you have any further queries or questions. Many thanks,

Your agents keep telling me it can only be 30 days notice, they won't budge on that.They say, if my contract ends on July 3 I must contact Virgin on June 3. I am not allowed to contact any day prior to this.If I cannot contact on June 3, because I have not given adequate notice, my contract rolls on for another month into August and, effectively, I have another specific date each month when I must call.Common sense tells me this is wrong but, I cannot get through to anyone who will say anything different.

The bottom line is that VM's customer service staff simply lie to customers, well it may be down to ignorance and non-existent training, but, of course if they insist that you call exactly 30 days before and something happens, you can't, you can but mysteriously the call is cut off, repeatedly, then you end up paying the inflated amount for a few days; win-win, well win for VM, not so much for you.So what you do is this, you write a letter (yes, I know, quaint, but still) to Virgin Media, Sunderland, SR43 4AA. In this letter, you make it absolutely clear that you wish to cancel as of July 3rd and do not expect to be charged beyond that date. Include your name, full address and account number. Do word it in such a way that you expect your contract to terminate on 3rd July not before or after.Keep a copy of the letter and send it by recorded, signed for, delivery.Now there is absolutely no guarantee that VM won't simply ignore it and continue to charge you, or, indeed cut you off as soon as they receive it. Such is the way they work. However, should this happen you make a complain and/or initiate proceedings with the Ombudsman Service and claim compensation.

Stop auto renew | Virgin Media Community

16 Replies

goslow
Alessandro Volta
2 months ago
If you are coming to the end of your minimum term then you will automatically move to a rolling 30 day contract once the minimum term is finished.
Your discounts from the minimum term period will cease (unless you renew) so your monthly price will increase to the 'standard' price after the minimum term period ends.
Once you are on the rolling 30 day contract you simply give 30 days notice to cancel (which can actually be upto 60 days notice in advance)
- Santipolo
  Joining in
  24 days ago
  Your agents keep telling me it can only be 30 days notice, they won't budge on that.
  
  They say, if my contract ends on July 3 I must contact Virgin on June 3. I am not allowed to contact any day prior to this.
  
  If I cannot contact on June 3, because I have not given adequate notice, my contract rolls on for another month into August and, effectively, I have another specific date each month when I must call.
  
  Common sense tells me this is wrong but, I cannot get through to anyone who will say anything different.
  - Anonymous
    24 days ago
    The bottom line is that VM's customer service staff simply lie to customers, well it may be down to ignorance and non-existent training, but, of course if they insist that you call exactly 30 days before and something happens, you can't, you can but mysteriously the call is cut off, repeatedly, then you end up paying the inflated amount for a few days; win-win, well win for VM, not so much for you.
    So what you do is this, you write a letter (yes, I know, quaint, but still) to Virgin Media, Sunderland, SR43 4AA. In this letter, you make it absolutely clear that you wish to cancel as of July 3rd and do not expect to be charged beyond that date. Include your name, full address and account number. Do word it in such a way that you expect your contract to terminate on 3rd July not before or after.
    Keep a copy of the letter and send it by recorded, signed for, delivery.
    Now there is absolutely no guarantee that VM won't simply ignore it and continue to charge you, or, indeed cut you off as soon as they receive it. Such is the way they work. However, should this happen you make a complain and/or initiate proceedings with the Ombudsman Service and claim compensation.
Kath_P
Forum Team
2 months ago
Hi Santipolo,

Thanks for taking the time to contact us via the Community. It's lovely having you on board with us in the Forums. ⭐

We're sorry to hear you're looking at cancelling at the end of your minimum term. We don't automatically renew contracts. Once the minimum term ends, you move to a 30 day rolling contract. There is a minimum notice period of 30 days to leave and the maximum notice we can take is 60 days. As long as you contact us between 4th May and 3rd June, the team can set the account to cancel on the 3rd July.

Let us know if you have any further queries or questions.

Many thanks,
Santipolo
Joining in
15 days ago
Perhaps if everyone there clearly understood what customers were asking for this issue wouldn't arise? Having read a great many similar comments on the like of Trust Pilot, my experience is not uncommon.
I am old enough to remember when Virgin was a premium product, now, alas, only the cost is premium.
You are correct in that the contract does not auto-renew but, your customer service teams do make it very difficult for customers to stop it moving into a non discounted monthly term (it happened to me many years ago and I had to pay an exorbitant fee for a service I didn't need as I phone one day too late.
If you cannot offer a 'do no provide a service beyond my contract button' option on sign up, at least when reminders are sent out about the imminent end of a contract, give customers an easy option then to stop it happening. We have the right as you clearly stated and it should never be this difficult.
As I explained way near the top, many of your agents insist customers can only contact on just one day. In my case, it had to be June 3. They wouldn't accept a 'do not start a rolling contract' instruction as they said it was too early before the 3rd and, one day later and I would be forced to pay a huge fee for an extra month. That is not really on. I had explained that I wasn't available to contact anyone on June 3, indeed, none of that week. As it was proven, I should have been given the option at any time in a 60 day period to stop it 'rolling'
Why am I messing with words, it is auto-renew! You automatically renew a slightly different contract for the same service at heavily inflated prices. All you do in the initial contract is hide that customers who are not as stubborn as me, get to pay more likely for a service they no longer want or need. You create customers who will never return except, like me, when you were absolutely the last choice I had at the time because of a technical issue with my property (now resolved)
- goslow
  Alessandro Volta
  15 days ago
  Just for my own curiosity, is the ideal arrangement you are seeking an 18 month term with VM which ends automatically on the last day of the 18 month period at which point all your services are cut off automatically without any intervention from yourself so you only ever pay the 18 month discounted price and not a penny more?

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Stop auto renew

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