Virgin Media defrauding customers

[paulcookson2]

've been a customer of Virgin Media for about 20 years. The prices have increased substantially and my contract had expired so I phoned them to try to renew the package. Sounds like it should be fairly straightforward ? Two and a half hours later, after encountering a catalogue of incompetence, I think I have finished on the phone but I am deflated, frustrated and downright angry. I feel like I immediately need to go to the nearest pub and have several stiff drinks in rapid succession. The Virgin Media staff are friendly and try to help but can't do anything that isn't on their script. I had to speak to several different people - even though they transferred me, I had to repeatedly go through the security questions. The customer service is so absolutely abysmal, I barely have words to describe it.

It just got even worse. Having agreed a new monthly price over the phone, Virgin Media confirmed it by emailing me a pre-contract document detailing all of the services AND the price. I checked the document and price was the exact price we had agreed. All sorted. you may think ?

Alas no, 58 minutes later, they emailed me again saying - all sorted - we've attached your new contract. On checking the contract, the price was now £13 per month higher than 58 minutes earlier.

I can only conclude that either it is a deliberate policy to overcharge or maybe it is just that Virgin Media are a complete and utter shambles.

Since writing the review above, I've read through some other Virgin Media reviews on here and I don't appear to be the only person who has had the following sequence of events :-
a, agreed a monthly price over the phone
b, received 'pre-contract documents via email which reads 'Attached are your Contract Information & Contract Summary documents. Please make sure that you are happy with the agreement you are entering into'
c, received a further email which reads 'Thanks for making those changes to your Virgin Media package. We've attached your new contract reflecting these changes'
This would be fine if the monthly price they ask you to check to 'make sure you are happy' was the same price as the contract.
If they don't sort it out, I will definitely be consulting my solicitor because I think that agreeing contract terms with a customer in writing and then issuing that contract at a different higher price is possibly illegal.

Virgin Media may well reply to this along the lines of 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. They may even write the more disingenuous 'we are sorry you feel that way' which blames the customer for 'feeling that way' rather than just saying 'we messed up and we will fix it and reimburse you for all the time we've made you waste'

Reading through many of the Virgin Media replies on Trust Pilot, they repeatedly say 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. If that is the case, time and time and time again, why don't they do something about it ?

[paulcookson2]

I've been a customer of Virgin Media for about 20 years. The prices have increased substantially and my contract had expired so I phoned them to try to renew the package. Sounds like it should be fairly straightforward ? Two and a half hours later, after encountering a catalogue of incompetence, I think I have finished on the phone but I am deflated, frustrated and downright angry. I feel like I immediately need to go to the nearest pub and have several stiff drinks in rapid succession. The Virgin Media staff are friendly and try to help but can't do anything that isn't on their script. I had to speak to several different people - even though they transferred me, I had to repeatedly go through the security questions. The customer service is so absolutely abysmal, I barely have words to describe it.

It just got even worse. Having agreed a new monthly price over the phone, Virgin Media confirmed it by emailing me a pre-contract document detailing all of the services AND the price. I checked the document and price was the exact price we had agreed. All sorted. you may think ?

Alas no, 58 minutes later, they emailed me again saying - all sorted - we've attached your new contract. On checking the contract, the price was now £13 per month higher than 58 minutes earlier.

I can only conclude that either it is a deliberate policy to overcharge or maybe it is just that Virgin Media are a complete and utter shambles.

Since writing the review above, I've read through some other Virgin Media reviews on here and I don't appear to be the only person who has had the following sequence of events :-
a, agreed a monthly price over the phone
b, received 'pre-contract documents via email which reads 'Attached are your Contract Information & Contract Summary documents. Please make sure that you are happy with the agreement you are entering into'
c, received a further email which reads 'Thanks for making those changes to your Virgin Media package. We've attached your new contract reflecting these changes'
This would be fine if the monthly price they ask you to check to 'make sure you are happy' was the same price as the contract.
If they don't sort it out, I will definitely be consulting my solicitor because I think that agreeing contract terms with a customer in writing and then issuing that contract at a different higher price is possibly illegal.

