Price increased unexpectedly

[whammybird]

I signed up for virgin a few years back, I changed to my new home and wanted to keep my student intro price of 32.25pm but was told I couldn't so I tried to change my provider as it was cheaper and retentions offered me 32.25 for an entire contract if I sign up at my new address.

Fast forward ~12 months and I get a bill for 60.25, I was shocked so I contacted them, they told it was an error and apologised and said they would apply a discount of 30pm until my contract end date in May and I would get 30 as an apology for the mistake making my bill 30pm with a free month. The bill was due and I noticed the credit hadn't been applied. I called and was told the previous agent had made a mistake and it wasn't happening so raised a complaint.

Was told a manger would call me back with a resolution. Then I got an email saying the complaint was closing with the resolution feedback to agent. I called again as this wasn't what I wanted obviously and was told the agent I spoke to the second time had mispoken and there was a credit coming on to my account, I said I was told I would begetting the monthly reduction too and I was cancelling my dd was I was worried it would be  60.25 this month as well due to a lack of trust in competence for obvious reasons. 

She said it was fine and I definitely dont need to pay anything for last month of this month and I wouldn't have to pay until marchs bill, essentially 2 months free and my original price for the rest of the contract.

This bill comes in and its 55.25, I got a random text giving me a further 5 pounds goodwill gesture. I called up to explain I was told I have nothing to pay until March and I had cancelled my DD and was going to make manual payments. The woman said not that the previous agent had been mistaken and the fact I hadn't paid my last bill means it has carried over to this bill.

She said she will get the original agent to call me back within 7 days to explain what is happening but I just have 0 faith in any kind of satisfactory resolution. The call wait times are super long, the call centre staff seem quite poorly trained (not their fault, probably management / virgin) and very poor customer service. I am being threatened with my service being restricted but I need it as I work from home.

Can anyone offer any advice one what I can do I feel trapped but morally I can't pay for something I didn't agree to.

[Andrew-G]

The fact that the agent "may have been mistaken" with the first offer to sort this out is irrelevant, that's legally binding on VM.  Specifically, Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 50, part 1b states:

Information about the trader or service to be binding

Every contract to supply a service is to be treated as including as a term of the contract anything that is said or written to the consumer, by or on behalf of the trader, about the trader or the service, if it is taken into account by the consumer when making any decision about the service after entering into the contract.

Now, you had other options when that offer was made - to press for the original terms to be honoured, or to take your business elsewhere, but you didn't, you stayed with VM on the basis of the stated terms because you relied upon the information about the service after entering into the contract.  Look at the link, it's there, black and white in law, VM offered, you accepted, that is now in the eyes of the law fully and formally part of your contract, and VM are in breach by not honouring the contract.  Nothing VM can say alters your legal rights here.

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 and accepted, suitably backdated to when it should have been effective, and an appropriate goodwill gesture (say £50) for the inconvenience and stress, and the attempt to ignore your legal rights. 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 (very likely) 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 additional compensation for the hassle.  As a matter of note, VM get charged hundreds of pounds for every complaint considered by the ombudsman, and those fees can be as high a £600 per complaint if the company contest it, and it is above the quarterly forecast of complaint numbers that each company has to provide to Ombudsman Services.  They'd be wise to accept they're in the wrong, they're in breach of statute law, of contract law, and of prevailing Ofcom regulations, and settle this quickly and generously.

As I said earlier, hopefully the forum staff can get this resolved quicker and without the formality, if they can't then you give the company a well deserved kicking through the complaints and adjudication by the ombudsman.

[Jodi_S]

Hi whammybird,

A warm welcome and thanks for posting on our community forums. We do apologise for any confusion and distressed caused over your current bill. We can certainly understand the fustration, especially when the correct discounts have not been applied.

I will be more than happy to take a look at your account and see what has happened. I will pop you over a private message to take some details from you.

Please click on the purple envelope to accept the chat.

Kind regards Jodi.