Transfer of Ownership/Responsabilities

[dulede]

So how do two members of the same family change ownership of an account. So that one person takes over a virginmedia service at a single property as the other is leaving.

Does virginmedia both hold the new account holder to a full contract term and therefore its disconnection policy. And also penalise the original account holder by charging them a full disconnection charge? Even though there is no loss of service at the property and no loss of revenue to virginmedia.

Virginmeda's processes are distasteful and inconsiderate, likely infringe unfair trading laws, if that is the case.

One account holder, for no fault of their own, needs to leave the property but needs to pay a full disconnection fee. Even though the account can be fully serviced by a replacement family member. Crooked situation as you have removed the Transfer of Ownership, provided no ability to put an account on hold so that the initial account holder can reconnect to and service that initial contract at another property. The option is available only to those moving directly from one property to another. You provide no service during any time between homes, and on a subsequent purchase the initial customer is then dragged into a new contract with all its disconnection issues. But you won't alllow for any form of 'service holiday' or similar and consider customers at ransom at all times to your disconnection policiies. VM expect continuation of a service regardless the situation and nothing less.

We need to change account holders in just this manner and then, once I am the owner of the account at the property in question, will face VM in court. 

I will be looking at infringements in all areas of law on this and need a response here from VM to address this in a written form. Ensure this is on this forum please as I'm sure there are many unhappy and manipulated customers that may also be interested. 

Thank you VM....for nothing. 

[Gareth_L]

Hello dulede.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Sorry you have had to though.

If a customer decides to move out whilst still in contract then we do charge Early Disconnection Fees (EDF) . 

If the customer is moving to a non cabled property, Our Moves and Transfers Team have a process where they can remove EDFs, providing they have proof of the new property is not serviceable and the customer is residing there.

We used to be able to transfer accounts between people , but that has stopped now.

In your instance the person that wanted to take the account over will need to set up a brand new account.

As you have shown dissatisfaction I will need to take some details from you and raise a complaint detailing the above.

If you can check the purple envelope top right of your screen that would be great. 
Regards     
Gareth_L
 

[dulede]

Hi Gareth

I have shown more than dissatisfaction. Can you please advise how VM treat the fact that they both ensure they, within the same family:

Ensure a full disconnection fee from one family member
and then ensure another full account has to be set up ensuring you have been placed in a situation of not losing any payments but manage to place one person at a loss of a full disconnection fee. Plus you also then hold the second person to account should they do anything at all similar in the next account early termination period. Just trying to work out how many ways you tie people into a contract.

Thank you. Please only answer on this forum. No private messages. I want this as evidence and for assistance to others. 

[dulede]

Hi Gareth

To put this to you in an extreme context. I take over as account holder at property. The other family member leaves and has to disconnect using your only route out which appeas to be a full disconnection charge capped at £288. 

I then, at disgust of the treatment of my family member, also leave a month later and again you have a £288 disconnection fee.

You have given a single month's VM service and developed income of £576 plus a single month's service charge.

Due to your own policies a single person has to be the contract holder, therefore allowing for no continuation beyond that person should they need to leave a property. This automatically ties two people into the same disconnection conundrum at no fault of their own. You place unintelligible contacts on the phone to a customer and from such conversations you are meant to understand the situation I am bringing up here. You then find no way of dealing with people unless in written form by letter, email won't suffice, or via a phone call. All the while ensuring nobody understands the number of months before you end up finally disconnected, the bills are all so ramshackle and there is nobody at all at VirginMedia that deals with complaint forms correctly as these are just closed without attention. Is there anything I've missed. 

Please confirm your policy regarding two members of the same family, not both being able to have their name on a contract, but when this has to end, there is no way to save the initial contracted person the cost of disconnection. I am sure double charging in the manner suggested is an unfair contract term and in breach of UK trading laws surrounding telecoms providers. 

