Leaving Virgin Media - they've changed my leave date!

[Dave_Ash_20]

Hi, 

I was on an 18-month contract for phone and broadband. Starting in Jan 2021 and ending on 13th July 2022.

I signed up for BT broadband and phone at the end of May 2022, with the new service to be installed on 11th July 2022.

2 days later I got an e-mail telling me that my contract had changed with Virgin Media. The phone had been removed and the broadband price had gone up. I assume that BT had already made the request to claim my phone number and get it ported to their network.

12th June 2022
I contacted Virgin Media to give them my 30 days notice so that my contract would end at the end of my 18-month contract. I was told that I would get an e-mail to confirm this.

I phoned up a week or so later and was advised that the e-mail confirmation would be closer to the time but the lady could see that it was set to be disconnected on the 12th of July.

11th July 2022
BT installed their broadband and ported my phone number over from Virgin Media to BT Network. Everything is working fine.

15th July 2022
I checked and I still have access to Virgin Broadband as well as BT Broadband.

15th July 2022
I contacted Virgin Media to ask why it was still connected.

I was advised that the phone line was ported on the 12th of June (I assume ready to be claimed by BT) but the Broadband wasn't cancelled until the 19th of June - so my contact WILL NOT END until the 19th of July. Why would I phone on 2 different days to cancel 2 parts of the same package???

I said I wasn't happy with this response and needed it to be cancelled as of this week, 13th July, when my initial contract had ended as I had followed their T's and C's and given the appropriate 30 days notice.

After the customer service person had been to speak to her supervisor, she apologised but unfortunately, that data of the 19th July couldn't be changed and that they would issue a formal warning to the adviser who hadn't actioned them at the correct date.

~~~
What should my next course of action be as I won't be paying for the service beyond the 13th of July just because one of their advisors screwed up and they won't now correct that error?

Not only do they think I should pay for their mistake but I'm taking a double hit because the price increases after the 18-month special offer period!

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Dave

[Kain_W]

Hi there  Dave_Ash_20,

Really sorry about the complications and welcome back to the community.

To clarify on the 12th June, was it advised that the account would close on the 30 day notice period?

Let us know,

[Dave_Ash_20]

Hi Kain,

Yes, it was advised that I was giving 30 days' notice to cancel my account (package of broadband and phone line).

2 points from my original post:

1. Why would I make phone calls on 2 separate dates to cancel the phone line on the 12th and the broadband on the 19th, to cancel the package?

2. The advisor actually said to me that they would be issuing a warning to the advisor who had incorrectly processed them on different dates.

When I made a follow-up call to advise that I had not received an e-mail confirmation, without my prompting, the advisor I spoke to on the follow-up call told me that they were down for being cancelled on the 12th of July.

Thanks

Dave

[Andrew-G]

@Dave_Ash_20   What should my next course of action be as I won't be paying for the service beyond the 13th of July just because one of their advisors screwed up and they won't now correct that error?  Not only do they think I should pay for their mistake but I'm taking a double hit because the price increases after the 18-month special offer period!

Leave the direct debit active, let them take whatever they want, and if there's a problem fight VM's bureaucracy with bureaucracy.  That will seem unhelpful, but the reason is that if VM try and take money by DD and your bak refuses, VM's systems will automatically mark it as overdue and pass that onto credit reference agencies, they'll add late payment charges, possibly pass to a debt collection agency.  That can all be resolved if VM are at fault, but it's a lot more hassle for you than the alternative.

And that alternative is a formal written complaint (don't bother phoning it in - do it by post, recorded delivery).  That may get handled quickly and well, it may well get fobbed off.  If it gets fobbed off with "resolution" that resolves nothing, you then reject the resolution and ask for a deadlock letter, and immediately escalate the complaint to CISAS.  Usually the forum staff can get things amicably resolved without complaints and escalations, that'll be quickest and easiest for you, but complaints and adjudication are the big stick to use if you have to.

[Dave_Ash_20]

Thank you, Andrew.

I was concerned about the repercussions of cancelling the direct debit but a couple of years ago, they did something similar when I was signing up to a mobile phone Black Friday deal contract with them, and the advisor messed that up as well, and I got charged for the existing contract and new contract (at the same time!) - the first got cancelled but it never got resolved and cost me money.

I do appreciate your feedback and advice, which, unless there's a suggestion of a faster way, I will be following.

Thank you.

[Kain_W]

No worries, thanks for the response. 

To investigate further I've dropped you a PM.

You'll find this message within the purple envelope icon.

Cheers,

[Anonymous]

This seems to be standard practice, I gave notice 30th May for 4th July termination, soon after email stated end would be 11th July (1 week after and when new price kicks in)

Received a revised bill this morning where I had to pay (under £7) when I believe I was due credit back from VM but paid it to out the final nail in the coffin of my customer service nightmare.

Oh well 2 accounts closed and 1 left to go,

hope you get a resolve

[Dave_Ash_20]

Yes, I'm less than impressed.

I have had 1 customer service (telephone) advisor confirm that the phone was ported correctly to be cancelled on the 12th of June + 30 days (notice period).

The same customer service advisor told me that the broadband was not cancelled until the 19th of June and confirmed on the phone (which should have been recorded) that it was an advisor at their end that had messed up and he was going to be getting a formal warning (I don't know whether that would happen and to be honest, don't care!)

I have had someone from VM (on this forum) contact me by DM, told me that he had looked into it and to let it run to the 19th of July (as it couldn't be cancelled off before as that date was set) and then they would backdate the cancellation, so that I wouldn't be billed after the 12th July.

I waited until the 20th of July to confirm that I no longer had VM broadband streaming into my home, and then I replied to the DM to follow up. 

A different online advisor then replied and told me that they couldn't backdate it and that it was actually my new telephone provider who had done something wrong and I should contact them!

2 people (1 in their contact centre and 1 in a private DM to me here) tell me it's VM's doing as I gave the 30 days notice, in time. Now I have no contract with them, someone else comes along (in a private DM to me here) and tells me it's a third party who are at fault.

[Natalie_L]

Hi Dave_Ash_20

Thank you for updating the thread, 

I am sorry to hear you are not happy with the outcome of the chats with our team. 

I have checked from our side and can see my colleagues has sent you a reply yesterday. If you wish to dispute this or raise a complaint, we would recommend replying to the private message and we will proceed from there. 

Thank you,