Charged for replying by text to VM support Survey

[CYD]

Just a warning to others - yes it will depend on your mobile provider I guess - I reluctantly responded to a text message survey having contacted VM support as I don't believe they take any notice of responses, but I was very angry at the lack of support I had received so decided to reply.  I have now been charged 12p per text message reply I sent to VM and there were 9 replies.  I am with "three", yes there was a warning I may be charged but with all other times with other companies there has not been a charge to the customer.  I certainly won't respond again.

[CYD]

Update re charged for answering VM text message survey.  I completed online complaint form, the reply I got ignored my actual complaint about charge but went on about the reason I had first called VM support.  Was advised I must do an online chat to sort out the issue.  I tried this, took an hour of online chatting at which point I said I had to leave as had an appointment.  Had no response and was left waiting to see if they had sorted out issue.  No communication for a couple of days so I replied to the email from "resolutions" expressing my total dissatisfaction with all their so called support and the fact they have ignored my complaint about being charged for completing survey.  Totally out the blue got a phone call few days later from complaints dept. Told me my issue was in fact not an issue and what I was advised to do by them to do did not need to be done as it was automatic.  Then asked about the charge and she immediately gave me £10.00 goodwill gesture.  So having wasted over 2 hours of my time I feel slightly satisfied I got something back - although would rather have avoided the whole situation.

[jamesc77]

Looks like the same bad practice continues…  Virgin Media explicitly state messages are free, yet they’re using a Premium Rate Short Code SMS. What’s more laughable is O2, the other half of Virgin Media O2, are charging 15p per standard length SMS sent back to the number as part of the interaction. That adds up if you reply with detailed feedback!

A complaint to VM has simply resulted in them suggesting I contact O2 to correct the billing issue - yet they’ve completely failed to acknowledge they’re in the wrong for using a Premium Rate Short Code SMS in the first place!

I’m now having (very slow) exchanges with both O2 and Virgin Media. Considering they’re the same company, this issue is being handled terribly. They can sell a ‘Volt’ bundle of fixed and mobile services, but can’t interact with each other’s customer service teams, nor recognise the fault needs resolving on both sides of VMO2.  VM need to stop using a Premium Rate Short Code SMS number for customer interaction. And in the meantime O2 (and ideally other mobile providers) need to zero rate the 64084 number. I’ll be avoiding interaction via the 64084 number until this is changed to something that actually IS free, but then VM won’t hear feedback on how their CS teams are dealing with customers……

[jamesc77]

Disgraceful VM are using a Premium Rate number for requesting feedback on interactions with Customer Services, especially when their own text message states messages are free… Screenshot from O2’s number lookup service within the MyO2 app. Implies VMO2 are generating revenue from messages sent too 😱

 

[Cardiffman282]

You can report a company to the Phone-paid Services Authority if you think they didn’t make it clear that a phone number was premium rate. You can also report a premium text message service if you think the company didn’t make the costs clear enough. 

Phone-paid Services Authority (PSA)

Telephone: 0300 30 300 20

Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 12.30pm

[ChrisSmith24]

Same here - responded positively to the customer service texts (Virgin forgot to include the TV box in my quickstart pack - only included the broadband hub) as sounded as though they understood and were going to resolve the issue. As the initial text said it was free to respond I didn't worry about the warning messages that popped up.

Now spotted an additional charge of 1.20 to my next O2 bill for the messages. Not much in the grand scheme of things but also frustrating as it clearly shouldn't have happened.

[jamesc77]

Just an update on my experience, which may be of some benefit to others…

After raising a complaint using the link mentioned elsewhere on this topic. I did get an email from VM stating they’d tried to speak to me (they hadn’t) and that I should contact my mobile service provider to request a refund - ironically that’s O2 in my case. After a couple of back and forth emails (and a separate painful CS engagement with O2 via Twitter/X to get a refund of the premium rate messages), I eventually DID get a phone call back from the Resolutions team. I stressed the point around the use of a premium rate SMS number for solicitation of customer service feedback, and that simply throwing it over to a customer’s mobile provider to sort out isn’t acceptable. I also stressed how this issue needs escalation to the appropriate team in VM to get the root cause addressed. The call agent did seem receptive and understand the points being made, and assured me it would be raised in the weekly management team call… So maybe there’s a chance it’ll get sorted. I guess I’ll find out next time I’m asked to respond to a survey…

In the meantime, they did offer me a bill credit for the inconvenience/frustration caused, so if you can bear the drawn out painful process of dealing with the complaints team, it might be worth following a similar path. I must stress I was very polite and calm with the Resolution agent who called me - I suspect many customers are understandably exhausted by the time they actually get to speak to someone…

[Cardiffman282]

Well done. Just wait for the new premium rate text survey now on the back of it. 

[AFaw1985]

same things happened to me my Sky mobile bill went up £3 because of Virgin media survey txts after I rang up about my broadband bill never answering one again!

[AFaw1985]

64084 never reply to messages on this number

[jamesc77]

Looks like this may have been fixed (by O2 at least). Pity they put the wrong short code number in the text message sent today 🤦🏼‍♂️ Will be interesting to see whether Virgin Media have stopped using the 64084 number or whether it’s just been corrected on O2’s billing platform…