Being harassed by Virgin a month after returning hub!

[alex_20202020]

I closed my Virgin Broadband account.  

The earliest date for someone to pick up the hub was around 20th January.   I booked this.

But then the envelope arrived to return it and I used this instead.  I dropped it off at the nearest Collect+/Yodel point (local corner shop).

Since then I have had 20+ SMS messages and emails from Virgin demanding that I still need to return the kit.   I have replied to the SMS that I already did and gave the Collect+ reference.   The reply said they would look into it.

Last week some guy from Virgin came to the house and again I told him I already returned it.  Fortunately I kept the Yodel receipt which I showed him.

Now I got another message saying that today they will send another guy out to bother me at home.

Sort it out, Virgin!   Don’t offer people two ways to return the kit if you then harass them when you can’t process that they’ve used the post option.

And no the one thing I have not done is telephoned, because the atrocious offshore customer service was a big reason behind leaving Virgin.   

[alex_20202020]

Okay I tried calling and got through to Retentions which obviously isn’t the right department but at least it was a human being.

They told me to call 0333 000 5925.   I did but none of those options sounded appropriate either.   I got through to someone who wasn’t customer facing and he suggested I tried option 2.   But that option gives a recorded message saying they are all in a meeting.   

I don’t think Virgin are actually threatening the £40 fine, and so far as I know my account has been closed.  In fact I received a cheque for £2 or so from them a few weeks back.

So perhaps it’s safe to block the phone number, let the emails go in the spam box, and show the receipt to anyone who wastes their time coming to the door?

[Matthew_ML]

Hey alex_20202020, thank you for reaching out and I am so sorry to hear you are getting various SMS.

The good thing is we have sent you a cheque we wouldn't send these cheques out until we have received your kit and final payment from you.

However I am going to send you a PM anyway so we can just check all this over.

Have you also got the receipt by any chance?

Please look out for the purple envelope. Thanks 

[Andrew-G]

The risk of ignoring this is that VM's clunky, dysfunctional processes and systems still don't record the return (a complaint that's come up a number of times here), and they bill you £40 by direct debit.  If you've cancelled the DD, then it'll be refused, VM will then treat that as a defaulted payment under a credit agreement and that'll ruin your credit history with consequences you don't want.  

If it comes to that the Ombudsman can force VM to refund the £40, pay you compensation for the hassle, and clean up your credit files if that's needed, but it'll take weeks, and involve a formal postal complaint to VM that'll be fobbed off by VM's Random Complaint Resolver Bot, and you'll then need to check the criteria for escalation to Ombudsman Services.

Hopefully the forum staff can pick this and sort it out without telling you to phone the useless customer service 'droids who can't help because it's not within their scripted options.  

[alex_20202020]

Thanks to you both for your replies.

Matt I’ll message you this evening when I’m back home with the Collect+/Yodel reference number and my account number.  Thanks!

[Robert_P]

Thanks Alex_20202020, Matt will assist more once he has these details.

Rob