Is it right that I have to give 30 days notice to cancel even when out of contract?

[crazyjeyesy]

This is ridiculous. The email I got when I passed my first year contract end (and went onto a higher tariff) says, "If you decide to switch, you’ll need to give us 30 days’ notice by calling 0345 454 1111, but if you cancel after your contract ends on 01/06/2021 you won’t have any early termination fees to pay."

That to me looks like nothing to pay... but I'm still having to pay a fee because I'm not giving 30 days notice (so I guess it's not an early termination fee as I'm not in contract - clever bit of wording there Virgin).

In the small print of the email there is nothing about 30 days notice and a fee if not, so I feel like I've been conned. How on earth can Virgin get away with this? For all the shoddy broadband I've had in recent times, Virgin should be COMPENSATING me, not charging extra when I leave.

[Ernie_C]

The 30 days notice is standard and in your contract. I would imagine other suppliers have the same contract term.

[crazyjeyesy]

"but if you cancel after your contract ends on 01/06/2021 you won’t have any early termination fees to pay."

My contract has ended. This is what I mean... although I guess what I'm on now they'd call a rolling contract, so I'm still in contract even though my contract ended?

[newapollo]

Hi crazyjeyesy,

Once your contract end date has been reached you are on a rolling contract and still need to give 30 days notice, so you will be charged at the out of contract price for those 30 days. 

This is the same process as if you had you applied the cancellation request 30 days before the date your contract was due to end.

Doing the latter your account would have closed on the date your contract was due to expire.

The same applies to Sky and BT.

Info below from legal-stuff/terms-and-conditions-for-fibre-optic-services#end 

N. Other ways to end this agreement

1. In addition to your rights to cancel during the cooling off period, either you or we may end this agreement at any time (including during or at the end of any minimum period) by giving the other 30 days’ notice. 

[jem101]

It's really not very well worded at all (odd that for a communication company)! Your contract doesn't actually end after 12 or 18 months, despite what some people assume, this is just the minimum term and after that the contract continues as before (albeit with an increased cost), until you call to cancel it but they require 30 days' notice.

If you really do want to cancel as of the day the minimum term ends, then you need to phone up and arrange the cancellation 30 days before then - which is fine as you will still be paying them for the agreed minimum period.

[crazyjeyesy]

Yeah agree, poorly worded. If I'd known I had to give 30 days notice out of my initial contract I would have done!

[unhappyconsumer]

Hi, I complained about this and Virgin have offered me account credit of the same price as the 30-day fee - you could try the same.

If the service was also bad, you could ask for compensation on top of this for both inconvenience and distress. If they won't resolve it over the phone, ask them to respond to your complaint via final response letter, fill out this form https://www.virginmedia.com/help/dsar (tick everything) then submit the complaint to CISAS once the FRL is delivered. 

[crazyjeyesy]

That's brilliant advice, thanks! What did you say to convince them to give you the credit?

[unhappyconsumer]

I was told by the DSAR manager and the person who cancelled my contract that I would be due a £4 cheque as my closing balance - they then tried to charge me over £40 for cancellation, this was then removed following my complaint. 

I have complained to other companies in a similar situation, I explained that, regardless of if the contract states something or not, it is still unfair - A rolling contract is a contract that has no defined cancellation date and ends only upon the request of one of the involved parties - this is the assumption. Virgin should contact you 30 days before the contract cancellation to notify you to cancel if you wish to do so, to avoid paying the fee. A process designed to mask information from the consumer to extract further payment from them is unfair.

[jamesofmerton]

'I explained that, regardless of if the contract states something or not, it is still unfair...'

but legally binding. you agreed to it by using the service. it is all in the terms and conditions. there is nothing to argue about. there is no 'masking'.

rolling contracts are there for a reason. if they were not then after 12/18 months, customers would just lose access. maybe virgin/sky/bt should tell customers their contract will revert to the rolling one, but adults tend to do things without their hand being held all the time.