Why is it so hard to leave?

[Veganfeet]

I've been with Virgin Media for five years and it's been okay until now; My contract is up so the price went through the roof. I chatted online to the retention team and they couldn't offer me a good reason to stay. I also spoke to the retention team and again I made it clear I didn't want to stay and why. I also chatted to the Whatsapp retention team twice and again they can't persuade me to stay. I just want to leave for another provider and have made arrangements with that other provider to do so.

So I want to cancel all my services with Virgin media and here is where the problems begin.

On each occasion of chatting, speaking and Whatsapping to retention I was 'transferred' to the 'Cancellation team' - and left hanging indefinitely. On the online chat I was transferred to Whatsapp - no choice. On whatsapp I waited a total of seven hours and was first connected with ANOTHER retention team, who then transferred me onto no one. Again today the same thing has happened. Call -Put on indefinite hold once it's clear I want to cancel. Online chat - transferred to whatsapp once it's clear I want to cancel. Whatsapp - transferred to no one once it's been established I want to cancel.

I filed a complaint about the process and despite requesting cancellation of all services as a satisfactory resolution have not had that addressed.

I have written to Virgin media at the address in Sunderland - but have my doubts that it will be actioned. It was hard enough to even find an address. Has anyone ever had any success with writing to VM?

So, I've made arrangements with another provider and have a date for their connection. I put this date in writing to VM as the date to end service - it's slightly more than 30 days from now to allow time for them to action it. I'm still trying to be connected with the 'cancellation team' but am starting to doubt they exist. The whole process has been so needlessly frustrating and tiresome - what has happened to VM? It used to be so easy to actually speak to a human being and their customer service in the past has been good. Is it just because I want to leave?

Has anybody on here had any success in arranging to leave VM? If so, what worked for you? Have I taken a wrong step somewhere in the process?

I hope someone on here who took the time to read this has had more success than me.

Why is it so hard to leave?...

[Veganfeet]

I got the exact same response to my initial complaint which was about not being able to cancel services or talk to anyone about cancelling services- somehow it had been filed under 'failed callback'; which really is not what my complaint was about.

"Here's what we offer as a resolution

Customer Experience > Internal feedback provided

We hope this works for you"

It came only a day after I had lodged the complaint. I've tried to escalate it but the link to do so is broken: - 'We are having a problem'. 

[Natalie_L]

Hi Fed100, 

Thank you for getting back to us and updating the thread. 

I can appreciate your experience but be quite frustrating and I would want to do all I can to help get this matter resolved. 

In order to do this, I would like to pop you over a private message to grab a few more details and we can go from there. I will send the message now and this will be available via the purple envelope on the top right of this screen. 

Speak soon, 

[sianw]

HI Veganfeet

Sorry to hear you have been having so much trouble and I would like to say is not just you. I have been going through this since January.  It seems this is a deliberate policy to be obstructive.

I have been with Virgin for about 8 years at least but fed up with escalating bills I decided to change provider so rang Virgin to inform them of this. However, they said I gave them the wrong password and as it was a password I had set up 8 years ago, needless to say I doubted myself. The customer services operator said they couldn't cancel without the password and would send me a new password in the post as they couldn’t reset it over the phone despite me answering all other security questions.

A letter finally arrives, not with the password but a memorable word. I rang customer services again who asked for my password, I gave them the memorable word sent to me in post but they said that wasn’t the password and wouldn't deal with my query. Grrr. So I found on Virgin Media website that you can cancel the services in writing. Therefore, I did this. Like you, I received a letter from Virgin acknowledging my “complaint”, not acknowledging my cancellation and suspiciously without a date. However, as you said, this wasn’t a complaint but a formal notice of cancellation which was clear in my letter.

I rang customer services again and had to go through the same story about the password but this time the person accepted the answers to my security questions and said he would cancel it. He gave me a date of 28 February for deactivation. Therefore, I arranged with my new provider to get it installed near this date. 1 March, Virgin services still active. I rang Virgin Media (each time going through the password grief) and they said, yes, they had a record of my cancellation and it was all on file. However, my new provider had to also call them to claim the number. Thinking it was my new providers fault I contacted them angrily but they said this was wrong information from Virgin media quoting  “, I would like to inform you that Virgin media has its own number and services and openreach has its own number and services. So both are two different lines as virgin media do not share there landline number and provide their own number So you need to contact them to cancel the services with them manually” So basically Virgin Media lied to me.

I rang Virgin Media today to tell them this. I was astounded when they said they had no record of me cancelling!! I had to go through the whole password thing again but this time the representative said he could reset it over the phone after answering other security questions. So the last one had lied to me when they said they never reset passwords over the phone. To be fair, this representative was much more helpful and genuine than the others. However, still worried it wouldn’t be cancelled again, I demanded to be sent an email or text acknowledging the conversation. He said this wouldn’t be sent for 30 days but I wouldn’t get off the phone until I had been sent some acknowledgement of this. This time I now have an email and have a record of my request. However, all the money I saved in going to a new provider has now been spent on all extra bills from Virgin media as my services won't be deactivated until end of April so I would have had 2 broadband services for 2 months.

