Virgin Mobile - Credit towards a new mobile phone cancelled

noelphobic

This just gets more and more bizarre! I posted a letter to Virgin last Thursday, to which I have yet to have a reply. However, on Friday evening I went into my account and found my 40 quid credit had been restored. I don't know whether that was coincidence or if someone had read my letter that day and restored it. However, foolishly, I did not order a new handset immediately. I had gone off the handset I was originally after (Nokia X2) and thought I would wait for a while in case a phone I faniced more came up. BIG MISTAKE! I just went back into my account and found that the credit had been removed again.

I should have just bought any phone for around 40 quid and sold it on Ebay!

My bill problems are still not resolved either. My direct debit came out today for 8.50 when it should have been 6.50 minus my 15% student discount. For some reason my account was 1.73 in credit but is now 1.43 in credit.

I will wait a bit longer to see if I get a reply to my letter. Otherwise I will try that email address.

If anyone else finds their credit restored I would advise them to order a handset immediately before it vanishes again!

noelphobic

Still no reply to my letter from Virgin. However, when I came out of work today the car was a tad iced up. While I was waiting for it to warm up I decided to dial 789 to check how many minutes I had left. I got the usual recorded message but it said that I had over 1000 texts left, which is fine as I get unlimited (3000) so it always says that. However, it then said that I had something like 390 voice minutes and 750mb internet left. That was very strange as my package only includes 100 minutes and I knew I had already used over 30, and I don't get any internet usage included.

I thought that maybe they had read my letter and given me some free airtime/internet access to placate me. When I got home and logged on to my online account I was back to having 65 minutes left and no internet. I phoned 789 again and that was also 65 minutes, no internet.

Why on earth did it tell me earlier that I had over 300 minutes and 750mb internet? I did check in case my £40 upgrade had reappeared but it hasn't unfortunately!

What delights will Virgin have to surprise me with tomorrow, I wonder?

Sherbet.Lemon_2

Noelphobic, In your case it makes me think you probably experienced an error of some kind.

I sent an email to the CEO (thanks to Colin), briefly explaining the situation exactly as I understood it. I asked for the credit to be returned to the account or an explanation to be given "before I take advice from my solicitor". Within an hour, I'd received a call from the secretary of the CEO (Neil Berkett) informing me that she'd do what she could to put the money back on the account and that if this wasn't possible, I could forward to her an invoice for a purchased phone and she would ensure a cheque was sent for the correct amount to my postal address.

noelphobic

Sherbet.Lemon wrote: »

Noelphobic, In your case it makes me think you probably experienced an error of some kind.

I sent an email to the CEO (thanks to Colin), briefly explaining the situation exactly as I understood it. I asked for the credit to be returned to the account or an explanation to be given before take advice from my solicitor. Within an hour, I'd received a call from the secretary of the CEO (Neil Berkett) informing me that she'd do what she could to put the money back on the account and that if this wasn't possible, I could forward to her an invoice for a purchased phone and she would ensure a cheque was sent for the correct amount to my postal address.

did the money go back on your account?

I still haven't had a reply to the letter i sent to them on 9th December so I emailed them today to ask for my PAC - watch this space!

Sherbet.Lemon_2

noelphobic wrote: »

did the money go back on your account?

It will be reimbursed as a cheque, but I expect it to come through after the new year, so it will be a while before I know that it has been sorted completely.

noelphobic

Sherbet.Lemon wrote: »

It will be reimbursed as a cheque, but I expect it to come through after the new year, so it will be a while before I know that it has been sorted completely.

where did you buy your new phone from? Don't you normally have to buy a minimum of ten pound top-up also? That would be wasted on me as I have a SIM only deal.

Sherbet.Lemon_2

I got it straight from the pay as you go section. £60 plus £5 delivery charge. As far as I can see, I'm not required to buy any top-up.

NuJon_2

This is rather disturbing as I have been planning on getting myself on Virgin mobile for some time now. They are usually so helpful (I have internet, phone and TV with them) but this puts me on the back foot a little. Will be interested to see how this story pans out.

Sherbet.Lemon_2

Sherbet.Lemon wrote: »

I got it straight from the pay as you go section. £60 plus £5 delivery charge. As far as I can see, I'm not required to buy any top-up.

I had assumed the £10 top-up was a sort of freebie, but I see see that it was actually a £50 phone with £10 of credit included in its price.

noelphobic

Sherbet.Lemon wrote: »

I had assumed the £10 top-up was a sort of freebie, but I see see that it was actually a £50 phone with £10 of credit included in its price.

Did they specify that you had to buy directly from Virgin? Or would they have given you your 40 quid back if you had bought from elsewhere? It's just that I know they don't have much choice on their own website and there would be a larger choice at somewhere like Carphone Warehouse for instance.