Complaints

[brirhodes]

I today spent 2 hours on chat asking for my legal right to cancel my renewal within 14 day cooling off period. I was told I could not go back to my old contract and I either took the new contract or they cancelled completely. 

i asked to be put through to complaints who literally told me to speak to the team I had just spoken to. When I asked to raise a complaint they said they would and would close immediately as they had gave me advice. They did this and I now have an email saying you are happy you resolved my complaint!!!!! 

To make matters worse they suggested I call in next time. 

[unisoft]

After giving VM Forum Staff the chance to sort the issue out, on this simple, online form, please let the telecoms regulator OfCom know about your experience of complaint mis-handling and denial of statutory legal right to contract cool off period.

Ofcom have been investigating various complaints since 2023, but many customers have not reported because they did not know or thought it would take lots of time.

https://ofcomlive.my.salesforce-sites.com/formentry/SitesFormCCTMonitoring

[Carley_S]

Hi @brirhodes 

Welcome back to the community forums.

So sorry to hear of your experience when speaking with the team regarding cancelling your renewal within your 14 day cooling off period. 

I can see that you're already speaking with one of my colleagues via private message regarding your renewal issues, should you've any further questions or concerns you'd like to raise, please do let my colleague helping you via private message know, and they'll assist you further on this issue and look to reach a resolution for you with your complaint. 

[brirhodes]

Your colleague has just asked for my details and three hours later (so far) nothing else

[brirhodes]

Here as a bit of the chat where the complaints process is discussed…..’Yes, I will be able to raise a complaint regarding the issue and will be closed as I have provided you with the information regarding the cancellation of the contract. You will be able to refer to the copy of your transcript at any point as it automatically appears in your messages unless you were to delete them. Is there anything else, I can assist you with?“‘

[brirhodes]

And here is the guidance on 14 day cooling off period

‘Our 14-day cooling off period if for terminating the contract. Reverting the deal to your old deal id just within 24 hours upon accepting the deal’

[goslow]

Support from VM on here is slow-time rather than real-time or a chat exchange depending when different VM forum team members are on shift.

Out of interest, why did you decide you want to undo your renewal?

From memory of past topics, I would have agreed with your suggestion that if you cancelled a renewal of an existing agreement via cooling-off rights, you would go back to the previous agreement.

The current T&Cs though phrase this slightly differently (Section M.8)

https://prod.ctassets.virginmedia.com/uploads/Terms_and_Conditions_TV_Fibre_Phone_from_4_February_20...

referring to a renewal while still in a minimum term period. Were you in or out of your minimum term period when you renewed?

You could seek some clarification from Citizens Advice on the consumer law aspect of cooling off and reverting back to a previous agreement.

Otherwise just put in your cancellation and ditch VM altogether. Many have reported on here recently that was the only way to get an acceptable renewal price. Others have reported no further offers were forthcoming after cancelling and they simply left VM.

The general chaos and torment of trying to renew with VM seems to be in overdrive just at the moment as reported in the recent topics on here.

[brirhodes]

I was originally in a contract until December 2024. Got offered a renewal early but did not appreciate was not same package and it was going to change straight away. As I would now need to buy TNT sport i will be paying £30 more a month for less. As contract was to expire in Dec I am paying £120 more over that period.

[goslow]

Based on a lot of similar recent topics, what were you told during the renewal discussions?

Lots of people have reported on here that the sales agent told them they would be keeping everything 'the same' only to find TNT Sports was no longer there after renewal.

If you renewed in a minimum term period, then condition M.8 should apply to you and VM could offer to return you to your previous package until the end of your minimum term.