VM fail to show how billing at change of contract is calculated.

[slamdunkdafunk]

Hello VM Community.

I have just changed from Broadband M50 to M125 but the amounts VM staff say will be on my latest bill and the next bear no relation to my old or new monthly DD. I have spent over an hour on web chat today with VM staff member Jibin who did a lot of explaining but failed to explain the reasons for the discrepancy. I expect there may be pro-rata amounts for unused parts of my previous contract but, even bearing this in mind, Jibin's explanations did not cover it.   I calculate my own tax and VAT returns so I can do accounting and basic maths.

I then tried phoning three times but all three destinations I ended up in told me by recorded message that I had been sent a text with a link to helpful information then hung up.

I have three questions:

1. Does anyone in this community know where you can see the calculations for your bills in a visual format that explains the varying amounts you are billed around a contract change?

2. Does anyone know in this community know where I can see what future billing amounts will be so I know when to expect my bills to 'settle down' at the new direct debit amount I signed up for? Jibin said you could on the app but then said that functionality had been removed(!).

3. Please reply quickly because, if I am not satisfied that the amount VM is billing me is correct, I want to cancel this new contract within the cooling off period so I can try Openreach. 

Thanks in advance.

[Beth_G]

Hi slamdunkdafunk,

Thank you for your post and for your questions. I'm sorry to hear you struggled to get some answers when speaking with us today.

When you change your package mid billing cycle, this will mean that you'll have then either under/over paid for your services for that month, as we bill in advance. In your following bill, we will then either apply a charge/credit to correct this. This would come up under a tab on your bill called 'Package changes'. I'm afraid that we don't offer a further breakdown of this and how it was calculated on the customer's end. If you would like to know the dates and how this was calculated, just let us know and we can check this for you on our side.

To clarify, do you believe that your pro rata charges are incorrect, or your new monthly package rate is incorrect? This is something we can certainly look at too for you.

Thanks,

[slamdunkdafunk]

Hi Beth,

Thank you for reply but it does not answer my query.

The phrase "Package changes" does not appear on my bill.

I was paying £28 per month on my previous contract.

I am supposed to be paying £24 per month on my new contract.

Instead, I have just received a bill for £44.00 (less £4.27 discount).

Surely this is incorrect?

Slamdunkdafunk.

[Beth_G]

Hi Slamdunkdafunk,

What date did you agree for your new package to take affect? It's possible that your most recent bill had already been produced prior to changing your package. I'd check the date on the bill (bill date, not the payment date) and double check what date the new contract is due to start.

If your previous contract was coming to an end, it's possible that your discounts were reduced or have expired completely. Have you compared how much you've been receiving in credits as discounts with your other previous bills? You can view this under 'Promotions & Discounts'. The discount end date will also be listed on each bill. 

[japitts]

You should receive a pro-rata refund for your old package that was paid for but not used. Then have an equivalent pro-rate charge for the new package. Given the £4 difference between the two agreements, I can't immediately think of a reason for the intervening bill to be more than £10 out. That would allow for 2 months charging depending how the bill cycle fell in relation to the date your contract changed.

Any other advice would depend on having sight of your bills, or at the very least knowing the relevant dates.

[newapollo]

Hi @slamdunkdafunk 

The following page details how your next bill should look following the package change, and how the charges/credits are shown

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/package-change 

[slamdunkdafunk]

Hello Beth_G, Japitts and newapollo.

Thanks to all three of you for your prompt replies and offers of help. I will deal with all your points in turn:

Beth_G

There was no mention of changing my package mid-billing cycle by the VM staff member who did the change so I assume my package will change at the end of the current cycle (which is the last cycle in the old contract) but there is no way of knowing for sure because it is not mentioned on the bill.

I did not specify what date my new package should take affect because I was not asked. As I say, I would assume it would when the current contract expired.

There is no entry on my bill called "package changes" so this suggests also that my package will change at the end of a billing cycle.

In answer to your question, "do you believe that your pro rata charges are incorrect?"......there is no mention of pro-rata and, if my package change is being happening at the end of the last billing cycle I have paid in advance for, then am I correct in think I should not expect a pro-rata refund?

In answer to your question, "Do you believe your new monthly package rate is incorrect?" - yes, I do. Simply because my new monthly rate should be £24 per month, not £39.73. In my view, this new bill simply can not be correct. So, yes, I would like to take you up on your offer to look in to his for me.

I think you may be on to something in your second reply when you say, "It's possible that your most recent bill had already been produced prior to changing your package." My previous correct bill dated 25th July covering the period 01 Aug -31 Aug was for £28. I negotiated the new package for £24 per month with your colleague Alex on 26th Aug. My old contract was due to end on the 8th Sep. My lastest bill (the one I am complaining about) is dated 25th August to cover the period 01 Sep - 30 Sep. Could it be that I was issued the 25th August bill because VM anticipated that in Sep I would be out of contract and thus pushed up on to the standard price?.....not knowing that the very next day I would contact Alex and negotiate a new package deal? Is the bill dated 25th Aug for £39.73 now obsolete and I can expect an accurate replacement bill in future?

Japitts

As mentioned to Beth_G, I expect that getting a pro-rata refund would only happen if my package was changed mid billing cycle but I was not told when the new contract will come in to effect and I assumed it would be at the end of my current billing cycle.

As mentioned to Beth_G, I now suspect my new huge bill is obsolete because it was issued the day before I agreed my new package at the lower price, so VM would be anticipating they could charge me the standard and much higher price for my old package over the next period because I would be out of contract. 

Maybe my mention of dates will help you further. With regard to having sight of my bills, are we allowed to do that? Swap bills, I mean. In this age of GDPR, I'm surprised. Not that I don't trust you.😉

newapollo

Much obliged for the link. There is no mention of a package change on my latest large 25th August bill. However, your link will help me interrogate my bills the next time I need to check something.

[Adri_G]

Hi, slandunkdafunk.
Thanks for your replies and for sharing more on the issues with your package and bills, we'd love to help where we can with this as Beth_G confirmed above.

In order to view more on this and assist you, I will send you a PM here shortly.
Please, check the top right-hand side of our page to find a little white envelope.
Click on this and you'll see my message.

[Adri_G]

Hey, Slamdunkdafunk.
Thanks for taking the time to reach out to our team about your billing issues and concerns.

I hope we've helped with explaining things and any further rectifications, please feel free to contact us again if you need help in the future.

Best regards,