Hello VM Community,
I am writing here as a last resort effort after reading that customers were satisfied with the help they received here.
I set up my account for VM broadband in September 2023 over the phone. For some reason, in the following months, I have been charged double the amount I was told over the phone (two separate transactions with different reference numbers). After repeatedly trying to talk over the phone with customer service, I finally managed to understand the issue after contacting via email the "missing payments" teams. There, I had confirmation that two active accounts were associated with my name (two different email addresses and two different home addresses, one home address seems to be a typo of my real address and does not exist). I immediately asked for help since I was not aware of having two accounts but the "missing payments" team said it wasn't their job. I was left with no real real option except calling again customer service.
Since then, last month I managed to call again. I would like to highlight how bad the customer service was after explaining this issue. All the people I talked to ask me why I did not realize this was happening sooner. First of all, how does this question help in any way to solve this issue. Second, do you think I am happy to pay for a service I have never received. Third, did you not notice that the second router was registered to a non-existing address and that you have been charging a customer for an additional service he has never asked for? Anyway, I found out thanks to ombudsman services that I need to make a formal request/notification to solve this issue to get any money back somehow, and the customer service told me that the only thing I can do is to open an investigation via the "Data Subject Rights" request form and, at the same time, message VM via all the other possible channels, including the community forum. I received an email confirming they received the form only a week later, given my prior experience with customer service, I have little hope I actually receive a response within a month. I am not sure if this counts as a formal request/notification and I would like to ask here if there is anything I can do. The only other option I was told over the phone is to cancel the second account associated with my name, for a modest 400 pounds. Now, I think it makes much more sense that I receive a refund for the second account and a compensation for the time I have wasted over the phone during my working hours.
I now have all the information about the accounts and I would like to help in any way to solve the issue since, as a researcher in the UK, I already have very little money.
Additionally, I also have a second separate issue. Please, notice this is a separate issue (customer service over the phone was really confused that customers could have two separate issues). The contract I agreed to over the phone was a 24 month contract and VM does not seem to be available at my new address. I was told that the only solution is to pay the early exit fees (almost the same as keep paying for the service) and I wonder if there is no way I can help installing the cable in the new property and if this really is the only solution. Again, please note this is a separate issue.
