Problems with Virgin Media

diddabunce

Hi

I have Virgin Media for Telephone and Broadband. Decided to cancel and move back to BT.

Two years ago we had NTL set top box (two of them). I have just been sent a letter that there going to charge me £250 each for the set top boxes.

I asked for a copy of the contract and they said that there is no contract that i would have been told that the boxes were never my property. I said why did you not collect the boxes? and they said that my contract was never cancelled. But, it must have been when i phoned and had the boxes disconnected (I stopped paying for them)

Is this right? Surely how can they charge £500 for two old NTL boxes.

I'm not too worried because my credit is shot to pieces anyway, but it's the principles of it.

I need to warn people of this.

I have no idea where the set tops boxes are after over two years i would assume they got thrown out as we moved back to SKY.

I know this is in the phone bit but i couldn't find a TV bit!!!

Please help me!!!

diddabunce

Thanks.

I fully agree. I also had a problem when cancelling my husband's mobile. There still billing him threatening that my credit will be damaged unless i pay.

Well done for the website.

virginmedia

Thanks - I just want to draw as much attention as possible to just how badly they treat some customers. It really is a complete disgrace.

virginmedia

Virgin Media have now delayed installation again saying they don't have enough engineers to install before 8th November!

DatabaseError

why not just buy a couple from e-bay, they look cheap enough ~£20

Nilrem

VM do have it stated in the T&C* that the boxes remain their property (and we only rent them**), although it does seem unusual that they didn't ask for them back earlier when you cancelled the TV part of the sub unless they left them active on the lowest level of service (I believe they do that at times if you're remaining a customer of other services - in the theory that they can be reactivated).

IIRC the charge is basically to replace them from new, but may be waived if it's been a while since the service was cancelled.

As to buying them off ebay, that might work depending on if they check the serial numbers of the boxes and cards.

If the boxes were fully disabled by NTL back when you cancelled the TV part of the sub originally, it might be worth talking to a manager/supervisor and pointing out that they had 2 years to arrange collection of them.

*It's on the pink part of the contract form (at least it was when i signed up), and on the website etc.

**Unlike Sky where you tend to buy the box with an agreement that you'll remain a customer for a year (IIRC Sky will charge you a fee if you cancel early as they subsidise the purchase/install of the sky boxes).

Sponge

Nilrem wrote: »

...talking to a manager/supervisor and pointing out that they had 2 years to arrange collection of them.

Heh. Tell them they can come and collect the goods whenever they want (well, at a time convenient to you) but they won't be able to take them away until they've paid your bill for storage.

Invoice them £5 per week, per box, for 2 years, which makes £520.

windra

I just asked my bf, he worked for vigin for a few years...he has never heard of this happening before.
He said that it is either a mistake or something has gone wrong with your paperwork.

His advice was to 'let them take you to caught' because they would never do it, as they actually have no case.

how ever, i would suggest speaking to a manager, im sure its just a big mistake