Field Sales promised me a Hub 5 and no additional fees this year?

[Zombiebait]

Hello.  During a second VM visit, as part of verbal contract negotions, your VM Field Sales agent explicitly assured me that if I signed up that night on my doorstep;

1) I'd be sent a Hub5 + V360 self-install package (I was explicit as an ex-VM customer that I did not want any Hub2ac/Hub3/Hub4s)

2) No installation, kit or postage costs; free engineer visit if self-install unsuccessful.

3) Be exempt from the April 2024 3.9%+RPI contract price rise, as, "With any contracts signed after Jan 1st 2024 VM prices are fixed for the current year ahead, and so only the April 2025 prise rise would affect my 18m contract promotional price."

Yodel delivered a Hub3 earlier today!

The barrage of emails and pdfs sents last few days all suggest a £14.99 activation fee, plus a £19.99 delivey fee, and that the April 2024 price rise is in fact applicable!  (A 9 week promotional price is no use to anyone!)

I do recall your VM agent telling me that our negotiated contract discounts will show in due course on my first bill and not immediately, as they require managerial authorisation, and so to ignore the higher costs shown in the pre-contract pdf billing.  However, surely by now one of the six VM pdfs emailed to me via eight emails this week ought to be reflecting the correct promotional price, free postage, and exemption from the April 2024 price rise in 9 weeks?

How exactly do I get the refused Hub3 returned and swopped for the Hub5?  Any bill reassurances, or have been misinformed and missold?  Figured I'd ask here before I exercise my 14 day cooling-off cancellation rights next week.

[Zombiebait]

1) Am I given a fresh account number if I left VM six months ago, but then rejoined VM at the same address?

or

2) Or do they just reactivate my old account number?

[Cardiffman282]

Interesting point. Fortunately VM covers it off on p3 of the current Ts and Cs

"If you have ordered the services online, by telephone or from an agent attending at your home, and have entered into a new contract, you have the right to cancel those services within your 14 day cooling off period. You can cancel immediately during this time without having to pay an early disconnection fee."

[jpeg1]

That's 14 days, not 14 working days. 

[Zombiebait]

It wasn't a pressure sell as I said.  Exposing me to a financial loss by not providing the service agreed would surely be criminal fraud, so it would be a brave employee to use the tactics you describe?  But had I read some of these forum threads in detail beforehand, I would have been forewarned and could have avoided this unwanted time sink.

Thankfully, one of the many emailed pdfs states; "To cancel you have FOURTEEN days from the later of: (i) the day after the delivery of the equipment; (ii) the service start date; or (iii) the day you received this contract (that provides a link to the Terms and Conditions)," as @Cardiffman282 says.

I haven't had delivery of the correct VM equipment nor wilfully activated any of the VM services yet, so I'll give it the few more days for a straight answer to my OP and swop to the Broadcom Hub.

Hopefully.  I've still to get past account security checks before then to glean an answer!  Eleven pieces of data and confidential data i've been asked for so far.  How badly can VM customer contract data be entered?

[Zombiebait]

Hi, back again.

Any staff from the VM forum team now able to help me with a final bill correction, or must it be a 0345 454 1111 phone call?

Having personally returned the incorrect router, its V360 tv box, and all their cables (for which I have a hardcopy O2 receipt dated 01st March 2024) I have patiently waited 28 days for the unexpected final postal bill of £26.39 dated 07th March 2024 to be corrected.  It has not been.

Despite never using or even connecting ANY of the DOCSIS kit, the final bill equates to £136.35/month !!!  Way beyond the fee-free £26.99/month Broadcom Hub 5 & tv package I was missold by VM Field Sales.  Contract started the 27th Jan, I was on here querying matters the 28th Jan through 02nd Feb, and achieved contract cancellation for 3rd Feb 2024.  Frankly, I feel that even charging me for six days 'service' is underhanded behaviour from VM in the context of a missold contract.

I await your reply.

[Carley_S]

Hi @Zombiebait 

Sorry to hear that this is still not fully resolved for you. The agent that was support you on this thread will be able to continue to assist on this issue. You can private message them/respond back to your already open private message and they'll support further with your billing concerns. 

[Zombiebait]

Thanks @Carley_S, as instructed I have responded back to @Zach_R 's last dm for resolution.

[Zombiebait]

Final update FAO of any one else unfortunate enough to get a visit from VM Field Sales agents;

• Disgraceful breach of contract by VM Field Sales.
• Key contract factors promised to me were wrong and wilfully misleading.
• Supply of Broadcom Hub5 router was a fantasy.
• The supposed discounted monthly contract price of £27/m (below £32 web price) never materialised.
• A £19.99 fee was applied to the fee-free contract.  The further £14.99 fee was erroneous.
• The two April prise rises would have applied, the cut-off is not >1st Jan each year.
• I do not believe Field Sales made any genuine mistake.
• I doubt internal feedback of my sour experience will stimulate any 're-training' of VM field sales staff.  I wish I had read up here on forums beforehand and thus been forewarned of their dishonest tactics.
• It's a toss-up whether the six hours spent here to clarify the fraudulent contract specifics and then resolve matters was more efficient than battling VM call centre staff?  But at least the contract did get unwound within 14 days, given I had no red postal demand sent this month, plus VM forum staff are polite.
• The contract closure payment worked out cheaper than car parking fees at small claims court had VM pursued me for the full amount.  Faster than CISAS deadlock too.
• Bizarrely, at no point did I have any online access to view any VM bills for this contract, and it took 11 pieces of data to pass security checks - I presume the doorstep contract was inputted poorly.

TLDR; Don't ever entertain VM field sales at your doorstep.

If you must have a VM contract then IME stick to their website and take screenshots as you go.  Frankly, I found being asked if I had audio evidence of what VM Field Sales sold me really condescending, and sums up VM's "loyal customer" contempt perfectly.

Regards, former VM customer 2014-2023 now using Altnet.

[jpeg1]

Well done for standing up to them.