Contract renewal - severe loyalty penalty
After almost 15 years with different Virgin Media contracts, my existing Virgin Media package contract comes to an end in August. I tried to look at options via my online account a couple of weeks ago but there was nothing available - just a message saying oops there is a problem and to call up or use chat. So I tried to login to my online account last week, this time I was forced into re-linking my Virgin Media and O2 accounts (which were already linked!). All seemed well until I tried to login today and was unable to getting in instead receiving an IDF-12B error message and advising to call in to get help. Aarghhhh. Looking on posts here, it seems I am not alone with this issue and it is taking multiple calls and days/weeks for people to resolve with the help desk. So what does this mean: I cannot access my account online; It makes it very difficult to cancel the agreement; It means I cannot see any potential new contract offers. After my last round of contract renewals where I was bombarded with multiple calls a day, all offering the same package but at wildly different prices even in the same day (some were 50-75% higher for the same deal!) I am loathe to try chat or calling up the call centre. So I tried to contact someone via this forum who was very helpful in resolving issues in the past. After no response and a chaser I got a note from someone else telling me not to contact the team directly and instead to post via the forum. So much for customer service! I then got an e-mail advising me that my contract was coming up on 23 August and that my existing package will go from £77 per month to >£219 per month if I do nothing - this is not going to happen.... The e-mail helpfully told me that a new customer could get a similar package for £79 per month but as an existing customer I would pay £190 for the same package...hmmm... does this sound like a fair and equitable way to treat loyal customers? Weren't OfCom looking into this issue specifically after a similar problem with the insurance industry penalising existing customers? This makes no business sense either as if the prices are so uncompetitive that I leave, then there is a cost and the waste of returning VM equipment, sending an engineer out to the local box etc.... So the long and the short of this post is please can someone from the team contact me directly to discuss a sensible price for a new contract with the same package I have now, otherwise I will be leaving and issuing notice tomorrow.Virgin Media Customer Service Points Game: Score Your Frustration
Dealing with Virgin Media’s customer service can be an exasperating experience. To add a touch of humor to the ordeal, we’ve devised a points-based game that lets you score each infuriating encounter. Keep track of your points during your next interaction and see just how “valued” you truly are. How to Play Keep a tally of each occurrence during your interaction with Virgin Media. Add up your points based on the values assigned below. Share your score with fellow sufferers to see who has endured the most. Points Breakdown 5 Points: Being transferred to another department. Hearing the phrase, “We appreciate your patience.” Experiencing hold music for over 5 minutes. Receiving an email or text with incorrect information. 10 Points: Repeating your account details to multiple representatives. Being told, “There’s an issue in your area.” Receiving a bill higher than the agreed-upon amount. Waiting more than 48 hours for a promised callback that never comes. Delays blamed on Virgin Media's own third party contractor (e.g. Avonline) Delays incorrectly blamed on local authority (e.g. not permitted to dig up the road, even though you've seen teams digging). 20 Points: An engineer failing to show up during the scheduled appointment window. Being charged for services you never agreed to or requested. Experiencing a service outage without prior notification. Receiving a disconnection notice despite being up-to-date on payments. 30 Points: Having your complaint closed without resolution. Having your complaint ignored until you go to the OFCOM ombudsman. Being promised a refund or credit that never materializes. Spending over an hour on a single customer service call. Being told contradictory information by different representatives. Being denied compensation which is legally yours. Bonus Points 5000 Points: Successfully navigating the labyrinth and achieving a satisfactory resolution. Receiving an apology that feels genuine and not scripted. Receiving the correct amount of compensation. Share Your Score Tally up your points and share your score with others who’ve braved the Virgin Media customer service maze. Remember, while this game adds a layer of humor, your frustrations are valid. Don’t hesitate to escalate your concerns through the appropriate channels. Disclaimer: This game is for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance to actual customer service experiences is purely coincidental… or is it?Installation issues
Virgin Media, the company that can’t figure out how to install their own broadband, yet still insists on pretending they can. It started simply: I asked for fiber. Virgin said yes. They gave me an install date. Then the circus began. The Never-Ending Clown Show For months, Virgin’s engineers have arrived, yanked on the conduit like confused cavemen, watched it fall apart, and then run away—only to reschedule and do it all over again. December 23rd: Failure. January 9th: Failure. January 21st: Failure. February 5th: Failure. February 21st: Failure. At this point, it’s not even incompetence. It’s performance art. Blame Everyone but Themselves. Rather than just admitting they’re useless, Virgin Media has mastered the fine art of pointing fingers: “It’s Avonline’s fault!” You hired Avonline, you absolute muppets. That’s like hiring a dodgy builder and then acting shocked when your house collapses. “The council won’t let us access the road!” Funny, since