Cancellation Payments Rip-Off

[tigger137]

Bear with me as this is going to be a rant!  Could anyone please explain how Virgin Media are allowed to get away with this situation.

My current contract (broadband, TV, landline) costs £53.31/month and ends on 11 Dec 24, when the price increases to over £70.

On 30 Oct 24 I phoned and arranged to cancel all VM services on 11 Dec 24, when the current contract ends.  I received confirmation of the cancellation date by text and email.

On 7 Nov 24 I received my next bill, in the amount of £64.82 for 28 Nov-27 Dec 24.  This is despite the fact that all services will be disconnected on 11 Dec 24, and despite the website clearly stating under “explain my closing bill” that I will only be charged for the days before the service is disconnected and that the direct debit payment will be adjusted accordingly.  I phoned VM, got the overseas call centre, and spent the usual frustrating 30 minutes or so going round and round in circles with the agent effectively telling me that I was wrong.  She did eventually say that after cancellation I would receive a refund of £36.46.  She refused to put me through to anyone else either there or in the UK.  I gave up because she simply would not answer my questions, presumably because it wasn't on her script.

A few days later I submitted a complaint via the VM website.  Their response wasn't any easier to understand than the overseas call centre, in fact I suspect that's where it came from as it certainly doesn't appear to have been written by someone whose first language is English.  This time they said my final bill would be £36.46 (the same amount previously stated as a refund).  They also mentioned a bill for £73.27 that I should ignore.

I replied asking how the £36.46 had been calculated.  Current contract is £53.31/month, it ends on 11 Dec 24, when services will be disconnected, ie 14 days to be paid at that rate.  By my calculations (£53.31 divided by 31, multiplied by 14) my final bill should be approximately £24.08.  I queried the £73.27 bill they mentioned because the bill I've already received is for £64.82.  I also pointed out that I cannot simply ignore it as they told me to do because they will be taking the money from me by direct debit!

This afternoon I've received a response and it's even more ridiculous than before.  It doesn't answer any of my questions but now tells me that on 30 Dec 24 they will take £73.27 by direct debit.  Then 45 days after cancellation I will get a refund of £109.73 by cheque.

So not only are VM going to take £64.82 from me on 28 Nov 24 for a full month's services when those services will be disconnected 14 days later but they will then take £73.27 on 30 Dec 24, 19 days after disconnection!  What possible justification can there be for this other than greed?

I thought it was bad enough that they were going to charge me anything more than the 14 days at my current contract rate, especially when the website clearly states they won't.  But why on earth should I have to pay yet another full month, at the higher rate, long after the services have been disconnected?  Then have to wait 45 days after cancellation, which will be the end of the 4th week in January, for a refund.  By cheque, so that slows it up even more.  It surely has to be tantamount to fraud, and if it isn't illegal then it ought to be.

[newapollo]

Hi @tigger137

Wishing you all the best for your home move.

 What equipment  do you have as not all equipment needs returning?   You can check < here > 

You can order returns packaging online and have it sent to either your new or old address

/virginmedia.com/help/virgin-media-return-or-recycle-equipment/request-returns-pack 

Also if you have a printer you can print out your own label and return the equipment in your own packaging.

I hope this link helps https://www.collectplus.yodel.co.uk/virgin 

After clicking Create a new label. you will be prompted for your email address. Once you receive the email you will be able to print out a returns label which includes a barcode. You can then parcel up your equipment and drop it off at the nearest Collect + store.  make sure you receive a tracking receipt and keep it safe.  (The Sender Ref on the label is for your VM account number)

** Use either or both of the following links to find your nearest store (they have different shops listed)

https://www.collectplus.co.uk/find-a-store 

 https://www.collectplus.yodel.co.uk/store-locator?v=2. 

[Paul_DN]

Hi tigger137,

Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us and welcome back, we are sorry to see you are not happy around our billing due to being charged past the date of canceling then waiting for 40 days for a cheque refund, if preferred you can cancel the Direct Debit before the final bill comes out then when the account is closed and the final bill is generated you can then just pay the final balance manually meaning you have not overpaid and no refund is needed.

We do understand your frustration however until the account is closed our system continues to bill as normal hence the full bill being generated, apologies again for any inconvenience caused at a time when you are trying to sort things out for your move which in itself is stressful enough. 

Regards

Paul.

[Matthew_ML]

Hi tigger137, thank you for reaching out and I am sorry to hear this.

Please do remember we do bill right until the day of the disconnection, then we would send you a final payment and once any kit and the bill as we been paid we would send a cheque refund out within 45 days of this. 

We continue to bill you as usual until your disconnection is complete. This helps to make sure your final month of service isn't interrupted. You will therefore probably see charges that go beyond your disconnection date, normally because your cancellation date takes effect mid billing cycle.

You can also take the kit back to any O2 shop if this is easier or we can help you get some packaging sent out? 

[tigger137]

Thank you.  This is far more helpful than any information I got direct from VM.

I had seen online that they don't want my antique Tivo box back but I don't see why I should have to try and find somewhere to recycle it so they'll be getting it back whether they want it or not!

