Homeless - Cancellation Fee, Poor Customer Service
Hi, Ive been a customer of VM along with my family members who all use the service for YEARS. I have been made homeless through no fault of my own and was evicted by the landlord on the 17th October, i have no new fixed address and am staying with freinds and family or at a hostel. So naturally i do not want to keep paying the subscription for them to use in my former house now. online chat agents will not let me cancel and are saying i need to pay an early termination fee as its 'my choice' to cancel, this is a shocking lack of empathy and customer service to anyone never mind someone who has been a good customer and paid probably thousands over the years. It wasnt my choice to get removed from the house. ive read on this forum others have had this sorted, im not sure what more to do now other than just cancel the direct debitSolved2.7KViews1like9CommentsAbsolutely apalling customer service that's made me want to cancel my plan.
I've been using Virgin for 9 months, and the whole time they haven't been great. My WiFi is incredibly unreliable and constantly loses connection. However, I stuck with my plan as me and my housemates are only students and believed we couldn't reasonably afford anything better, and didn't want to deal with the hassle of cancelling and finding something new. Today I receieved an email telling me I had an outstanding balance in my account. This was 5 days after my bill (newly increased in price, may I add) had left by bank account via direct debit, and I could see the transaction in my banking app. Naturally I was confused and didn't want any late fees or restrictions, so I tried to log into my account for further answers. However, I'd forgotten my password and the password reset email refused to be sent to my inbox, no matter how long I waited or how many times I tried, so I called the customer service line provided. Unfortunately, instead of being transferred to a real human being, I had to deal with an automated voice. This was an absolutely abysmal experience, way worse than any other automated customer service line I've called before. Not only did none of the options pertain to what I was asking, the automated voice refused to transfer me to a real human until I could provide my password, which I kept explaining I couldn't do. The continued repeats of "please state your password" no matter how many times I tried to make it go back or change tactic were infuriating. I had to call three seperate times, twice asking specifically about changing my password, and the third I gave up and simply talked about the error in my balance. When I called regarding my balance, it gave me a solution completely unrelated to my issue, and then hung up on me. Not to mention each time I called it sent me a bunch of texts begging me to download their app and log in to my account. Eventually I had to give up on their phone line as it was getting nowhere and tried their chat system on their website. I had to again deal with automated answers trying to figure out what I was saying before I was finally connected to a real human. One person I was connected to never answered me when I asked them a question and I had to disconnect, and after going through three individuals I was eventually told that I couldn't log in because they were having issues with their website, and the outstanding balance was an error and the email was just "a reminder" (despire it coming 5 days after I'd paid the bill and specifically saying the words "you have an outstanding balance on your account"). This experience left me incredibly drained and frustrated. Once me and my housemates have moved out of this house I know I will be cancelling my plan immediately and telling everyone I know not to use Virgin. I already had an unfavourable opinion of them due to their terrible broadband service, but their abysmal customer service is the nail in the coffin. In fact, the only reason I'm writing this here is because they don't have a customer service email I can send this to. (Seriously? How am I supposed to talk to a real human at this company when your phone line is automated and refuses to connect me to a human, and the people in your online chat service ignore my questions.) Sorry, Virgin, but I won't be paying your fee hikes anymore if this is what they get me.Contemptible
I've been on the online chat for over 4 hours today trying to get a resolution. I renewed my contract on 2nd March, via the renewal email that I got from Virgin. I got an email today saying they'd be taking a payment of more than £50 above my usual cost. Contacted them and was told that I hadn't "accepted the order within the required 7 days". I asked repeatedly where in the email or the pre-contract info that it says I am supposed to respond at all, let alone within 7 days, and got absolutely no useful answers. "Maylem" was beyond unhelpful, patronising and ignored all of my questions. This exact thing happened to two of my family members in recent weeks. It's a disgusting tactic by Virgin aimed to trick loyal customers into falling onto an expensive rolling contract. When you get in touch with them, they say they can no longer offer you the original renewal price. But when I pursued this problem on behalf of my father-in-law, I got through to someone half-decent who said they'd honour the original renewal price by creating a new contract at the higher price with a recurring credit to his monthly bill to bring it down to the original price he was offered. The service from this dogsh*t company is utterly contemptible. I've now cancelled, but they're taking today as the start of my 30-day notice period, which means in a few days I'll pay over £140 for a "service" that's supposed to be £90. They're also having the audacity to charge a further "final" bill of £30 in May. New customers can get the same contract that I had plus an iPad for less than what I was offered at the original renewal stage. These forums (as well as others like Reddit) are absolutely littered with people like me who can't work out why their contracts suddenly massively go up in price only to be told there's some non-existent "you must accept within 7 days" thing in the contract. It doesn't exist. It does NOT say anywhere that this is a thing. Is it written in invisible ink? The first guy I spoke to online told me that "online renewals don't go through most of the time". Are they not a COMMUNICATIONS company? How is it that online renewals don't work most of the time? Virgin Media are a f*cking joke and I will be writing a complaint to the Communications Ombudsman. They're breaching Section 50 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.108Views0likes6CommentsImpossible to Speak To Exec Team
I have been trying for 3 months now to sort out a billing problem for my daughter. Initially this was being dealt with by Deborah in the Executive Team in the UK. I can no longer get through to her. Customer service on the phone saying they 'don't have the facility' to transfer me. I have emailed the exec office email countless times and get no response whatsoever. . WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO??928Views0likes8CommentsNo renewal contract but Netflix downgraded