Knowing another customer has gone through this has made me determined now to contact Ofcom as this feels like fraudulent behaviour from Virgin. I am going to try and get my 2 months money back ( £165)but things like no date on the letter they sent makes me worry I won't as they will just argue they have no record of my cancellation. I would never ever go back to Virgin again after these tactics

[Beth_G]

Hi sianw,

Welcome to the Community Forums.

I was very sorry to hear about the experience you've had when trying to cancel your services, I agree that it does sound very frustrating and you shouldn't have had to go through that.

We do take account security here at Virgin Media very seriously, and so we wouldn't be able to process a cancellation without clearing security checks first. However if you are the account holder and was unsure of the memorable account word, the team should have been able to go through alternative security questions with you to help verify who you are.

We don't usually help with disconnections from here, but given everything that's happened, we're keen to get this sorted for you.

I'll pop you over a private message now so I can offer to help.

[Veganfeet]

Hi sianw

I am sorry to hear you are having the same problems that I am with Virgin Media. It is needlessly frustrating, stressful and expensive. I agree that the process for leaving has been made deliberately obstructive and that in no small part seems to stem from the surreptitious and purposeful misinformation and misdirection of some representatives of the company. It amounts to trying to wring a few more payments out of you. I agree with you that a lot of the stress and worry around this situation is caused by a complete failure by VM to acknowledge any communications properly - VM will not acknowledge your requests for disconnection aside from a generic email that amounts to 'sorry you're leaving' and you will only get that if you are even able to speak to someone about disconnection - the frustrations of which are documented extensively here. VM will not give you a date for disconnection. VM do not detail what will happen with billing with any transparency beyond that 'it is automated and you are billed a month in advance for services'. VM do not detail what needs to happen with redundant equipment beyond 'it needs to be returned or you will be charged for it' and all of this is passed to you in the form of waiting, perhaps indefinitely, not knowing if you will be disconnected, or when, or if it will cost you more money and how much and if you will see any of it returned. Most importantly and most worryingly it is made to feel that it is your fault; that things haven't been done by you and that you should call this number or that number or that there is no record of this or that and you've forgotten this or that from 8 years ago and now you're at fault and your account is being billed, again. Why would you leave us?!  It is very frustrating and stressful and eats up your time. I hope things are properly resolved for you, and soon - I really do. Good on you for staying strong and going with another provider. I hope that Virgin Media will reimburse you for the services they have accidentally billed you for. I have heard say that sometimes cheques are issued a long time post-disconnection but like you I am not hopeful. Again, I think the persistence is the key and like you said it very much depends on who you speak to on the day - some Virgin Media operators are helpful and want to assist you in resolving the issue; some just want to tell you lies or fob you off. If you decide to report Virgin media to Ofcom there is a helpful link on message 11 of this post. Ofcom don't deal with individual complaints but your complaint joins a growing evidence base that can be reason to investigate companies like Virgin Media.

On a personal note my disconnection might be tomorrow. I am still saying 'might' even now - and therein is the rub.

Good luck with everything and keep the forum updated on your progress - there are some helpful folk here.

[goslow]

Some further OFCOM info linked here by Andrew-G in an OFCOM PDF

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Customer-service/m-p/4971770#M18159...

If reporting leaving problems to OFCOM, refer to sections 1.13 to 1.15 on pages 2 and 3 when VM put these barriers in the way of leaving. I would say that most 'I cannot cancel' topics on here refer to some, or all, of these obstacles thrown down by VM.

[Veganfeet]

Wow.

So my post about being lied to on the phone by a VM retention agent and directed to a nonexistent 'Virgin Media Cancellation form' online that turned out to be an online letter writing service from a French company that requires a £24 a month subscription and writes letters to a redundant address in Swansea has been removed. No explanation.

Touche Virgin Media. Touche.

It's a good job that call 'may have been recorded for training purposes.' 

[Veganfeet]

My mistake. It's still there. Buried in the thread.

[David_Bn]

Good Morning @Veganfeet, can you please confirm if you've been able to speak with @Alex_RM in regards to the assistance that's she offered to you to cancel the services?

Kindest regards,

David_Bn

[sianw]

Hi Beth

Thank you for reaching out. I have replied to you via DM. I have detailed more in my message.

As for the password issue, I completely understand security and appreciate that. However, when the memorable word was sent to me in the post, it was the same one I had told them which they had told me was wrong. Even when I was saying it aloud with it in front of me in the reminder letter, they were saying it was the wrong one. Something obviously gone wrong there and still can't work that one out.

Anyway, thanks for looking into this for me. It has been nearly 2 months trying to get this resolved which I hope it is now. I do think that when a customer requests cancellation, they should immediately be sent a confirmation text or email acknowledging this. It can really reassure customers. I only received this 2 days ago, nearly 2 months after my initial request, and this was only sent after stubbornly insisting on it.

Thank you

Sian