Terrible company!!

[Emilybaker123]

My virgin media contract ended with you and rolled over… increasing my monthly cost unless I renewed. I had several offers all of which were double the price of a new customer so I thought I would leave then come back as a new customer. That within itself is disgusting how you have no loyalty for your existing customers.

I decided to leave virgin media and my services were due to cut off on the 25th September 2023. Since confirming I had numerous phone calls trying to get me to stay with virgin. One of these phone calls was off Martin Griffiths. He could not offer me a better deal on the tv package but could however offer a £2 cheaper deal than a different provider for broadband only. I declined this offer at first but then I messaged Martin and asked if he could still offer this deal and I would stay with virgin media.
Martin looked into this for me on 22nd September 2023 and confirmed he could offer me the M125 broadband package for £19 a month. I accepted and Martin stated I did not need to do anything and my services would stay on as it was just a renewal.
The 25th September arrives and I have no Wi-Fi!! I emailed Martin to have no response so I called your help desk. After waiting nearly 45 minutes to speak to a human I explain the situation to then be told they can find no record of this package that has been put in place for me by Martin and my services have been disconnected as planned. I expressed my anger of the situation to then be told by a man named Marlon on the phone that they have now magically found this deal and he will have it all set up and my Wi-Fi would be back on within 48 hours.
Martin then finally contacted me back and I informed him all what I was told that he didn’t set it up correctly to which he replied he did and it was another departments fault (the disconnection team) he told me to contact him directly should I have any other issues.
24 hours later I have Wi-Fi… running at a speed of 50 not 125 which it should have been. I then received a contract for my package stating it will be £35 a month for M50 which is incorrect as it was agreed with Martin for £19 a month for M125.
I then contacted Martin again as he said to go through him directly, he said this was incorrect and will chase it up.
I then received a bill breakdown £35 for my new package and another £35 for a package change fee!! (This should not be applicable as I renewed my contract not changed a package so yet again another mess up!)
I then messaged Martin to state this still wasn't sorted and I am getting no repose.
This is an absolute joke, a disgrace of customer service and something needs to be done. I will be sharing my awful experience with others to warn them of the way virgin media customer can expect to get treated.

I have emailed the CEO of virgin and what a surprise no reply! This company is the worst I have ever dealt with!!!!

[goslow]

After this chain of VM 'confusion', what outcome would you like from this point?

Do you want to try to stay with VM and try and obtain the original deal of M125@£19 or do you simply wish to leave now?

After a package change you should still have a 14 day cooling off period to revert to your previous package/price from which you could give 30 days notice to leave.

Worth noting that there have been quite a lot of these 'deal-didn't-come-through-as-described' topics on here just recently and some smoke-and-mirror explanations from VM in response.

[japitts]

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@Emilybaker123 wrote:

My virgin media contract ended with you and rolled over… increasing my monthly cost unless I renewed

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You have a rolling contract with a minimum term. Many people have a popular misconception of their contract "ending" on a particular date which is not the case - if so your services would stop on the same date.

Most customers have time-limited discounts which expire in correlation with the minimum term. The amount of your discounts and their expiry dates are clearly shown on each & every monthly bill, and your contract - alongside the standard price for your package.

[Emilybaker123]

I would like the deal I was promised of M125 at £19 a month! 
it’s gone over the 14 days cooling off period.

I have all the conversations as proof and even the contract stating £19 a month for M125 so surely they have to honour it?! 
Mira disgusting service I have spoke to loads of people having to repeat my problem for them to raise a complaint and then I hear nothing! Iv cancelled my direct debit as I am not paying for the incorrect package 

[Emilybaker123]

I understand all that… but for me to stay with virgin they kept calling me as I said I would leave them once the 30 days notice ended of my contract ending. 
they then offered me the deal of M125 for £19 a month and got all the contract through but it was set up wrong at m50 for £35 a month which I refuse to pay. Now I have shown them all the proof I was offered this package and it is getting no where!!

[japitts]

VM's retentions offers are usually "of the moment", and are valid as long as the call lasts. Considered advice on this forum is to accept any offer you're given, and then use 14days statutory cooling-off if you change your mind.

As for cancelling your DD, bear in mind this won't cancel your contract or remove you from obligations to maintain regular payments. VM's automated payments process is notoriously efficient, and will add late payments charges without batting an eyelid. It could then suspend your services, and eventually missing-payment entries are added to your credit file.

When you go down that road, the rights & wrongs become secondary to a whole new world of pain which can cause problems for years to come. Not many weeks go by without someone posting on this forum reporting problems with mortgage and other credit applications, off the back of VM payment issues.

Act very carefully, and don't do anything rash.

[goslow]

You might possibly get some help from the VM forum team when they reply here within a few days.

If not the next step would be a formal complaint to VM (a required first step but very likely an unproductive exercise) before escalating to third party arbitration.

https://www.commsombudsman.org/our-process

Based on a very large number of past topics on here, cancelling the direct debit invariably backfires on the customer.

Doing so won't prompt VM into any action to resolve your contract issue.

If VM thinks it has not received money-owed (rightly or wrongly), all it does is set in motion VM's debt recovery processes (which are a part of the company that does work very efficiently). The end result of these processes for some customers has been missed payment fees, a damaged credit history and contact from debt collectors.

[japitts]

Posts crossed, but I concur 100% with goslow's advice to follow the correct process here. The forum staff can often intervene in these scenarios and save a lot of hassle for everyone concerned.

Otherwise the formal complaints process is the way to go, that allows for external arbitration after 8weeks if necessary.

[Emilybaker123]

I have taken both you and goslow advice… paid the outstanding incorrect bill that is double what it should be so it doesn’t show up as overdue which will affect my credit score if I let it go any longer. 
they have a raised complaint but I still have heard nothing off them. So do you think I should just wait for a response or wait for a reply on here? 
I have contacted watchdog and the obosman but it states it has to be 8 weeks to allow for them to resolve the issue

[japitts]

If you have a C-xyzabc reference number, that's the complaint process opened. IMHO contacting Watchdog is a waste of time, but if you feel better for doing it then so be it.

The forum staff may be able to intervene, but sometimes their hands are tied if a complaint is opened - I'd welcome them proving me wrong here, though. If that complaint is not resolved after 8weeks or is deadlocked before, then you can escalate to Ombudsman Services.