I renewed my package as per my online account which stated ‘Choose this deal and keep your current Virgin Media plan without losing anything.’ I received conflicting information and prices from Customer Services, but in view of the above statement and that my pre contract documents stated ‘Netflix Standard’, I renewed. I have today received an email from Netflix confirming my plan is now with Ads. However, I have not even received my formal contract documents from Virgin and my account has not even been updated. Virgin have misrepresented the renewal of my contract. It stated in writing I would not lose anything and therefore my services should be exactly the same as what I was receiving prior to my renewal. Additionally, my online account stated one price 2 months before renewal, but increased the cost 20 days before it was due. Nowhere did it state that the price would increase the closer it got to renewal. I am now paying more for less!!! The service from Virgin is abysmal. I have been a customer from 20+ years. At least it seems that Sky are upfront about their services and charges. I expect to receive what I signed up to (the same as I had before) and I will take this matter further, but I am unsure what steps to take, as when you call Customer Services they are very unhelpful and previous experience with the Complaints Team is that they do not actually read your complaint. Any advice?3.1KViews0likes5CommentsTNT Removed from package
Hi - I am furious that TNT seems to have been removed from my package despite it still showing in 2 places on 'My Account' page as being included in the Maxit package. Inclusion BT/TNT sports was the thing that persuaded me to upgrade to Maxit TV package on an unsolicited marketing call. When I logged on to watch the cricket I discovered it had disappeared, at first thinking this was a technical issue I contacted customer service and after 3 hours on the WhatsApp the agent was still unable or unwilling to say that it had been part of the package and removed or explain why still shown in graphics on my account page as part of current service. All they could do was try and charge me an extra £18 to watch it!! I am still waiting for a response to the complaint I have submitted but suspect will be pointed to small print in T's & C's which I will have to accept. Still is around happy customer service and value for money so at least only need to wait til December to break all ties with VM and go elsewhere.1.6KViews0likes11CommentsExisting customer deal - Disney plus hidden in the small print
Have been offered 1gig broadband for £3 extra a month on my current package via an email offer. When I click through to sign-up and review the contract summary, Disney has been miraculously added, but is not mentioned anywhere else. I don’t even know what it costs. How do I accept this deal without the ‘secret’ add on? Apologies for posting here but that was the recommendation of Virgin’s customer service department who clearly weren’t willing to help.724Views0likes1CommentVM and O2 ignoring identity fraud
So looking for some advice on how to proceed. Sorry, this is a little wordy. 30th June, got a random text saying my upgrade is on the way, click link to track - no number/id, assumed it was spam. Then got another text from VM saying equipment will arrive via courier. Checked VM account and new package was listed as being bought 30th June. I didn't call or go online to make any such order. Had a tortuous WA chat with the VM guy constantly saying I ordered, me saying I did not, it must be a mistake their end or fraud. Eventually all he would advise was to refuse the package which will cancel the order, “if I’ve changed my mind” which I hadn't since I never made the order - something he refused to aknowledge. He said he would cancel the upgrade and it would be processed in 10 mins. 10 min later, my internet went off. Back on WA for an hour, eventually got it turned on under the original contract. Checked my bank account, and strangely there’s a £5 DD for O2 - I’m not with O2. Call them and they can’t check since I have no account, email, number or reference. Guy suggests cancelling the DD which I do, and to call VM as the sim was likely bundled with an upgrade… Back to VM - they say they can’t deal with O2 contracts, wouldn’t listen to the reasons, go back to them. O2 say without any reference they can’t do anything, and it’s VM. Just going in circles. Raise a complaint with VM. I get an email back saying regarding my complaint about ‘long call wait times’ (?!), apologising, banging on about their investments in staff and infrastructure, and promising to try harder. I raise another complaint, saying I suspect my account has been compromised somehow, or they auto-upgraded me. Can they look into it? No, all they can confirm is I made the order - I asked them to prove that, call logs, text, WA chat, they just ignored it. Then I get a email saying we need to return the equipment I refused. Complain again, and VM replies that they cannot see an upgrade order on my account and so they consider the matter to be resolved!??! During the complaint they claimed they had a record of me calling on 30th of June but I sent them call records showing I didn’t and asked for their record, and they just ignored that and claimed it was now resolved. Today I get a disconnection letter from O2 for a sim I don’t have, saying if I don’t pay the contract I didn't take out, they will sell the debit to a recovery firm! Call O2, since now I magically have an account number and the guy will not understand/accept the situation, keeps asking me to check my O2 phone and email for bill/reference/code to proceed, just will not listen or get what the issue is even when I point out the letter address is right street, wrong number (postie recognised my name) Eventually, by crying and yelling, get him to agree to escalate it to the Fraud Team. I've heard nothing from them. I did get a call in March asking about an upgrade, but I hung up mid-way through the pitch when they got my name wrong, assuming it was a spam call. Not sure how or why a spammer would upgrade my account unless it was to get a e-sim and use it until I cancelled somehow, or they’re some dodgy 3rd-party-seller connected to VM? Or the call was legit and they upgraded me out of spite for hanging up? So my worry/question is, how do I get VM to accept or acknowledge it’s either fraudulent or some weird up-selling they did, and what can I say to the fraud team if they call to ensure this goes away and I don’t get Can’t Pay We’ll Take It Away turning up at my door/ruining my credit rating? I’ve already threatened to go to the Ombudsman and Ofcom, and planned to before I got this letter informing me I debt collection firm will come looking for the £5 DD I never took out. Thanks for any thoughts. The complaint emails back and forth are like arguing with a child, every point I argue they ignore and just rephrase the response.Solved6.3KViews3likes23CommentsWhat kind of deal could I hope to negotiate?
Long-term customer, over 20 years since before it was Virgin Media. Currently on a Big Volt Bundle incl. M500, VIrgin Phone and Virgin TV. Was £36.00 for 18 months, which expired this month. Now I'm paying £71.00. Can't find any details on what kind of contract deals are available to current customers, rather than new customer-only deals. What have people been able to negotiate in similar situations?6.4KViews0likes3Comments