Virgin Media Community

[kas42]

Hi,

Today I have received both a text and an email asking me to return kit.  This is unexpected as no kit needs to be returned. 

This is not the first time I have been contacted about this, but had already been resolved by the phone CS team. 

When I updated services and contract a month or so ago it appears that someone at VM got the information mixed up as I was sent a return pack (late April) even though my old box was just firmware updated and a new box was not actually sent.  I contacted VM via phone at the time and I was told it was now fully sorted out and just drop off the unused returns pack at a collect+ location at some point.

Today's email even appears to include kit I do not even have (refers to a second set-top box and I only have the 1). I do not want to spend a long period hanging on the phone like the previous times as this issue has already been supposedly sorted already.

[Ayisha_B]

Hi @kas42,

Welcome to our Community Forums and thanks for posting.

I am sorry to hear you received further communication from us asking you to return equipment. I do apologise for our delayed response on the Forums. 

I have taken a look at your account and can see you have spoken to our team yesterday and this was resolved for you 🙂

Let me know if you have any other questions. 

[kas42]

Not sure if it has been "resolved" yet. After an hour on the phone, it was passed onto a manager and IT dept for further investigations. 

[Serena_C]

Hi @kas42

Just to confirm, I have just taken a look at your account and there is no equipment pending to be returned on there now.

Best wishes,

Serena

[kas42]

Tonight I have yet again received the text message and email asking for the return. This time indicated as a "final reminder".

Last week I was promised a callback and update from the case, neither of which materialised.

Just been on the phone with your CS again and as before was assured that nothing needs to be returned. This time I was promised that the complaint has again be placed and suitably escalated. Also again been promised a written confirmation and apology. Unfortunately with the recent experience, I am not holding out much hope of either.

[Martin_N]

Hi kas42,

Thank you for your post. Our apologies you has the message again. 

I have been able to locate your account and can see that you have spoken with an agent regarding this. 

If the agent has advised these don't need to be returned then you can ignore the messages. 

^Martin

[kas42]

I have spoken to several agents yet still the messages come. That is part of the issue. All have said that it has been fixed and nothing needs to be returned.

Not easy to just ignore messages marked as "final notice".

When I raised a complaint about the problem it appears to have been closed immediately and marked as "resolved" just because the CS rep I spoke to said they were sorry this has happened.

[Martin_N]

Our messages are automated ones.

We apologies for any frustration caused with this. 

^Martin

[goslow]

---

@kas42 wrote:

I have spoken to several agents yet still the messages come. That is part of the issue. All have said that it has been fixed and nothing needs to be returned.

Not easy to just ignore messages marked as "final notice".

When I raised a complaint about the problem it appears to have been closed immediately and marked as "resolved" just because the CS rep I spoke to said they were sorry this has happened.

---

The automated text messaging about (non-existent) equipment returns has been mentioned on here before. Unfortunately no one at VM seems to be able to stop the text messages for the customers who are wrongly affected.

Keep a good record of all your comm's with VM, either for the purpose of claiming some compensation for the hassle/worry it has caused you or for the purpose of defending yourself if the VM-machine keeps issuing threatening text messages about the equipment return.

The fact that VM have not accurately recorded, or amended, the equipment record on your account and the fact that VM's automated processing, via the texts, may potentially have a significantly adverse affect against you (in regards to a possible false equipment charge or possible credit history default) does not sound very GDPR-compliant at all to me.

The ICO require you give an organisation a month to resolve the issue (which you may already have done) before logging a complaint with them. Unfortunately ICO are currently advising a 3 month delay on cases before anyone will even be allocated to a complaint with them, so that route would not be a fast one.

Since VM can't/won't do anything to stop the text messages you should look into making a complaint to CISAS (read the T&Cs below about making a complaint)

https://www.cedr.com/consumer/cisas/complainnow/

You are right to be concerned and annoyed about the repeated text messages. If the matter is actually resolved, and you do not have to return any equipment, the responses from the VM forum team on this topic don't really seem to have addressed the point you have been trying to make of wanting to prevent any future text messages from coming through to you.