On January 4th, a home broadband payment was missed due to a direct debit error. This was subsequently registered as a late payment on my credit file on January 9th. This is madness.
In my experience, and as is common with most companies, a missed direct debit usually prompts a retry of the payment in 7-14 days, or at the very least, a notification to the customer to arrange an alternative payment method. Only once the followup had failed. and after reasonable time has been given to rectify things, should a late payment be registered.
Virgin Media need to understand that errors in banking and missed payments can happen from time to time. The quick escalation to a late payment registration seems to be an extreme measure, particularly when when it was only two working days after the payment due date.
A single missed payment, especially when it's due to a banking error, should not have such immediate and significant consequences. This approach can be damaging to customers who are otherwise diligent in their financial responsibilities.
I believe there should be a more balanced and customer-friendly policy in place for handling such incidents. A policy that considers the occasional banking error or oversight and provides a fair opportunity for customers to rectify such issues without immediate negative repercussions to their credit score.
Has anyone else been in a similar position, and have you managed to get Virgin Media to remove it?
