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Virgin Media Kafkaesque bureaucracy making a stressful time more stressful

AndyJB70
Tuning in

Hi,

Unfortunately my wife and I are getting divorced, she is staying in the house I've moved out but the Virgin Media contract is in my name.

My contract ends in September so she negotiated a new package by simply spending almost an entire day on the phone to VM. Now they are saying that they can't just change the name on the new contract, she has to officially end the old contract and sign up for a completely new package.

Of course when she tries to sign up for a new package the site says she already has Virgin Media at that address. 

What can she do? Why can't Virgin Media just change the contact name at the address and give her a new package?

Stressful times 

 

7 REPLIES 7

Steven_L
Forum Team
Forum Team

Hey @AndyJB70
Welcome to the community and thanks for taking the time to post your issue on the forums.
I’m sorry to hear of the issues that you’re having trying to arrange for a new account to be put onto our system. 

The advice that you have been given is true, we cannot change the name on the contract, a new contract would need to be taken out in your wife's name.

Please could you advise her to call into our sales team on 0800 183 1234 and they will be able to make all of the necessary arrangements to have the account closed and another account opened. 

Regards,

 

That's not particularly helpful, will she have to return the hub just so that she can get another hub? Will she need to pay an installation fee again?

She's trying to do this over web chat at the moment and just going round in circles, the web chat has now been open 29 hours in total will the phone be any better?

newapollo
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Hi @AndyJB70 

If she signs up as a new customer then she will receive new customer discounts.

Have a look at the pricing on the https://www.virginmedia.com/join/products page.

There may be an offer on free installation at the time, but even if not then I would assume she would still make a significant saving joining as a new customer.

This would involve new equipment, the loss of the current landline number, and a possible 24 hour downtime period. Also any VM email addresses  from the old account would be closed after 6 months.

The other way is for you  to negotiate a new deal for her, (which wouldn't be as good as a new customer deal) leave the account in your name, and set up the direct debit in her name

If you put in your 30 day cancellation notice now then the sales team should be able to arrange for her new account to start either on the day yours is fully disconnected, or 24 hours later/.

Dave
I don't work for Virgin Media.
I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge.
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Paulina_Z
Forum Team (Retired)
Forum Team (Retired)

Hi @AndyJB70,

Thank you for coming back to us about your query. I understand that you're going through a difficult time and that this process is not making it easier. However, we do ask that the person still living at the property to get in touch with us directly to set up a new account.

You can read more about this process on our Change Account Holder page to read more about this.

If there's anything else we can do to help, please let us know. 

Thank you.

Paulina_Z
Forum Team

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Hi

This can't be done, I've just spent hours on the phone to three different Virgin teams. The sales team can't set up an account for my wife unless I cancel mine first. The cancellation team are saying that my wife can't have a new customer account at the same address for 90 days! The move team can't change the account owner, although I've moved but I don't want the account to move I just need my wife to be the owner.

Can anybody help? I'm just getting angry at the moment.

 


@AndyJB70 wrote:

Hi

This can't be done, I've just spent hours on the phone to three different Virgin teams. The sales team can't set up an account for my wife unless I cancel mine first.

This is not entirely true, it is possible to have two separate accounts at the same address, but it really is an unusual setup and they may simply not be familiar with it. The way they are expecting it to work is the same as if you moved out, as the account holder, you would be expected to cancel the provision at a property you are no longer at - why wouldn't you? Until that is done the 'new' occupants can't get connected up. 

The cancellation team are saying that my wife can't have a new customer account at the same address for 90 days!

OK that's just wrong, that is the way it works if you say, wanted to pull a fast one and get the 'new customer' discounts and so cancel, leave and immediately sign up again as a new user. But your actually wife IS a new customer, so something has been lost in translation here. Probably you mentioned what you were trying to do (perfectly fair enough) but they read it as you were trying to 'game' the system. To be fair, there have been a number of post here from customers who have claimed to have done that very thing, they cancel and their partner at the same address immediately signs up as a 'new' customer and gets the discounted rate - 18 months later repeat but go the other way. VM may well be trying to crack down on this

The move team can't change the account owner, although I've moved but I don't want the account to move I just need my wife to be the owner.

Ah now this absolutely won't happen, VM used to have a procedure for a 'transfer of responsibility' as it was called, some time back it was all done away with; unless in the case of a bereavement! The only, only way now is for you to cancel, return all of the equipment and then your wife signs up for a new account in her name, gets new equipment etc. - Kafkaesque, you mentioned, well yes it is, but I do sort of see the logic here. Accounts cannot be moved to a new owner, there is simply no mechanism for them to do it.

Can anybody help? I'm just getting angry at the moment.

Short answer no, it just is what it is. This is the way that VM have decided to operate so, alas, you need to simply deal with it!

 


But best wishes

John

OK, that's all good in theory, in practice it's dependent upon if you can get through to the right team on the phone (why there is no online facility for dealing with this is beyond me) and if you are lucky enough to speak to somebody who actually listens to what you want and knows how to do their job.

Fortunately after 2hrs and 40 minutes (yes I am counting how much of my time this is wasting) on the phone in various queues and with various teams I finally got through to somebody competent in the moves team who explained that yes I do need to raise a cancellation order as I'm moving out of the property AND ** this is the important bit that nobody had mentioned up until now** as soon as that cancellation order is raised then my wife is free to raise a new customer order on the web site for the same address as the old contract which can start the day after my disconnection resulting in what should be a seamless switch over with no loss of service.

I still have to return the equipment, but I have up to one month after the switch to do that, and my wife still gets stung for an install fee, but kind of saves that from the new customer offer anyway. Swings and roundabouts.

Fortunately I do not have the option of Virgin fibre at my new address. Thanks for the replies to this topic and those who contributed.