12 month contract with Virgin - help!

kcred2

Hi I've not posted to this before and I hope someone can help me!

I have moved house and transferred my Virgin account from my old to my new address, just over 2 months ago.

I have phone line, internet and a V box with Virgin, which were all installed last week (remotely no engineer).

They charged me £39 to switch the phone on, which nobody told me about and i didn't see it in any literature, surely the Virgin rep should have made reference to this before I went ahead?

Also, I have no tv signal at all where we live, which I believe they knew before I transferred the service, and now I've just been told that I am in a 12 month contract.

My question is, as I have a poor internet signal (works fast when online but dumps you off every half an hour or so and sometimes won't connect), and no TV at all, can they actually hold me in to this 12 month contract?

I have been told that the contract term was in the welcome pack, but I'm looking at this and I can't see anything. Again, surely I should have been told?

How can I judge if 12 months is ok BEFORE receiving the service, if I only know that it doesn't work AFTER I'm in the contract? :huh:

Can i get out of the contract without costing myself a fortune?

Thanks,
K

jb66

What did the engineer say when you informed virgin of the fault?

macman

Firstly, transferring your VM account will result in you starting a new 12m contract (indeed, any modification to your VM account does that).
I don't understand why you say you have no 'TV signal where we live'. Your VM TV service comes via fibre optic cable, so if there is a working VM cable service, you should get your TV.
If you are also having problems with your internet, this indicates either a problem with the cable connection or with your cable modem, router or PC.
You say that this was a remote install,so who connected your cable modem-was this already at the property?
Why do you want to get out of the contract when you haven't even (apparently) logged a fault with VM and given them the chance to correct the fault?
How long did you think the contract was? Sounds like you have decided you don't want the service after all.

kcred2

My other half spoke to the engineer so I don't know verbatim but essentially they said there's nothing they can do and that they can't provide us with tv. I won't pretend to be technical and discuss the ins and outs of it, sorry! I assume that because no engineer needed to visit (although we only found this out after taking the afternoon off work 1-6 after 2 messages and a letter to say the engineer would be calling on that day) the cable modem was already at our house (we rent).

I didn't know about the 12m contract, and having just read the T&C which came in my welcome pack, it makes no reference to a 12m contract anyway. I guess that I have decided that I don't want the service, because it's unfortunately not the service that I thought it was going to be.

I get the feeling that you think I've been naive or something?

macman

If they can't provide you with a TV service at aproperty wit a cable in place then they need to tell you why, so I suggest you speak to them yourself.
If that is the case, (though it makes no sense if the modem was already there and installed), and through no fault of yours or your equipment, then the contract is null and void and you should be able to cancel it, as they can't provide the service for which they are charging.
But how VM can say that without an engineer first attending is a mystery. There could just be a fault with the old cable modem, so you need to speak to them explain the circumstances and ask for an engineer to come out.
You can't get out of the contract just because you no longer want the service-you have to give them the chance to fix it.