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pkchips's avatar
pkchips
Tuning in
1 month ago

Delayed install, Virgin cancelled order and made a new order - can i still get automatic compensation?

I ordered VM broadband with installation on 19 Nov 2025. They weren't able to install it and kept on delaying and missing appointments. Eventually, on 8 Jan, they cancelled my order and put a new order in. A lady called me and said the previous order was already cancelled and she had to put a new one in. I raised concerns that this means I might not get the automatic compensation and I want it on the same order as before. She then assured me that the order was the same and there was nothing to worry about.

I received an email confirming a new order had been placed with a new installation date of 12 Jan. In the end, VM successfully installed today (24 Jan).

Because it was always the same engineer at every visit, I asked the engineer if he knew about the order cancellation. He confirmed that he had cancelled the previous order because it "wouldn't let him do what he needed to do without cancelling it".

Can I claim automatic compensation from when I actually placed the order (i.e. 19 Nov 2025)? Or, because Virgin cancelled and re-placed my order, can I only claim it from 12 Jan?

Separately, is automatic compensation still due if Virgin marks an installation as not possible and cancels an order?

6 Replies

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  • goslow's avatar
    goslow
    Alessandro Volta

    Can't recall a past topic on here where VM has cancelled a job then reinstated it shortly after. Here are some speculative possibilities based on a lot of other previous similar topics.

    Yes you are due compo as you have had a long delay from your original date of 19 Nov 2025.

    I would say you should be due two payments (as you have endured two VM installation delays), one covering 19 Nov 2025 to 8 Jan 2026 and the other 12 Jan 2026 to 24 Jan 2026.

    If VM is going to cease paying compensation (because your order is cancelled) it is supposed to issue a 'cease notice' (paras 36 to 39 in the OFCOM doc linked below). The cease notice cannot be issued less than 30 days from when your compo started and must set an end date no less than 30 days from the issue date of the cease notice whilst continuing to pay compensation.

    VM rarely follows the compo rules correctly in the topics on here and tends to try and freestyle its responses for individual customers who post on here.

    So, let's say 19/1/25 to 8/1/26 is 50 days (and we will pretend VM issued you with a cease notice for that failed installation), you would then be due a further 30 days beyond 8/1/26 making 80 days total. 80 days @ £6.24 = £499.20

    Taking the second late installation, from 12 Jan 2026 to 24 Jan 2026 as 12 days that would be a further 12 days @ £6.24 = £74.88

    Total becomes £574.08 (plus you add on a further £31.19 for each appointment where VM said you had to be in but failed to turn up without any notice to you)

    Alternatively, another argument might be, for practical purposes, you had one delayed installation from 19/11/25 to 24/1/26 which is 66 days @ £6.24 = £411.84 (plus any missed appointments)

    This is, of course, the theory of how things should work. This is a slightly unusual case and the outcome may be influenced by exactly what info you were told along the way by VM e.g. how long were you left hanging when the first installation was cancelled before you knew the next installation was booked and you had a new installation date.

     VM has to pay you compo within 30 days of your activation date so see what they offer. Chances are they will come up with a number much less than any of the above suggestions or they may try to avoid paying at all and offer you a 'goodwill' payment of a few quid (as we have seen in many past topics on here).

    View the links below to see some past topics on successfully claiming compo from VM. You will get an idea of how VM tends to operate in such circumstances. Unfortunately all of these cases had to go to the ombudsman to get what was owed

    Installation Delays from November 2025 to January 2026 – Urgent Help Needed | Virgin Media Community - 5689822

    And have a look at VM's published info on the compo scheme

    https://www.virginmedia.com/help/billing-and-payments/automatic-compensation

    https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/fibre-optic-services-terms-conditions/automatic-compensation

    and the original OFCOM doc which is easier to read and does not contain any further clauses added by VM.

    https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/consultations/uncategorised/98684---automatic-compensation/associated-documents/industry-code-of-practice-for-automatic-compensation.pdf?v=326264

    So, suggest you wait for a VM response to see what they offer by way of compo. Then decide on how you want to proceed after reviewing the compensation doc's and making your own calculations.

    Finally, don't be put off fighting for whatever amount it is that you think you are owed. If you read the similar past topics in the links above, you will see that VM threw down many roadblocks along the way but the ombudsman mostly sided with the customer either in full or in part.

    Good luck!

     

    • pkchips's avatar
      pkchips
      Tuning in

      Thank you! That's reassuring. I have submitted a complaint and will update on how they respond. I went with the 66 days delay.

      After one of the missed appointments, I remember a VM agent called me and said there will be an appointment booked on so-and-so date, asking if I'm free then. After I confirmed, he said to make sure I reply "confirm" to a text message. I found it bizarre that they called me about just one appointment (which was also missed/cancelled). After the call, it made me wonder if they had on their system that the engineer tried visiting but it was my fault the appointment didn't happen. If this is the case, is there any way for me to contest their record? I don't have any CCTV.

      Also, I know there were multiple missed appointments and rescheduled appointments at the last minute, but I didn't keep track of these. Is there any way to get Virgin's records on this so I can claim compensation correctly?

       

      • goslow's avatar
        goslow
        Alessandro Volta

        The 66 days seems like the most realistic prospect of a claim based on what you have written.

        If you only went live on 24/1/26 though, VM does have 30 days in which to pay you what is due under the scheme. Maybe VM will pay up promptly and in full accordance with the scheme!

        I don't think you can rely on VM to provide you with any useful info ref missed visits. Firstly it is not in VM's interests to do so. Secondly in some cases that VM lost at the ombudsman (and were reported back on here) one of the main reasons for deciding against VM was it failed to present a coherent description of the sequence of events that had taken place during the installation (one topic described VM's evidence as being nothing more than a heap of screenshots and messages in no particular order which the adjudicator could make no sense of)

        Customers usually have a good case at the ombudsman when they can present a clear timeline of events along with accompanying evidence as to what happened and how/why VM failed to deliver the service on time.

        Here is a useful post from a previous topic on how to prepare for the ombudsman (if you end up having to go there)

        compensation for delay in broadband installation | Virgin Media Community - 5529046

        You should start to piece together your own timeline, along with evidence, perhaps going back through your own phone logs and messages, emails, texts etc.

        If you need to access info from VM you could always put in a DSAR to get what you need

        https://www.virginmedia.com/help/dsar

        Finally, this forum is about to close next week to migrate and merge with the O2 community forum. There is no guarantee that any past info and topics on here will survive that move so, if there is any info you want to lift from here, you had best to it before end of today!

  • -tony-'s avatar
    -tony-
    Alessandro Volta

    i think i have read all of the excellent advice above so apologies if i missed something

    the something is you need to open a complaint and for it to be 8 weeks old or closed before you can go to the ombudsman - VM are likely to simply close any complaint - as is their way - with a rubbish reason - thats fine it moves things forward for you - so if that happens or after 8 weeks go forward and open a claim and take it from there - dont hesitate to add £150 to any claim if they mess you about further