Advisor changed packed without consent

[Fingathing]

Hello,

I am an existing O2 customer (12m sim only) so decided to take a broadband only deal (M500 for £38) to take advantage of the Volt benefits. From what I understand it would double my mobile data and move me up to 1GB broadband speed at no extra charge.

My router arrived on connection day and all was fine so I went on to my O2 account and tried to link my virgin account. A week later no changes were made, so I contacted Virgin via messaging to see what was the issue. I stated that I had linked the accounts but there was no changes to either virgin or O2. The customer advisor assured me she had just linked the accounts with no mention of any contract changes.

The next day I received an email containing a contract for Volt500 for £56 a month. I was a bit shocked as there was no mention of a package change and I certainly did not agree to anything. 

I have contacted customer services via messaging. They have stated they can put me on the V500 for £38 but I won’t get the upgrade to 1GB I was eligible for or go back to M500 but for £62. They keep sending me a contract for V500 for £43 but promising it will be reduced to £38. They made the change without my consent so I don’t understand why they can’t revert back to the contract I signed up for. I asked speak to a manager but was told that wasn’t possible. 
As it stands my first bill is due on the 8th and sits about £112 which is a lot more than I agreed to. Where do I stand here? 

[Andrew-G]

Not the only one:

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Package-price/m-p/5166444#M211755

[Fingathing]

• After nearly 5 hrs messaging a customer advisor to resolve their error they sent me a contract that I didn’t want. They then sent me another contract with the exact document number I got when I originally signed up so not sure if they copied the original one and resent it. They then ended the messaging conversation before I could reply.
  Shortly after I got another email with changes they had made:

Your new package now includes:

Broadband: M500 Fibre Broadband - Volt M500 Fibre Broadband

We've removed:

Broadband: Volt M500 Fibre Broadband

So apparently I now have 2 broadband packages at the same time and will now be billed even more. This customer service is shocking, I can’t stand speaking to them again  just to waste my on people that won’t listen or don’t understand. Can anyone help?

[Andrew-G]

Can anyone help?

Go back to the link in my last post, read that thread. My comments in that explain how to use VM's complaints process, and if need be the independent adjudication scheme CISAS to get what you're entitled to.

[Fingathing]

Thank you for your help. It looks like I will need to go down that route as Virgin are not willing to admit they have made mistakes. Due to their errors they say I am now not eligible for the advertised volt promotion. 

[Andrew-G]

The problem here is two fold:  The simple everyday incompetence of first line customer service, is part one.  Part two is that Virgin Media's marketing people have used the Volt branding for both new bundle contracts, as well as a non-bundle contracts (that you wanted) of simply linking an O2 contract to your existing VM account and triggering "Volt benefits". 

Be clear on your facts, raise a complaint, wait for it to be fobbed off, reject that and ask for a deadlock letter and ask CISAS to sort the mess out.  Pasting from VM's own web site, sounds like it was the Volt benefits you were after, and in theory it's as simple as the red text below.  Then, when you mix in VM's dreadful customer service and inept agents who have little understanding it all fall to pieces.

What are Volt benefits?

When your household is with Virgin Media and O2 you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area) and up to 3 WiFi Pods (if needed) at no extra cost. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or sim in 75 destinations at no extra cost.

Plus, if you take out a phone on a new O2 Custom Plan, you'll get up to £150 off an additional O2 Custom Plan for a connected tablet, laptop or smartwatch – just give O2 a ring or pop into an O2 shop to claim your discount.

All on top of the lightning-fast speeds, reliability and great rewards with Priority and Extras from O2.

Who can get Volt benefits?

To get your exclusive Volt benefits, your household needs to have at least one O2 Pay Monthly mobile customer and one Virgin Media broadband customer registered there.

So, if you're an existing customer of O2 Pay Monthly you'll either (i) need to sign up to broadband from Virgin Media or (ii) live with a registered Virgin Media broadband account holder.

Or, if you're a Virgin Media broadband customer, you'll also either (i) need to become an O2 Pay Monthly customer or (ii) live with at least one registered O2 Pay Monthly customer.

Check whether Virgin Media broadband is available in your area with Virgin Media's coverage checker. Once you're a customer of both O2 and Virgin Media, or once your household becomes eligible to receive Volt benefits, you can check your eligibility in the My O2 app and opt in to get Volt benefits.

How do I get Volt benefits?

I'm a Virgin Media customer

Join O2 and get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household, a broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area), and supercharged connectivity at home and on the move. All when your household is with both Virgin Media and O2.

Join O2

I'm an O2 customer

Join Virgin Media broadband and get double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household, a broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area), and supercharged connectivity at home and on the move. All when your household is with both Virgin Media and O2.

Join Virgin Media

I'm a customer of both Virgin Media and O2

When you’re with both Virgin Media and O2, you’ll get supercharged speeds, data and WiFi. That means double the mobile data on every eligible O2 Pay Monthly plan in your household. A broadband speed boost to the next available level (if you aren’t already on the fastest speeds you can get in your area) and up to 3 WiFi Pods (if needed) at no extra cost. And O2 Travel Inclusive Zone, so you can use your O2 phone or sim in 75 destinations, at no extra cost.

[Fingathing]

Thanks again for your input. I linked this exact page from virgins own website in the chat with the advisor and asked them to provide evidence where I was not eligible for any benefits. Of course the advisor just ignored it and proceeded to insist on a discount. They were not interested in resolving my issue. 

I will file a complaint and see where that leads.  I suppose the good part of message chat is I have the whole conversation from multiple advisor sowing their incompetence. Meanwhile I’ll contact O2 and see if they can effect things from their side.