on 23-01-2023 11:12
Called VM in November to notify them I was moving house and leaving for a much better deal (£35 vs £66).
Get an offer to match the deal with no extra fees for staying with them after the move - I agree.
Move house in December and get VM set up on 16th Dec, first bill comes last week (21st Jan), for the same amount as my old package, plus a ton of fees - £128!!
Spend 9 hours on the WhatsApp chat getting passed in circles, called the cancellation team and they won't process a cancellation without charging me a huge fee - for a contract I never bloody signed up to!
I've requested multiple people just listen to the phone recording, but no one has. I've also put in a Freedom of Information request to obtain a copy of the phone call - but that will take a minimum of a month, which is way too long.
I've asked what is on the system of me agreeing to this package - any signed document, any email - nothing.
Who can actually address this issue?
Answered! Go to Answer
on 23-01-2023 11:22
Forum staff should be able to sort that out for you, plus a suitable goodwill credit to your account. Text below is boiler plate that explains what you do if there's any difficulty, but this shouldn't be necessary because forum staff have to sort out these dodgy deals almost every day.
These "didn't get the deal I agreed" situations happen from time to time - in fact they happen regularly with Virgin Media. However, your legal rights are crystal clear - information provided by a company verbally or written is binding if the consumer relies upon it when entering a contract (Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015), so VM have to honour whatever was promised, whether they like it or not. No matter what VM say about "not the right deal", "can't offer that to you", "deal not on the system", you agreed a contract with their agent, that is now binding . And perhaps they need to re-train some of their staff because yours is a regular complaint in these forums.
Hopefully the forum staff can pick this up and get it sorted - by which I mean that you get exactly the deal you were promised, suitably backdated to when it should have been effective, and an appropriate goodwill gesture (say £70) for the inconvenience and stress. That would be the cheapest and quickest resolution for both parties, and the best way of trying to recover some goodwill in a bad situation. If they can't get it sorted in that complete manner (and don't settle for miserly goodwill payment), you need read the Virgin Media Complaints Code of Practice and raise a formal complaint. I suggest in writing, by recorded post. Reject the contract they're trying to impose, and demanding that as per your legal rights the company honour what was promised, and pointing out that if the company can't honour its agreement you will escalate to Ombudsman Services as soon as permitted by the rules.
If VM still won't honour the contract despite the complaint, or issue a fob-off resolution that doesn't settle things acceptably, then you reply by rejecting the "resolution" and asking for a deadlock letter, with that you take the matter to the Ombudsman. If VM stall and you can't get a deadlock letter then (ignoring that it is a breach of regulations) then eight weeks after your initial complaint was received by VM you can take the matter to the Ombudsman without a deadlock letter. Explain the background and request that VM be required to give you the promised deal, fully backdated, and add on a request for compensation for the hassle.
on 23-01-2023 11:22
Forum staff should be able to sort that out for you, plus a suitable goodwill credit to your account. Text below is boiler plate that explains what you do if there's any difficulty, but this shouldn't be necessary because forum staff have to sort out these dodgy deals almost every day.
These "didn't get the deal I agreed" situations happen from time to time - in fact they happen regularly with Virgin Media. However, your legal rights are crystal clear - information provided by a company verbally or written is binding if the consumer relies upon it when entering a contract (Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015), so VM have to honour whatever was promised, whether they like it or not. No matter what VM say about "not the right deal", "can't offer that to you", "deal not on the system", you agreed a contract with their agent, that is now binding . And perhaps they need to re-train some of their staff because yours is a regular complaint in these forums.
Hopefully the forum staff can pick this up and get it sorted - by which I mean that you get exactly the deal you were promised, suitably backdated to when it should have been effective, and an appropriate goodwill gesture (say £70) for the inconvenience and stress. That would be the cheapest and quickest resolution for both parties, and the best way of trying to recover some goodwill in a bad situation. If they can't get it sorted in that complete manner (and don't settle for miserly goodwill payment), you need read the Virgin Media Complaints Code of Practice and raise a formal complaint. I suggest in writing, by recorded post. Reject the contract they're trying to impose, and demanding that as per your legal rights the company honour what was promised, and pointing out that if the company can't honour its agreement you will escalate to Ombudsman Services as soon as permitted by the rules.
If VM still won't honour the contract despite the complaint, or issue a fob-off resolution that doesn't settle things acceptably, then you reply by rejecting the "resolution" and asking for a deadlock letter, with that you take the matter to the Ombudsman. If VM stall and you can't get a deadlock letter then (ignoring that it is a breach of regulations) then eight weeks after your initial complaint was received by VM you can take the matter to the Ombudsman without a deadlock letter. Explain the background and request that VM be required to give you the promised deal, fully backdated, and add on a request for compensation for the hassle.
on 23-01-2023 11:25
Thanks @Andrew-G! I'll wait with baited breath for the forum staff.
on 23-01-2023 13:34
Thanks for posting and welcome back to the community. Sorry for the contract dispute.
I will send you a PM to sort this out as I know from checking both old and new system what's happened here.
Best wishes,
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