Virgin Media may well reply to this along the lines of 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. They may even write the more disingenuous 'we are sorry you feel that way' which blames the customer for 'feeling that way' rather than just saying 'we messed up and we will fix it and reimburse you for all the time we've made you waste'

Reading through many of the Virgin Media replies on Trust Pilot, they repeatedly say 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. If that is the case, time and time and time again, why don't they do something about it ?

[paulcookson2]

've been a customer of Virgin Media for about 20 years. The prices have increased substantially and my contract had expired so I phoned them to try to renew the package. Sounds like it should be fairly straightforward ? Two and a half hours later, after encountering a catalogue of incompetence, I think I have finished on the phone but I am deflated, frustrated and downright angry. I feel like I immediately need to go to the nearest pub and have several stiff drinks in rapid succession. The Virgin Media staff are friendly and try to help but can't do anything that isn't on their script. I had to speak to several different people - even though they transferred me, I had to repeatedly go through the security questions. The customer service is so absolutely abysmal, I barely have words to describe it.

It just got even worse. Having agreed a new monthly price over the phone, Virgin Media confirmed it by emailing me a pre-contract document detailing all of the services AND the price. I checked the document and price was the exact price we had agreed. All sorted. you may think ?

Alas no, 58 minutes later, they emailed me again saying - all sorted - we've attached your new contract. On checking the contract, the price was now £13 per month higher than 58 minutes earlier.

I can only conclude that either it is a deliberate policy to overcharge or maybe it is just that Virgin Media are a complete and utter shambles.

Since writing the review above, I've read through some other Virgin Media reviews on here and I don't appear to be the only person who has had the following sequence of events :-
a, agreed a monthly price over the phone
b, received 'pre-contract documents via email which reads 'Attached are your Contract Information & Contract Summary documents. Please make sure that you are happy with the agreement you are entering into'
c, received a further email which reads 'Thanks for making those changes to your Virgin Media package. We've attached your new contract reflecting these changes'
This would be fine if the monthly price they ask you to check to 'make sure you are happy' was the same price as the contract.
If they don't sort it out, I will definitely be consulting my solicitor because I think that agreeing contract terms with a customer in writing and then issuing that contract at a different higher price is possibly illegal.

Virgin Media may well reply to this along the lines of 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. They may even write the more disingenuous 'we are sorry you feel that way' which blames the customer for 'feeling that way' rather than just saying 'we messed up and we will fix it and reimburse you for all the time we've made you waste'

Reading through many of the Virgin Media replies on Trust Pilot, they repeatedly say 'this is not the level of service we aim for'. If that is the case, time and time and time again, why don't they do something about it ?

[RT123]

I’m a customer but sorry to see you’ve had this experience - I do believe you have.a 14 day cooling off period in which you can cancel the new contract.

[paulcookson2]

Thanks, I appreciate your reply. My last experience with them on the phone took up half my day so I'm having to arrange to take a half day off work and get mentally prepared before I telephone them again.

[CantStandVM]

Get your solicitor to do it. 

[unisoft]

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@paulcookson2 wrote:

Thanks, I appreciate your reply. My last experience with them on the phone took up half my day so I'm having to arrange to take a half day off work and get mentally prepared before I telephone them again.

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A member of the VM forum staff may be able to help - it may take 3 days but they are usually quicker. You do have a cooling off period as well...

[japitts]

There is a statutory 14days "change of mind" right of cancellation on all distance-selling contracts in the UK (with certain - irrelevant here - exemptions)

If considering the legal avenue, any judge or solicitor worth-their-salt should be advising you to use an ADR scheme first, and treat court action as a last resort. VM's complaints procedure allows for escalation to ADR after 8 weeks or if deadlocked previously.

Forum staff can sometimes intevene outside the complaints process.

[John_GS]

Hi @paulcookson2 

Thanks for posting and welcome to the community.

I am sorry to hear of the confusion over the package change.

I'll send you a PM now to assist further.

[paulcookson2]

I would be grateful if you would help ,although, just to be clear, I don't have any confusion. You've sent me pre-contract documents (at 14.33 on 5th April) to check I am 'happy with the agreement' and then at 15.31 you sent me a contract at a higher price than agreed. You've been gouging me on price since my contract expired (as you do everyone) so it is doubly annoying to find you are trying to rip me off on a contract renewal. Ripped off if I don't renew and ripped off if I do renew.