Direct Debit set up - Charged a late payment fee!!

[goody1]

Direct Debit set up - charged a late payment fee!!

I set up a new direct debit with another bank around early December. 

10th December is the bill date stating Direct Debit date is 28th December

Recent bill states a Late Payment Charge as the DD was not paid

Virgin state they requested the funds to be released by the bank on 26th December(although the chap I spoke to initally said the 13th December) The DD payment date is always at the end of the month. I hate ringing up Virgin!!!

The bank said the DD has been active since I set it up from 15th December, and that Virgin have not requested funds.

I am surprised that Virgin did not send me an email confirming the lack of payment instead of charging me a Late Payment Charge fee 12 days later. I am sure it does not actually cost them anything!

I can not say I am impressed with Virgin especially after the intial sales phone call promising me a specific monthly payment, then to find find out after the first month that the amount had gone up £3.25!! ! I should have cancelled stright away! Instead they applied a Discount Correction

The bank have just rang me to ask Virgin to cancel and reset up the DD as it must ne a problem with Virgin's system!! That means I have to ring them up again!! Arrggghhh!!

Anyone else have this problem?

[goody1]

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@Andrew-G wrote:

Well, maybe the forum staff would like to sort this out, and add a say £50 goodwill payment?

If they won't, read and follow the VM Consumer Complaints Code of Practice. I always recommend putting complaints in writing and sending by recorded post given VM's ineptitude with web forms, technology in general and telephone calls. If VM can't sort your complaint out to your complete satisfaction (quite likely) you can escalate to Ombudsman Services but do read the ombudsman's guidance on what you have to have done before they can accept the complaint.  

Make sure your complaint is clear, starts from the beginning, includes as much detail as possible on the contacts you've had with VM, including (if relevant) any rudeness or being cut off or disconnected. It should also specify exactly what you want: Correct charging in future, refund of previous over-charges, and a generous "goodwill gesture" (compensation) for the hassle and general inconvenience of the whole thing.

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@Andrew-G Thanks for the back up to this really ridiculous position that Virgin have put me in!

All I wanted was for them to reverse the false late payment fee, instead I have spent days waiting for them to return my calls and messages, repeating myself many times until it will sink it

Whatsapp is a complete waste of time too

[Adri_G]

Thanks for posting this reply, goody1.
Sorry to see how you feel about our customer support following this experience.

I have replied back with a new PM, please have a read when you can and get back to me as we're close to resolving this for you now.
Thanks,

[goody1 · Accepted solution]

Well after another PM, hopefully this infuriating problem with Virgin Media will be resolved after VM offered an insulting goodwill credit to ‘cover the dissatisfaction caused’ on my next bill of £10 - £7.50 to cover the fee they overcharged me and £2.50 extra! To ‘cover the dissatisfaction caused’ it should be been more like £110, for the days I have spent trying to sort out their total incompetence from the accounts department and the customer service department! 

Well that sums up what they think of me and every other customer !

Good luck all Virgin Media customers , you‘ll need it when you need them to sort out your problem!

[Ashleigh_C]

Thank you for popping back to us @goody1 and I'm so sorry to hear that you have faced these issues but we are glad an agent has been  able to assist via a PM. 

If you do face any further issues with this please do pop back to the PM and we will do all we can to help.

[goody1]

It still seems like the recent payment has not been taken out, can you check it