Pre-contract agreed price different to confirmed contract - why?

[domidi]

Agreed a price via the online Change Package tool and got my pre-contract documents via email on 1st July.

Took 4 days for everything to go through, and when it did, I received confirmation of my contract with a different price on it.

It's approx 5% higher; not the end of the world, I know, but why send out a pre-contract with all the legals on it, and then confirm a different contract price. Technically I haven't agreed the contract that's been processed, and legally I can leave whenever I like as this isn't the contract I've signed.

Called up VM and apparently there's no record of the pre-contract price document on their system.

Why does this happen, and how many more people are affected?

[Vikki_M]

Hi domidi

Thank you for your post and welcome back to our community.

I am sorry to hear that.

I will send you a private message now so we can look into this further for you.

Please look out for the purple envelope in the top right of the page and pop back to me when you can. 

[domidi]

Replied

[domidi]

Unresolved as OP not willing to send contract details and personal information to shared mailbox.

Credit applied to contract by VM phone team to make the monthly price correct, however I anticipate having to re-raise this issue in April 2024 when the price-rise is applied to the incorrect price (assuming it's applied to the undiscounted/uncredited price, and not the final price on the bill).

[domidi]

For the benefit of anyone else in a similar situation - for simplicity I've picked round numbers:

1. A contract is agreed at £80, but for some unbeknown reason the billpayer is charged £100 per month instead when the contract is processed.
2. VM then apply a monthly £20 credit, bringing the monthly cost down to £80
3. April 2024 comes round; and a 10% price rise is applied to the contract, which still shows £100
4. New contract price is now 10% higher @ £110. The £20 credit is applied taking the new price to £90

In reality this is wrong. If the correct package price was charged (£80), no credit added, and 10% price rise applied, the resulting price rise would be £8. The new price would be £88.

In order for this to not happen - one of two things needs to happen:

1. The price rise in April needs to be applied to the final price (post-credit), and not the "contracted monthly price" (pre-credit), or;
2. The credit needs to increase by the price-rise amount (10% in this example), which would the credit from £20 to £22.

Either of these two approaches would result in the correct post-annual price-rise of £88.

[domidi]

Formal complaint raised