Avonline’s engineers have been out there working on the road. In fact, one of them even said: “Virgin Media on this road? Not a chance. The conduit’s knackered. Not gonna happen.” Then they tried anyway, snapped the fiber, and left the conduit even more broken. Genius. Truly. I hope the person responsible gets a bonus. I would just leave and give up, but they insist they will only send me all of the money they owe me (for multiple missed appointments, and an agreement to cover the difference between my Virgin bill price and the extortiantate out of contract BT price in the meantime) if I stay and wait to be connected - is that even legal? Lies, Lies and more Lies Meanwhile, their customer service team—trained, I assume, by a group of concussed pigeons—kept assuring me that everything was fine. Me: “Can you install fiber at my house?” Virgin: “Absolutely!” Me: “Then why are you literally paying my neighbours to leave because you can’t install fiber?” Virgin: “Uhh… unforeseen circumstances?” And speaking of my neighbours, I find out they were actually PAID TO LEAVE VIRGIN MEDIA because the company knew it couldn’t provide service - due to a broken conduit! Let me repeat that: They gave people money to go away rather than just fixing the damn conduit. Then they continue to sell this knowingy broken service to others on the same road. Even going so far as to send sales reps door-to-door! We have been waiting for installation since November 2024. Other neighbours have been waiting since October 2024. It is now nearly March 2025. Gaslighting 101 And just when you think Virgin can’t sink lower, they send me an email implying I haven’t been in touch. I’ve spent more time chasing these clowns than they’ve spent actually doing their job. At this rate, I could hand-dig a new conduit myself before Virgin Media figures out what’s happening. Final Thoughts Virgin Media, just be honest: Either fix the conduit and install the fiber, or Admit you can’t do it and stop wasting everyone’s time. Stop selling products you cannot provide. Instead, you’re stuck in an infinite loop of lying, blaming, failing, and rescheduling—like some kind of broadband time-wasting machine. Virgin Media: The only thing they connect is excuses.Legal action against Virgin Media
Has anyone had experience in taking VM to court? After being over charged for months and a huge price rise when my contract ended I’ve been trying to cancel but unbelievably they are simply refusing. I sent an official complaint via the complaints procedure and asking to cancel the account but I had a reply which stated that a cancellation request has not been actioned! Even though I asked for cancellation. I’ve never come across a company like this. Surely they should get in trouble with ofcom and the financial ombudsman for this? I’m considering legal action and an official complaint to the ombudsman and ofcom but I want to also sue for the bills they’ve charged since I asked for it to be disconnected, I work out the at they owe me about £150 now. Has anyone done this and won in court?Automatic compensation - Refund vs compensation
Like many others, I’ve experienced Virgin Media’s appalling customer service…long story short, my installation was delayed, I was entitled to automatic compensation, Virgin refused to pay. I’ve been to the Ombudsman who ruled in my favour, but I have questions over the type of payments that qualify under the automatic compensation scheme. Virgin began charging my account for my subscription before installation was complete or any services were activated. Two months of charges were applied to my account, which Virgin then refunded. These refunds were deducted from the total compensation I was ultimately awarded - I was entitled to £400, I had £150 of credits to my account, so was awarded £250. I’ve discussed this with the Ombudsman and was told any payments made to me by Virgin qualify as payments under the automatic compensation scheme. The fact I was being charged for a service I wasn’t receiving doesn’t matter, and there appears to be no distinction made between payments made as refunds, rather than to compensate me for the inconvenience and additional costs I incurred. Is this really how the scheme works in practice? If so it’s clearly open to abuse and not fit for purpose. Sorry if anything isn’t clear and thanks in advance for any help!Is Virgin media the worst service company in the world?
So where do I start, 7 days ago I rung up a very rude lady at Virgin Media customer service, I explained that my V6 box was faulty and making very strange noises and couldn't get past the welcome screen the very blunt lady offered me a technician visit which I explained that due to my wide being unwell they would be unable to enter the property, I asked my options such as upgrading to the 360 box and was met with a no, but after being transferred another lady upgraded my account and confirmed the box and remote would be with my Wednesday, fast forward to Wednesday and Yodel did deliver, but only the remote.. funny enough I cant watch any TV with a remote only, so another call and no record of the box, back to booking a technician visit and the same conversation that they are unable to enter and I had already paid for the upgrade, promised that the box would be here no later than Saturday, Thursday comes and no appointment on the app so another call, guess what no record.. so here we go again another false promise, Friday comes and I get through to technical support and the lad with approval from his supervisor credits me £25 and a box would be here Saturday, guess what.... nothing! I have lost the will to live, I have escalated without any success and the next step is 8 weeks time I can lodge a formal complaint with an outside body about Virgin Media. Shame on you Virgin you have the worst client experience I have ever had, and a sick wife with no entertainment in her life, but she can look at that the remote and dream of watching TV while I line your pockets.
