Virgin Media are very stupid - advice needed please!

Pilchard

Hi there

If anyone could advise me I'd be grateful.

I've been a Virgin Media customer for about 3 years now since they took over from Telewest. I've had a few issues in the past when they've messed me about but they've now done the !!!! up of !!!! ups and I'm having trouble getting it resolved.

I have phone, internet and TV with them and in October I received a call about being disconnected as I was moving house. This was news to me but it took a while to persuade the numpty at the other end of the phone that I wasn't moving house. It turned out that someone with the same first line of my address but in another town was moving house so the matter was resolved - or so I thought.

In November I received a call to say I was being disconnected that day as requested. Again it took several times before the person at the end of the phone was persuaded that I was not moving house and that the house they wanted was in another town..........but I still got disconnected! I called them and demanded they reconnect my service and, yet again went through all the crap about it not being me who was moving house. I received an apology and was told a note would be put on my account to make sure people double checked my address etc and, again I thought it was sorted.....until last week when they took £83.83 out of my bank account (are you still with me?!!!). When I called and asked why they denied they'd taken any money and it must be the bank's fault. I checked with the bank and it wasn't their fault so back to VM. Again they denied they'd taken money but then I remembered all this hassle with the address mix up and they admitted they had taken the money to pay this other bill. I was told it would be sorted in couple of days but it wasn't (you're shocked aren't you?!). I've now been told I have to cancel the direct debit, get a direct debit indemnity form from the bank and fill that in and I will then get the money from the bank. Now I have to go to the bank to complete the form as it's electronic but they have cancelled the direct debit but this means the direct debit to pay my own bill has been cancelled as there was only one set up. VM have told me this is not possible as there must have been two DD set up and won't believe that only one existed. They were going to check it out and call me today but they didn't so I'm done talking with them I'm not sure what to do next, though as I can't get to the bank until the weekend to fill in the indemnity form and when my bill needs paying on 19th January I no longer have a DD. I want to take the matter further as this is a pain in the a** and I want it sorted and my money back.

Please can anyone help me (provided you haven't given up the will to live yet!!!).
Thank you

DatabaseError

Sorry, I can't really offer any advice...but...

Is there any possibility that you could change the format of your post?
Perhaps the same font as everyone else uses, not itallicised, and aligned to the left would make it easier for me, and I'm sure others, to read (though it does look pretty )

msc1977

I cant offer any advice on getting it resolved but i work in a complaints dept so i can give some general advice that may assist.What i would do is send it all in in writing recorded delivery, (just print and edit your post to save time). I would also suggest (if you can afford before you get the indemnity claim sorted) to call and make a card payment for your own bill. Your own bill isnt under dispute and if you do need to pursue your complaint it will be in your favour that you have continued to pay for the undisputed services that you have used. They will take card payments as i've often made them.
Keep copies of everything you send in and your indemnity info and try and recall the dates / names of who you've spoken to if you havent got notes. If you do speak to them again keep detailed notes of the phone calls.

Hopefully once the indemnity claim goes through you will find this is the end of it, however dont try to pay by card for too long as they will charge you £5 per month for the priviledge.

HTH

thefenman

After a year of lousy phone-line (as opposed to cable) broadband, I am finally getting rid of Virgin. O2 can hardly be worse and it's cheaper as an O2 mobile user. I am already impressed by their attention to detail, let's hope it continues.

thefenman

Please can anyone help me (provided you haven't given up the will to live yet!!!).

I didn't quite have as much hassle as that but it does seem typical of these companies that market their product like mad and then don't have the staff to handle all the clients. I am SO against these endless amalgamations - in fact, I'm fed up with the name "Virgin", it's everywhere!

I would get in touch with OffTel, if I were you and complain like mad.

Mia_Moore

espresso wrote: »

:mad:

If a post is not easy to read, I for one don't bother to read it.

:rolleyes:

Yet you can still be bothered to reply to the thread, you haven't read? :rolleyes:

You can complain to Virgin Media via letter:
Complaints, Virgin Media,
PO Box 333,
Matrix Court,
Swansea.
SA7 9ZJ
If you are still not satisfied you can escalate your complaint to a Customer Loyalty Manager:

Customer Loyalty Manager

Customer Concern

Concord House
Concord Business Park
Threapwood Road
Wythenshawe
Manchester M22 0EY

DatabaseError

thefenman wrote: »

.. I'm fed up with the name "Virgin", it's everywhere!/quote]

Sadly, for Branson, VM isn't really one of his, they just use the name

Anon

You can also fill in the complaint form online at:
https://help2.virginmedia.com/assets/customer_zone/complaintformCZ.html

I have complained that way previously and they have been very prompt in dealing with it.

Anon

dad-of-4

Pilchard wrote: »

Hi there

If anyone could advise me I'd be grateful.

I've been a Virgin Media customer for about 3 years now since they took over from Telewest. I've had a few issues in the past when they've messed me about but they've now done the !!!! up of !!!! ups and I'm having trouble getting it resolved.

I have phone, internet and TV with them and in October I received a call about being disconnected as I was moving house. This was news to me but it took a while to persuade the numpty at the other end of the phone that I wasn't moving house. It turned out that someone with the same first line of my address but in another town was moving house so the matter was resolved - or so I thought.

In November I received a call to say I was being disconnected that day as requested. Again it took several times before the person at the end of the phone was persuaded that I was not moving house and that the house they wanted was in another town..........but I still got disconnected! I called them and demanded they reconnect my service and, yet again went through all the crap about it not being me who was moving house. I received an apology and was told a note would be put on my account to make sure people double checked my address etc and, again I thought it was sorted.....until last week when they took £83.83 out of my bank account (are you still with me?!!!). When I called and asked why they denied they'd taken any money and it must be the bank's fault. I checked with the bank and it wasn't their fault so back to VM. Again they denied they'd taken money but then I remembered all this hassle with the address mix up and they admitted they had taken the money to pay this other bill. I was told it would be sorted in couple of days but it wasn't (you're shocked aren't you?!). I've now been told I have to cancel the direct debit, get a direct debit indemnity form from the bank and fill that in and I will then get the money from the bank. Now I have to go to the bank to complete the form as it's electronic but they have cancelled the direct debit but this means the direct debit to pay my own bill has been cancelled as there was only one set up. VM have told me this is not possible as there must have been two DD set up and won't believe that only one existed. They were going to check it out and call me today but they didn't so I'm done talking with them I'm not sure what to do next, though as I can't get to the bank until the weekend to fill in the indemnity form and when my bill needs paying on 19th January I no longer have a DD. I want to take the matter further as this is a pain in the a** and I want it sorted and my money back.

Please can anyone help me (provided you haven't given up the will to live yet!!!).

Thank you

i had a similar problem when i moved last year, but somehow, they had me listed at a different address in scotland, and insited before i could have service i would have to pay an outstanding amount on this dormant account.
Could i convince them i hadnt ever lived their, and that i had been a customer at my old address for the last 3-4 years nope, so i just gave up and went with BT.

Pilchard

Thanks for all the advice. I've put it all in a letter and am sending it recorded delivery so that if I end up taking it to Oftel I have proof of what I've written. We'll see what happens but I fully expect this is not the end of it!

thefenman

thefenman wrote: »

After a year of lousy phone-line (as opposed to cable) broadband, I am finally getting rid of Virgin. O2 can hardly be worse and it's cheaper as an O2 mobile user. I am already impressed by their attention to detail, let's hope it continues.

I have now successfully connected to O2 - wonderful, far, far better than Virgin. Not quite the hoped-for 8 kbps but last evening's stats were
download 6,920 kbps and upload 959 kbps. Quite happy with that.