14 day cooling off period

[DanielFleetwood]

Just rang to cancel my contract within 14 days cooling off period (new customer). Is there any reason I need to give 30 days notice? £90 bill seems steep considering I’m cancelling within a week of joining?

[japitts]

Your first bill is often more than usual due to it overlapping two bill cycles - does the package price on your bill match what you're expecting?

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/virgin-media-first-bill 

[DanielFleetwood]

The package is correct but as I am leaving within the 14 day cooling off period, seems a little harsh to have to give 30 days notice? A bill of £90 for 7 days seems a little over the top?

[Andrew-G]

If you're cancelling within the 14 days of a new customer contract, then they can't charge you a penny.  Hopefully the forum staff can sort this nonsense out, otherwise you'll be needing to go down the formal complaint and escalation route, which always costs VM a packet.

[DanielFleetwood]

The agent on the phone said I would pay for the 7 days I’ve been with VM and also need to pay for 30 days service due to me needing a 30 day notice. Something definitely doesn’t sit right here.

[japitts]

Indeed so - section M of the T&C is quite clear on this point.

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

You should expect to pay for the services you have used and also for any activation fees, but the former would be on a pro-rata basis.

[DanielFleetwood]

So I should pay for a week?

If I cancel, wonder if the systems will automatically reflect this?

[Andrew-G]

VM's T&Cs are again at odds with guidance from the regulator, that says customers will not be charged.  "And remember, you always have a 14-calendar-day ‘cooling off’ period, during which you can cancel your request to switch broadband provider – without being charged."  Regulatory requirements will take precedence over the contract.  I can't say I'm surprised that VM are yet again trying to ride roughshod over the regulator, fortunately their hand can be forced as follows.

If you're charged, then raise a formal complaint, this will be fobbed off by the same untrained offshore idiots that man the phone lines, but as soon as you get the fob off letter, you reject that and ask for a deadlock letter, with the deadlock letter you take the matter to CISAS, the industry complaints adjudicator.

[japitts]

Although it seems fair that you pay the cost of your package for the time you've had use of it.

[Adri_G]

Hello DanielFleetwood, thanks for your posts and replies on our help forum.

We're sorry to hear of this confusion with how much you'll need to pay for your services if you're cancelling within your 14-day cooling off period.
Please, allow us to advise once your services are installed, we issue your first bill for the month ahead.
When you cancel, we give a 30 days notice from the date your request is submitted and once the service has been disconnected, we then produce your final bill with all the corrections and charges from when you joined to the date you got disconnected instead (this should include pro-rate corrections from past bill overpayments).

Can you please advise on what date you requested this cancellation and what is the date we confirmed your disconnection will take place?
Please, let us know so we can advise more on this.