[tigger137]

Of course I know you bill me up to disconnection, it isn't as if I'm asking for anything for nothing.  In fact, when it is disconnected on 11 Dec 24 I will already have paid you up to 27 Dec 24.

I think yours is now the 5th or 6th supposedly official VM version of what will happen as you say 45 days after cancellation for the refund whereas yesterday Kath_P said 35 days.

No-one has yet explained why the 'Resolutions Team' say I will be billed not only on 28 Nov 24 (for up to 27 Dec 24) but again on 30 Dec 24, several weeks after disconnection.

[goslow]

FWIW, when other customers have posted their replies from the resolutions team on here in past topics, most of those VM responses have been totally incomprehensible or irrelevant nonsense.

If your next bill goes out on 28 Nov, and disconnection on 11 Dec, you should be able to follow what is going on with the final billing in real time and take any evasive measures as necessary.

Your predicted bill of £64.82 on 28 Nov seems to be in line with what might be expected under VM's billing scheme for disconnection. Once 11 Dec has passed, and you are disconnected, you should expect to see that final bill with the correct amount of refund due to you a few days after your disconnection. If that doesn't happen, you may need to take further action at that time.

I have no connection with VM but some general observations from past 'gone-wrong' disconnection topics on here, which might help you, seem to be ...

When you return the kit (wherever that may be dropped off) get a receipt for the items you drop off with a tracking number. Once you have dropped off the kit, that is your only proof it has gone back to VM. I would also note the serial numbers and MAC addresses of anything you send back so you can check against any future demands from VM. Send the kit back as soon as possible because it can take a long time for VM to collect it and sign it back into their system as being returned. Personally, I would also photograph the items and the packaging you sent it back in (for proof of what you sent back and the fact it was well-packaged if you are using DIY packaging). Complaints about not receiving packaging have been common on here and, if you are moving home, it is very possible that VM will continue to send packaging to your old address when you have moved.

It is understandable that people want to cancel their direct debit ASAP to prevent VM taking disputed amounts of money. Those who do that, before all dealings with VM are concluded, often seem to run into problems in topics on here if VM thinks it is still due a DD payment. Past topics have often described former customers having credit defaults logged against them over a disputed VM final payment. Keep good offline records of all VM's final billing demands for future reference.

If you are moving home, and not taking a VM service with you, a further reason to keep the DD in place is to do with getting the refund from VM electronically rather than by cheque. Past topics have described former customers moving home and VM sending the refund cheque to their old address, where the account was based, even when the customer had provided forwarding details.

All of the above is nothing more than my own personal opinion so use at your own risk and make your own decisions based on your own circumstances. My own view is that the info from Kath_P above is reliable and is what you should expect to happen. Keep tabs on what VM is up to as your disconnection progresses and take further action if things look as if they are heading off course from what is expected. Communicating with VM on here happens in slow-time but the results are usually more reliable dealing with the VM forum team than using VM's other channels of communication. Good luck!

[Matthew_ML]

Glad to hear this and I am sorry to hear this.

If ever in doubt and you have an local O2 shop just take all the kit there and they will take care of it all.

[tigger137]

Thank you for your extremely helpful information and advice, which is very much appreciated.

The VM email responses I've received certainly match the description of being totally incomprehensible or irrelevant nonsense, hence my belief they are being sent from the overseas call centre.  The latest one, received today, is slightly more understandable in that it appears to say that because they haven't been able to speak to me on the phone they consider the matter resolved!  I've replied to say that's not acceptable - I made the complaint by email, I want it dealt with by email.

[Paul_DN]

Apologies again for your experience with this and for the confusion caused by the emails you received, if you do want us to look further into the billing or need any further help with it then please reach back out.

Regards

Paul.

[tigger137]

Using the link kindly provided by @newapollo a few weeks ago, I requested returns packaging online.  Received a confirmation email from Virgin on 4 Dec 24 saying, "Your prepaid equipment returns packaging is winging its way to you".  It did also say, "It generally takes 2 weeks to get the packaging to you" - which made me wonder which company of carrier pigeons they use.

Okay, it hasn't been 2 weeks yet.  But yesterday I got a text saying, "There's been a delay in sending you some prepaid packaging to return our kit.  Please bear with us, it'll be on its way shortly".

So when they said on 4 Dec 24 that it was "winging its way" to me, clearly it wasn't.  And it took them 8 days to tell me it wasn't, and they still haven't given any indication when I might actually get it.

In the meantime I suppose it's wishful thinking to suppose the delay in sending out the packaging will be taken into account when they decide to charge me for not sending back the equipment.  That would be far too logical, and would require the left hand knowing what the right hand is doing.  

I still haven't had a proper reply to my complaint about being charged not only a full month for 14 days provision of service but also being told that on 30 Dec 24 I will be charged another full month, several weeks after disconnection.  All I keep getting is one increasingly incomprehensible email after another.  I have now given up on ever getting an answer to my very simple questions, it's too frustrating.  I decided to just wait and see whether I eventually get a refund - and if I do, whether it's correct - before taking further action.  Now, of course, I'm probably going to have even more money to chase when inevitably Virgin charge me for equipment that I haven't returned because they haven't sent me the packaging!