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Prices so confusing I've cancelled my DD - end of contract - start of new contract

shazz
Tuning in

I'm at the end of an 18 month contract.  In month 17 I told Virgin I was cancelling at the end as the price was jumping up too high.   They persuaded me to stay and I now have a new contract - starting just before the other one is ending. 

However,  the last payment on the old contact is more than £20 dearer that what I've been paying.    I've been paying £52 per month and for month 18 they wanted about £70.   I haggled on the phone and managed to get £12.50 knocked off that but I still think that month 18 of an 18m contract should be the same amount I've paid the whole time i.e. £52.22.  Why is it dearer?

Also,  my new contract now has TV in the package because it was much cheaper than without    (I didn't have that before.  I don't watch live TV and I don't have a TV licence.  Noting that here in case I end up in court)    and I was promised that the £35 fee for installation was waived.  I talked to someone the other day and he said that £35 will be added to the start of my new monthly bill.    I don't know what I'm supposed to be paying now.

Is it £70ish to end and another &75 to restart?  I think it should be £52.22 last payment due now then new contract £49 next month.  

I'm so fed up of all this confusion every time I end a contract and start a new one I've cancelled my direct debit till I get a proper explanation and know exactly what's coming out of my bank.     I need help please.

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Accepted Solutions

unisoft
Knows their stuff

@shazz wrote:

It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.


That's correct. Any live broadcast stream including on streaming providers (so live football on Amazon Prime for example) or BBC iPlayer content. It's not just BBC channels, so any Virgin TV box means a TV licence required.

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Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

VM contracts don't end in the normal sense, but change from the 18 month contract to a 30 day rolling one. It's a common misconception the contract ends. When the 18 months are up, the discounted price also ends, hence people ring to get a better price by haggling and threatening to leave etc.  The price increase is most likely you didn't cancel within the exact 30 day window before the 18 month finished, and ran on to the next billing cycle?  VM generally bill  for the entire month, work out the actual time before cancellation and then refund the difference. 

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nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

You will not be prosecuted for not paying a TV Licence unless you are actually watching live broadcast TV (scheduled or not) or using the BBC iPlayer. Streaming On Demand services like Netflix are exempt. What you might get is a visit from the inspection agency the BBC employs.

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

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That's what they told me.  However I called them exactly a month before the end.   

It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.

Hi there @shazz 

Thank you so much for your post and welcome to the community forums, it's great to have you back. 

I am so sorry that you have faced this issue with your service and  confusion regarding your bill. I would be happy to take a closer look into this with you via a private message and we can break down the bill so far. 

I will pop you a PM across now, please keep an eye out for the envelope at the top of your screen alerting you to a new message.
 

unisoft
Knows their stuff

@shazz wrote:

It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.


That's correct. Any live broadcast stream including on streaming providers (so live football on Amazon Prime for example) or BBC iPlayer content. It's not just BBC channels, so any Virgin TV box means a TV licence required.

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@shazz wrote:

It's more than BBC iplayer though.  It's every channel on my new virgin tv box.   The licence is for watching any TV "as it's being broadcast" and that's what these dozens (no idea how many they're given me) of channels do.  Now if I were to let the inspection agent into my house and he sees from the equipment that I am able to watch TV, not necessarily that I'm watching it, or whether he caught me or not,  he could cause me problems.  

But besides all that i just want the DD sorted before they charge me more for non payment, but thanks for your input nodroggd.


The 'Blackbelt Barrister' has made a lot of You Tube videos on TV licensing. This video is a Q&A from his subscribers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJBViZqplwE&t=0s (0 to 1m 7s 'Introduction')

and

https://youtu.be/WJBViZqplwE?t=574 (9m 34s to 10m 48s 'Equipment capable of receiving live TV')

There's a huge archive of evidence on here in past topics to suggest that cancelling your VM DD is not a good idea and is only likely to worsen your already-confusing situation with VM.

shazz
Tuning in

Can someone tell me where some of my replies are going?    Is someone deleting them?  

I asked - is it true that if I choose not to use my telly box (because I don';t watch live TV) that it will affect the performance of my internet and my home phone?   That's what the man at Virgin told me.  I can't see how.

goslow
Alessandro Volta

I don't think anyone is deleting your posts.

I can't think how not using the TV service would affect your BB and phone connection.

I would have thought you could put the TV box in a cupboard and not use it but that would be a bit odd if you are paying for it each month. View the links I posted above before doing that though.

I have never used VM TV before. I wonder if there is a way you could apply some kind of 'parental lock' to stop you actually or accidentally viewing any live TV channels. Most AV equipment now has some kind of locking features. Someone who knows how the TV boxes operate may advise.