Sneaky Contract Renewal price increase

[AndyJBy]

My contract is up in December and I'm getting the obligatory 'renew now' emails and so clicking through the deal on the website, I get an increased price which I'm happy to take (begrudgingly) however it seems as Virgin are being extremely sneaky and instead of starting this renewal at the end of my initial term, it kicks in immediately at the higher price! Why should I pay another £10+ a month for the last three months of service?  The documentation is not clear either on when it kicks in.  Usual useless whatsapp chat seemed to confirm my suspicions. Anyone else got this challenge? 

[Ashleigh_C]

Hi there @AndyJBy 

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

I am so sorry for any confusion regarding your contract. A contract would start once the deal has been agreed unless there was a downgrade of services in which case there is a 30 day wait period. If you have not yet agreed to the deal we would advise waiting until your are closer to the end of your contract to renew online or by calling our teams on 0345 454 1111. 

[AndyJBy]

thanks @Ashleigh_C - this now puts me in the Catch-22 of either a) gambling until 30 days left and getting a raw deal on an upgrade because of how close I am and then a mad dash around providers or b) taking the sting of a 'pointless' overpayment for the next 3 months. Why is Virgin not operating it's renewal contracts and terms like a sensible provider? If you renew your car insurance, it dovetails onto your existing agreement. Bonkers to put customers in a bind like this. I'd have already renewed if it started at the end of my orignal contract.

[kreid4]

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2024/07/ofcom-bans-mid-contract-price-rises-linked-to-inflati... 

could be related to this!?