Virgin not honouring contract price

[ClaireBear83]

Hi everyone 

I understand this seems to be a recurring problem but can anyone offer advice on what to do when virgin point blankly refuse to honour the contract they sent to me?

The current contract they are refusing to honour is the contract negotiated to sort out the problem of them not honouring the previous contract! Phone calls and chats are getting me nowhere with the only solutions offered being a more expensive contract with a better bundle or a poorer quality bundle for the same price.

On the last chat I openly asked if they were going to continue taking £54 a month when the contract states it should be £46 with the discounts and he said yes. Also said I could use the complaints form but I know from my son who worked for them for long enough that these are never answered. 

Apologies for long winded post but I'm on my last nerve! 

Thanks 

[goslow · Accepted solution]

Formal complaint to VM first of all (a required first step but very likely a waste of time) followed by an escalation to the ombudsman

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

Sounds like you have already experienced some VM 'confusion' with your package so I would imagine that much would depend on what sort of evidence trail you have available to present to the ombudsman.

[ClaireBear83]

Thank you for replying. Do you know if I am likely to have a formal complaint acknowledged? I have copies of chats and all the emails. I'm aware it's not a massive amount of money but situations are difficult and they are so blatant about it. Told I had no proof of my current contract price as they only have the summary before it was discounted. I have the contract in front of me! 

[ClaireBear83]

I should also qualify that the discounts were indeed applied last month and were supposed to continue for the next 10 bills but have magically disappeared this month 

[goslow]

VM regularly, and reliably, appears at the bottom of past OFCOM customer surveys and the driver for this is often cited as poor complaint handling.

A typical pattern on here of complaints (about complaints!) is that you should get a complaints reference number but often the complaint is closed down almost immediately after it is opened. This is often accompanied by an incomprehensible 'resolution' which often bears no relation to the matter in question. The ombudsman does, however, require you to have used VM's complaints processes first.

The VM forum team will get to your topic within a few days and may offer to help. You might get some help that way.

If not, go through the formal complaint route and on to the ombudsman. It costs you nothing (other than time). The feedback on here, from customers who have used the ombudsman, is that it is a fair and accessible process but the outcome can often depend on the quality and clarity of the evidence the customer submits (so that the adjudicator can easily follow the sequence of events which led to the complaint).

[Ayisha_B]

Hi @ClaireBear83

Welcome to our Community Forums and thanks for your post. 

I am sorry for the poor experience. 

I'd like to take a closer look into this so will pop you a PM 📩 now and we can take it from there.

Thanks and speak soon.