If not, I shall do all I can to ensure it makes its way into the next Parliamentary Bill. The ongoing Cost of Living crisis will simply add to the weight of opinion that will in time turn against VM and other disingenuous companies. Each of which has chosen to use unapproachable levels of conditions against the public they appear to want to serve.

Service, to me, is not something that is provided when a company wants to 'find ways' of charging several ways for the same thing, or in fact in the situation above, to find ways of earning money from situations where no service is wanted. Gone are the days of 90 day penalties, to have been replaced by horrendous fees that in no way are accounted for by any actual costs incurred by VM or others. When a signal is sent in seconds and changes an entire provision set, how can that be accounted for in the manner I suggest?

Please advise on the questions above. Thank you. 

[newapollo]

If the original account holder cancels and moves to a property that VM cannot supply then they can claim back the early disconnection fees by providing the required proof  showing the new address (bank statement, driving licence, insurance policy, mortgage information, rental agreement or utility bill) within 30 days as per https://news.virginmediao2.co.uk/virgin-media-o2-ends-charges-for-off-net-home-movers/ 

Or, don't cancel the original account - set up a new direct debit in the name of the person  is staying at the property.

The secondary person then makes the payments, although the original account holder is  still responsible for the account.

The original account holder can call in and give 30 days notice when the account/discounted period  is due to end. That way they don't have to pay the early termination fees. It's then up to the current occupier if they want to remain with VM or go to a different provider.

[dulede]

Thank you NewApollo,

This still doesn't avoid a person being on two separate telecoms utility bills at some point. The nature of the current telecommunications industry has been developed with no understanding of a customer's needs. Any obligation that VM is under to the original account holder, due to DPA, has to be dealt with through the original contract holder. I could pay your phone bill if you asked me to. But can I ring and alter your services. The nature of changes that have occurred in the Telecommunications industry leave customers like yourself, under a great deal of pressure, at what may be a very inopportune time. That is why I am asking questions of VM staff. This is a public forum and hence can be relied upon to prove the statements made by any VM staff. 

I shall try to amend my initial question so that it is clear an answer is only required from a VM agent. Members of the forum may choose to answer but I want VM's position on this and not that of members of the public, no matter how insightful. It is irrelevant here for the purposes of the question posed but there are two separate homes involved in this question and a whole lot of convoluted mess caused by VM staff. But the question asked does not need a customer referenced response but a generic one based on exactly the aspects I asked within it. Your response can only provide a way-around and not a solution to what could become a £500+ cost to us. 

Regardless, I am grateful to you for answering..  

Kind regards and thank you.

[Megan_L]

Hi Dulede,

Thanks for coming back to us about this question you've raised, I can see Gareth has already given you the facts as stated below - 

"If a customer decides to move out whilst still in contract then we do charge Early Disconnection Fees (EDF) . 

If the customer is moving to a non cabled property, Our Moves and Transfers Team have a process where they can remove EDFs, providing they have proof of the new property is not serviceable and the customer is residing there.

We used to be able to transfer accounts between people , but that has stopped now.

In your instance the person that wanted to take the account over will need to set up a brand new account.

As you have shown dissatisfaction I will need to take some details from you and raise a complaint detailing the above.

If you can check the purple envelope top right of your screen that would be great."

As Gareth has given the facts to your question already and also has tried to log your dissatisfaction via a PM which you refused, there is nothing more we would be able to add to this conversation. 

If you already have a deadlock letter for a previous case for this issue, please follow our complaints code of practice here. 

Thanks,

Megan_L

[dulede]

Thank you Megan.

From what I can see you have both given me adequate information to beat VM in court and fir trading standards to look to address issues on behalf of subscribers across the UK.

Everything, including The Telecommunications Act 2003 is open to negative interpretation. Where this is done a case can be made to demonstrate unfair provisions against customers, and this is especially where such provisions and processes manipulate a fair balanced relationship into an unfair, fiscally damaging one. You have confirmed all I need.

Thank you for your help. Regards