Hidden fee when setting up broadband

[vlad1]

This question has been asked and answered on this forum before, but the resolutions seem to be done privately in DMs.

I registered with Virgin broadband and was offered a contract with a monthly fee and zero setup/activation fees. I have the contract in my email.

Due to technical reasons, my payment couldn't go through and I had to re-register, which I did on the phone. I gave the exact same details, but this time the contract I received had an "activation" fee that was not part of the advert.

Why did I pay this fee and can I get it refunded? If not, can I cancel my contract and register again (for the third time!) to avoid paying it?

[vlad1]

I asked support and they basically lied to me, claiming that the fee was always going to be applied, even though I literally have a contract explicitly saying £0 in additional fees.

[jpeg1 · Accepted solution]

If you are still within 14 days, phone in. Take the 'thinking of leaving us' option and say you are cancelling unless they remove the charge. Insist on getting the answer in writing.

But do you really want to tie yourself to a company that lies to you? 

[Tudor]

Customer services on the phone often give misleading information. There is an ‘activation fee’ for all new installations, I think it’s hidden deep in the contract you signed. Unfortunately most people do not read the contract in any depth. 

[jpeg1]

But the OP has an email that promises no fee. 

[Tudor]

"But the OP has an email that promises no fee. " I’ve seen this before, the email probably means there is no ‘installation fee’ which is true, but there is an ‘activation fee’. Been queried many times.

[vlad1]

Nope. I have one contract that has a single monetary figure on it i.e. the monthly fee. Next to that it says

One off charges: £0.00
Upfront payment: £0.00

There are absolutely no other costs either in the breakdown or the small print.

The second contract, which I was told would be identical to the first, is exactly the same except the "One off charges" is not £0.

Here is a screenshot of the first and second contracts.

Care to explain this discrepancy?

[jpeg1]

Being cynical, I'd suggest that after the first contract fell through, the VM sales person decided that since you were still keen to sign up they didn't need to try so hard the second time.

But VM wouldn't be so mean would they? 

[vlad1]

Thanks for your reply. I contacted support and they removed the fee. It took a long time to get them to accept the issue but it's nice to be vindicated after being repeatedly accused of not being able to read a contract.

[jpeg1]

Well done!