Being charges for landline calls not made

[Nreed]

Please can you help. I am being charged for 4 calls a day on my landline to the speaking clock and local numbers (same numbers). Calls throughout the day and night. Virgin have waived the last bills worth but neglected to tell me they were still accruing! They insist I must have made these calls despite there being no calls whatsoever registered for over a year prior to this and the fact that I don’t even have a handset plugged into the line! I’m running out of options, I have raised a complaint, no reply and completed the webchat. My only option left is to break my contract and disconnect the phone and then leave virgin. I have been a customer for 15 years. Please can someone help? 

[goslow]

This issue crops up regularly on the forum. There are some possible explanations for it.

Do you receive the VM landline service via a conventional telephone wall socket or via a connection from the back of the VM hub (the new VM 21CV service)?

A common explanation for a conventional wall socket connection is a crossed line in the street. VM will usually offer to send a technician to check this but often with the caveat of a £99 non-fault charge possibly being applied if no fault is found. In a past topic on the forum, the customer discovered a neighbour had been inadvertently connected to their line and was running up unexpected charges.

Errors also seem to be possible via a hub connection but have not been explained in public on the forum AFAIK. Some of these have resulted in large unexplained charges for customers.

Have you tried plugging in a phone to see if your landline is actually still working in your home (if your line is not working, you cannot be making calls from it)? If it works, have you tried dialling out to your mobile and seeing if the caller ID from your landline matches the one you are being billed for? Have you tried dialling your landline number you are being billed for to see if anyone picks up, which might indicate a crossed connection? You can do these tests during any free time in your phone package to avoid any further charges being applied.

One of the VM forum team should pick this up and be able to investigate this for you. They usually reply within a week or so.

[Zak_M]

Good morning @Nreed 

Welcome to the forums and thank you for taking the time to post. 

I am sorry to hear that you have had some issues with getting charged for calls you haven't made. 

It dose sound as though there might be a crossed line. Are you able to let me know if your landline is connected to the traditional landline socket or if its been connected via the hub? 

Kind regards,

Zak_M

[Nreed]

Hi Zak

it is an old landline socket. When you look at the calls they are not normal calls, they are exact in length and are at very random times of the day. Also the numbers dialled vary by 1 so 01392 211111 then 311111 etc and it is always 4 calls a day. Virgin have also told me my line is always engaged when they try and test it. 
Nicola 

[Paul_DN]

Hi Nreed,

Thank you for coming back to us, I am sorry to hear this still hasn't been resolved and the charges are still hitting your account, we need to investigate this for you, I tried to have a look at things our end however wasn't able to locate your account with the details we have for you, I will need to invite you into a private chat so I can get further details.

I will send you a invite shortly, please click on the purple envelope to accept.

Regards

Paul.

[lordsmorg]

This just started happening to y landline too, and I also don't have a phone plugged in,

 

Talking to their help team is like trying to talk to a brick....

I have told them I want all calls barred as I dont use it I dont need to worry about it  but they still think I made the calls

[Gareth_L]

Hi lordsmorg

Thanks for your post 

Sorry for the issues you are facing 

Just wating for the image to be approved

Once it has, I am happy to help 

Gareth_L

[lordsmorg]

its a series of phone calls all lasting precisely 0:01:00  

all to a series of near identical numbers,

01392 21 1111

01392 21 1211

01392 31 4211

01392 22 1111

multiple to each, started on the 31st of December

[Gareth_L]

Hi Lordsmorg

Lets get this looked into then 

I will need to send you a private message to pass security 
If you can check the purple envelope top right of your screen that would be great 
Regards     
Gareth_

[lordsmorg]

As a follow up for anyone else that finds their way here:

Virgin call centre refused to accept problem, refused to block all outgoing calls, so I called up to cancel my services but; having explained why, the lady offered me a better solution, I was able to cancel the TV and phone (as I never used either) and keep the broadband, and it saved me £7 a month.

so basically, Virgin overseas call centre was useless and in the end cost them a a lot money than just sorting out the problem 

if you NEED your phone I have no advice to offer you, but I can tell you that they wont help you on the call centre.  Gareth on here and the lady in cancellations do seam to want to help, I would urge you to try that line of communications.