Email contract renewal offer has not been actioned

[RandoUser]

Sorry for how long this will be, I'm going to dump as much information as I can think of regarding my case here. Please let me know if you need any specifics relating to my account, pre-contract/order numbers etc.

My current contract expires in May and I received some emails from Virgin with renewal offers.

On 05/03 I followed the link in an email to the Virgin website and accepted the offer to renew my contract for another 18 months. I received the Contract Information and Contract Summary sheets before accepting and then received an order summary email which provided an Estimated activation date of 08/03.

On 08/03 I received an email from the Websales team 'Re: Sign Up Online' which stated:

"We are pleased to confirm your request has now been fully actioned and your special bundle offer of <input offer e.g. 2 for £20> has been applied, saving you even more money than you thought on your Virgin Media services."

And another email stating "Thanks for making those changes" and attached an eContract (Service change receipt) showing that my current contract has been updated to replace Maxit TV with Mega TV, and nothing else. Same price, still ends in May...Oh, and I'm apparently being charged £1.67 for making these changes which I never requested.

I've been on the web chat earlier today talking to agents who were more interested in trying to renegotiate a new contact with me, even though they can't offer the same prices as the one I already accepted, because they saw the word 'renewal'.

Eventually, an agent informed me that it would be "15 working days to affect" since I ordered online before the web chat mysteriously threw an error when I asked to be transferred to the complaints department (as there was no mention of it taking 15 days when I placed the order).

I fail to see how this could be the case since I've already had my account changed (incorrectly) by the websales team as a result of ordering online and it didn't take 15 days. Also, the order has been "fully actioned" so why would it open up again? I don't have any pending orders in my account.

Furthermore, I can see in this forum that other customers who've accepted the online renewal offers have been told 15 days and nothing has been fixed for them in that time frame:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/New-Contract-Woes/td-p/5495798

Apologies for the wall of text. Can you please advise how my issue(s) can be resolved? And perhaps flag to the relevant parties that your online contract renewal self-service is not working as intended.

P.S. Here are further examples of customers using the online renewal service only for it do nothing, this issue has apparently been ongoing since October:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Contract-Renewal/m-p/5419319

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Contract-renewal-not-actioned-cont/...

[wilber_force]

I feel you pain RandoUser.  I'm in a very similar situation, and I want to reduce the cost as I have told VM that contrary to popular belief in the VM world, money doesn't grow on trees. 

I've called numerous times and can't get past the press 1 for this, 2 for that, etc.  Then they want my memorable word.  I have no idea what that is. 

I hope you get you issue sorted PDQ.

[RandoUser]

I'm just updating before I post this thread onto Twitter.

I've contacted your forum team, as advised, on the private message thread and was told that you'd sent away a month ago and not heard back. You would chase up and should hear back 'tomorrow'. This was on the 14th, I haven't heard back.

Is this how you manage your caseload? Do you want me to keep chasing Virgin Media employees and reminding them that they haven't heard back in over a week/month? Are you gonna compensate me for doing the job of your diary?

My complaint remains unresolved despite me sending 5 replies to the 'Resolutions Team'. The 2nd to last (18th April) asked me for documents I had sent them on the 1st of April. The most recent reply now tells me they won't honour the contract I provided proof of because "according to your account, we see that you have been contacting us for a while to avail of the package you agreed to. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer you the same package, as offers are all time-bound and keep varying." and to contact over webchat to negotiate a renewal. As if I haven't previously done that and been offered renewal 'deals' of £80-100? (my core package is £40 currently)

So because Virgin aren't capable of actioning a contract renewal placed through their website in a timely fashion they're under no obligation to honour it and instead I have to make do with a significantly worse offer? (which I won't be doing since I've put in my cancellation notice)

Despite continually refusing to honour this contract and sending me multiples emails saying the same thing the Resolution Team have also completely ignored my repeated requests for a deadlock email. If no progress is being made towards reaching a resolution then we are at deadlock, surely?

[John_GS]

Morning @RandoUser 

Thanks for coming back to me.

I'll send you a PM now 🙂