Forum Discussion

DannyDawson's avatar
DannyDawson
Tuning in
10 months ago

Think i might be getting messed around

im not getting anywhere with virgin media customer services and in the last 5 days or so ive been told 4 different things by 4 different people, im not really sure who is right in this situation as it seems no one really knows, i appreciate your time reading this.

The backstory is the service i receive at my house right now was originally set up by my dad years and years ago and in 2022 he passed away so by default i swapped it all over to my mums name through the bereavement team(nightmare process too).. fast forward to now, the account is now out of contract and for the last however long we have been paying super inflated out of contract monthly payments. We recently decided we was going to get back into contract with a completely different package but set it up in my name as i am the one who pays it. I ordered the self install kit for 1gig internet 45/m and it was scheduled to arrive 13/04/24.. from here i have been told 4 different things and im not sure who to believe so im seeking answers.

Person 1 - i rung virgin media customer services on 12/04/24 (the day before the kit should be delivered) just to make sure what i have in mind will work (receive self install kit, set it up and cancel the current account), he told me this would be completely fine and said he put a note on the account explaining what was going to be happening.

Person 2 - i wrote another post on here and was speaking in private message with one of the forum staff who told me person 1 was wrong with this information and the self install kit wasnt sent out because i had to ring up and cancel the account first and while the account was in its cancellation period then he would get a self install kit fast tracked to me to set up in this period in my name.

Person 3 - i rung up virgin media customer services again to now cancel my account so i could proceed with person 2 process, i was informed by person 3 that person 2 was wrong with this information and it doesnt go by name anymore but it goes by the house itself and if i was to cancel the current account then i would have to wait 90 days to set it up in ANY name.. Person 3 has told me to i need to wait 30 days for something on my account to be terminated and then to ring back to try and get a better deal and made me aware that it might not even be cheaper.. so this person 3 has finessed me into paying another month and play the waiting game

Person 4 - This wasnt really a person but i was reading through other forum posts of similar situations and there are many forum staff commenting on these posts saying all different kinds of information, some say this is all possible.. some say you need to wait 30 days, some say you need to wait 90 days but you can set it back up instantly in someone elses name, ive even seen some say go to another provider and come back later on as a new customer.

sorry for the wall of text but i am really not sure where to go from here, i want to stay with virgin media just for the ease of things but im on the verge of just going to plusnet or sky and forgetting about virgin media all together.

the main outcome i want is my current account completely cancelled and a new one set up in my name with a broadband only package ideally 1gig.. im not sure why its such a mess at virgin media, it seems no one really knows what the process is.

Thank you for you time.

  • Well my partner just took out a new package as I gave 30days notice after hours of chat getting nowhere just said cancel as I couldn't work out from renewal emails what I was exactly being offered as was no mention of netflix etc in offer and online chat was ignoring my email and offering expensive deals.

    Last time they gave me a renewal offer they never said about 2 months 1st bill and were no help when I said to them I can't afford it but I have noticed now after you sign up they send you a double 1st bill but offer you to spread it, but what I'm more angry at is I seen it saying no upfront costs or installation costs as he chose self install and bill says £40 for equipment, installation and delivery. Cheeky F***ers! 

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    There can only be one active account at a time at an address.

    You will have to cancel the existing account first at 30days' notice. You can then apply for a new account in your name.  There is supposed to be a delay of 90 delays before a new account is set up. This is intended to stop everyone cancelling their accounts and then signing up again on new user discount deals, but it doesn't seem to be rigidly enforced so you may be lucky and get what you want.

    • DannyDawson's avatar
      DannyDawson
      Tuning in

      Thanks for the reply.. i had 1 person saying this was fine to do and 2 people said nope you cant do this. so ive had to pay another month for possibly nothing at the end of it.

      dan.

      • Tudor's avatar
        Tudor
        Very Insightful Person

        "There can only be one active account at a time at an address."
        Not true. There are many mentions on the board of two connections at one address often, but not always it’s student accommodation. Best wait for a VM staff member to get to your post in a day or two to clarify the situation. 

  • No problem, what type of information are you looking for? 

    I can see my colleague Jon, actually has sent you a DM.

    Please do feel free to reach back out via the DM and he would be happy to look into this for you. 

    The current account would need to be cancelled, there can't be two accounts under one address, normally the new order gets cancelled if this is the case.

    I would also reach back out to my colleague via PM he would be happy to explain anything you need. 

    • Danloki's avatar
      Danloki
      Tuning in

      Actually reading these forum posts brings shudders down my spine, with the same experience I have had. It's disgusting they've gotten away with this for so long. I'm one **bleep** off customer 

    • DannyDawson's avatar
      DannyDawson
      Tuning in

      Job never replied to me.. I would be happy to pm you and discuss this as a second opinion to refer back to.. as said before I've been told many different things and not sure where I stand now.

      Thanks

      • Daniel_Et's avatar
        Daniel_Et
        Forum Team

        Hi DannyDawson, thank you for your response.

        In order to look into this for you further, we'll send you a private message on here. Look out for the envelope in the top right-hand corner.

        If you're on a portable device with a smaller screen, click on the icon in the top right-hand corner and select "messages" from the additional menu options.


        Regards,
        Daniel

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    Where you stand now is you are up against their procedure that stops someone cancelling and promptly signing up again at a cheaper rate, as this costs VM money that they don't want to lose. 

    As mentioned above, there have been cases where people have got around the rule, but it doesn't seem to have been easy.

  • Get your letter/email from them and contact the Ombudsman.  Dont believe what the say when they are pretending to resolve it as they are just trying to avoid you doing anything.  I found Rich_F from Vm to helpful but then he stopped getting in touch and the offer of compensation disappeared