virgin media payment handling charges

trouble_causer

juby_2002 wrote: »

these charges make up the majority of my bill

i agree with late payment charges etc, but £5 to pay a bl00dy bill is ridiculus.

i understand that it costs them to process the payment,, but how much exactly?

anyone work for the saintly VM here?

Even if there are VM employees on here I don’t think they would tell us but lets look at it this way. BT charge £4.50 per quarter, That's £1.50 per month.

Virgin Media can set up a special rate of £1.50 per month for the Payment Handling Charge, For up to 12 months.

Virgin will not offer a "special rate" that is lower than the actual cost to them so I think it may be save to say that it costs them a maximum of £1.50 per month.

juby_2002

im on the phone to them now.

trying to fob me off but im telling them how do BT manage to keep the price so low? (thanks for that!!)

juby_2002

the customer service guy doesnt even know what a direct debit is,,, some-one in india by the sounds of it.

now waiting for a `manager`

trouble_causer

juby_2002 wrote: »

im on the phone to them now.

trying to fob me off but im telling them how do BT manage to keep the price so low? (thanks for that!!)

See my original post. It seems that if you tell them you are leaving them they can (At their discretion) set up a "Special Rate" of £1.50 per month, Lasts for up to a year as far as I know. Good luck.

trouble_causer

I received a letter from Virgin Media today that stated:- “Saying ‘thank you’ the Virgin Media way. We think actions speak louder than words. So to say ‘thanks for being such a brilliant customer’ we’d like to offer you”.......... A VM mobile phone, Something I am not interested in.

As they had informed me that I was a “brilliant customer” I decided to give them a call and ask if it was possible as “Such a brilliant customer” if I could pay them in advance in order to avoid the £5 per month Payment Handling Charge.

My plan was quite simple. As my VM bills are around £50 to £60 per month I would pay them double the amount.

As I would then be ‘In Credit’ this would cancel out the need for the Payment Handling Charge.

No luck with that idea, We can’t do that said the VM employee.

So, it seems they just want Carte Blanche access to their customers bank accounts.

After having one of their customers on the phone (ME) jumping through hoops and offering to pay in advance they are not interested. This is all quite worrying.

fishingcinema

hi there

were you aware of these charges when you took out your contract??

i ask because in 2008 i took out and paid in full for a years internet
each month the paperwork was coming in and my credit going down

but what i did not realise is that i was infact being charged this £5.00 fee each month so before i was due to renew my internet i actualy had a bill through for £50 odd pounds

i phoned virgin up and was told that yes this was the £5.00 handleing charge that had been added each month as i was not paying by dd

i explained that i had paid for a year upfront via credit card and was never told about this £5.00 charge and the paper bill charge

i asked to be put through to the retentions department explained the situiation and that if it was not sorted i would then go elsewhere for my next years internet

he managed to set me up a direct debit for this years internet, register me for paper free billing and wipe the outstanding £50 odd pounds i owed as a good will gesture

give them a ring they may help you out

trouble_causer

Hello fishingcinema.

I appreciate your post but I should point out that the only way you have solved your problem was to set up a direct debit, I think you have missed the real issue I have with VM.

Perhaps I have not made this clear enough and I know that I am a moaning old sod but bear with me. The issue is as follows.......

I left BT well over 10 years ago when cable came to my area (Then called Comcast). Comcast changed to NTL and NTL became Virgin Media. Over this long time period as I have added other services my contract will have changed.

I have stayed with all of these companies so I regard myself as a Loyal customer, Also I have never paid any of them by DD.

If I remember correctly, it was NTL who introduced a charge because I would not pay by DD, Their charge was £1.00 per month and considered that to be fair.

Under VM this has risen to £5.00 per month and I consider that to be unfair when BT can charge a much lower rate for the same issue.

Why is it that VM can only do something about this when you threaten to leave them?. What ever became of customer loyalty?.

It is my Bank account and I alone decide who I will allow Carte Blanche access to it.

The thing that concerns me is the fact that even offering VM valid options like paying in advance they still plough on with this blinkered attitude of Pay by DD only.

I am the Customer and as I have said before I accept that it costs VM more to process my Non DD payment, I do not accept that it costs £5 per month though when BT charge £4.50 per quarter.

Some of you will no doubt say Why don’t you go back to BT. I just might do that but I am quite certain that when I call VM to cancel that is the time their “Special Offers” to retain me as their so called “brilliant customer” will kick in.

I will turn their offers down as by that point they will have lost me for good. A business should address customer issues before they ring to cancel.

trouble_causer

Hi All,

I have just spoken to Virgin Media (Jan 4 2010) and it seems that if you sign up to their "e billing" they will Remove the £1.25 charge AND Remove the £5.00 per month Payment Handling Charge even if you pay your bill online via Credit Card.

Virgin Media don't appear to be advertising this fact as their Terms & Conditions make no mention of it.

A bit of a result?. I think so as it suits me.