MAC codes who is right

tessal

Hi all, i hope you can help with this.
I recently changed broadband supplier. I was with Virgin for 2-3 years and approached them a couple of times asking for a better deal but they were not interested so i changed to Talk Talk. I signed up in December and they said they would do all of the work changing over and that the new service would go live on 16th Jan which is the date my payment goes out to Virgin so i suppose the end of the time i had paid Virgin. A few days after the 16th i saw Virgin had taken another months payment and so i contacted them and asked for the money to be refunded and they said they were entitled to the money as they had not been notified that i was moving. Anyway it was only £15 but as the staff at Virgin were so rude and unhelpful i thought that would be it and i would let them take the money. I stopped my direct debit so it couldnt happen again and then a month later got a letter from Virgin saying "your direct debit doesnt work, please pay us now"
I spoke to Virgin again who remained rude and unhelpful and denied that they had any knowledge of the service being cancelled (despite the fact i know i spoke to them a month earlier) and said if you dont pay up now we will set the bailiffs on you.
True to their word they have set the baliffs on me. I have spoken to Talk Talk who say this is nonsense and they could not set up my new phone and broadband service without a MAC which they had to obtain from Virgin so Virgin must give me the money back they owe me. I have phoned Virgin many times, they have a computerised system that makes you hang on and then the line goes dead, or if you get through you get someone rude who says pay up or else.
So after that long preable is this right, is it clearly true that Virgin were informed by Talk Talk as without this there would be no MAC and so no new broadband service. And if it is does anyone have any suggestions as to what to do next as talking to Virgin is an exercise in futility and is just making my phone bill very expensive.
Thanks
Tessa

isofa

If you have ADSL broadband from TT now and it was from Virgin, virgin must have release the MAC code to allow migration - you cannot have 2 separate ADSL services delivered on one line. Still Virgin should have been notified at the time.

Did you have a fixed length contract with Virgin that still needs to be paid off, if so you will have to pay it off, else you are in the clear.

Else, write a letter to their complaints department and keep a record of all transactions. It may be worth CCing the letter to Watchdog, or a similar magazine consumer page such as Computer Shopper and PC Pro to get them to follow it up on your behalf.

aliEnRIK

Usually virgin use their own optic cables (NOT the phone lines) which would mean virgin DONT have your MAC code
We need to know if it was ADSL or DSL and wether or not the phoneline was through virgin or through BT

duchy

Um...depends.
Was your Virgin BB cable broadband ? If so the MAC code thing doesn't apply as it only applies to ADSL. It would be completely possible to have both services running at the same time. I deliberately did that when switching from Virgin to Sky so I didn't have any gaps in service.
What TalkTalk told you is only true if they were taking over an ADSL line BB.

M4RKM

Virgin do offer an ADSL service though for people not in a cable area!!

tessal

It was via my phone line, i was with BT for the phone and virgin for the broadband. BT sent me a letter acknowledging the change in service and asking me to think about changing back to them, i didnt hear from Virgin but assumed they were told and as i say Talk Talk say they could not change me to their service without MAC code and from what you say they are right? In which case i really dont understand Virgins attitude or what they think they are achieving with this. So anyway what do you think is the best approach as phoning is pointless and at this point i am really fed up with their attitude and want them to give me my money back and appologise for their harrasement.

DCodd

Just a thought.

Most ISPs state that any contract MUST be terminated IN WRITING. I assume that you did not so could Virgin say that beacuse they have not received written confirmation from you, they can "technically" still charge you as the contract itself has not been terminated???

tessal

Nope i have just checked their terms and conditions and this is what it says
"

1. Transfer to another service provider: if you want to transfer your Broadband Service to another service provider, then you should contact us to request a Migration Authorisation Code ("MAC"). Your account will be Cancelled if:
2. you provide the MAC to your new service provider and they use the MAC to migrate your broadband service; or
3. you transfer your phone and broadband services to a new provider where your new provider uses another recognised transfer process.
4. Please note that if your new provider does not use a recognised transfer process to transfer your services, you will be charged a disconnection fee as set out in section H.6 below. Please contact us in advance to discuss your cancellation options and the charges that may apply on cancellation.
5. We will continue to provide the Service to you until your services have been transferred to your new service provider and you must pay all charges for the Service until the date on which your Service is transferred.
6. You acknowledge that cancellation of your Service shall only be valid if notified to Virgin Media as set out in section H.2 a. and b. above. Except for cancellations made under clause H.1 above, any and all cancellations shall be effective on the Effective Cancellation Date. The "Effective Cancellation Date" is the day on which your Service transfers to another provider or, if you are not transferring to another provider, the day on which your Service is terminated (usually 5 working days or so after Account Cancellation). You will be charged for the Service during this period. If you change your mind and want to retain your Service you may be able to reverse the cancellation without interruption to the Service. Please call our Customer Support team as soon as possible and we can tell you whether this is possible. "

codheadling

contact them by e-mail giving them all the details including the atrocious way that you have been spoen to by there staff and inform them that you now wish to "escalate the complaint"
escalating the complaint will mean it will be looked at by someone more senior who is actually allowed to make a decision on this matter rather than the frontline phone staff who have no authority to think for themselves

duchy

Get the MAC code from TalkTalk (assuming them have a record of it) and ask Virgin to confirm it was used (which it obviously was or you'd not have service)

I'd do it all in writing from this point so you have a paper trail.

TalkTalk

Hi Thessal,

Is the broadband service you have from TalkTalk at the moment an IP stream service (or was it when you initially transfered? If so then Virgin will have been informed by BT that the service was to transfer to TalkTalk once we submitted the MAC code to them.

Cheers
EmmaL x