Virgin Media have completely ripped me off! Please help.

emd1987

Hi everyone this is a long read so please bare with me.


I asked Virgin Media to put a call divert on my phone over the Christmas holidays whilst I spent two weeks with my family. I had a phone conversation with a lady at VM in regards to the charges and asked her a number of times "Are you sure that is all it costs, just £2 (I think £2 anyway) and it won't cost me anything else?" she assured me that is all it would cost. This can obviously all be proven as VM record their phone calls.

Anyway, so today I recieve a letter informing me that I am approaching my £120!!! limit. I am obviously confused as to why so I phone VM.

Call 1 at around 5pm:
Firstly I'm put through to an overseas call centre, all this lady tries to do is take £48 odd off me in order to "restore my services" now up until this point I wasn't even aware my services had been cut off but apparently so. I ask to speak to her manager as I have been sold a product under false pretences as far as I am concerned as I was never informed that I would be in addition to the person calling, charged for each and every call that is diverted. She asks her manager something and her manager tells her to refer me to Customer Services. During this call I am also informed my current balance is £136.00 even though there is a limit of £120 on the account. I ask the lady to tell me how much any of my bills have previously been over the two years I am with them and she tells me £45, so clearly I am not a high spender on my VM account.

Call 2 at around 5:15:
Now I'm talking to a lady in a UK call centre. I tell her what has happened how I was missold a product and never informed that I would be charged etc. and she tells me that I need to pay some money in order to have my services restored. I tell her I want a limit of £50 put onto my account and I want the call divert taken off. She tells me this has been done and I pay the £48 begrudingly as as far as I'm concerned I shouldn't be paying any amount as I was never informed I would be charged for these calls. It is now around 5:30, I ask to speak to a manager, she tells me that one will ring me back in an hour, I ask if she's sure and low and behold nobody calls me.

During this call I was told if I make one phone call/ add to my balance after paying this money my services will be cut off again. Now bare in mind I'm being charged for any call I recieve that is diverted to my mobile at this point. Somebody calls my home phone and it is diverted to my mobile, so clearly the call divert hasn't been taken off as requested. Still no call from the manager.

Call 3 around 7:00:
I ring again in order to ask why on earth the call divert is still on my phone and why no manager has called me back. I get through to an overseas call centre and ask to be transferred to Customer Services as she was unable to help me at the billing department. I'm now at the UK call centre again and there is a lady on the phone informing me a manager was never instructed to ring me and worse the call divert wasn't taken off!!! She assures me that of course a manager will ring me within an hour and that she will personally take the call divert off herself in the morning.

It is now 00:29 I have had no call from anybody at VM and I am unsure what my rights are and what I have to do.

Please help and thank you in advance.

worbikeman

I'm with VM. Whenever I have a problem with them I press the buttons which get you thru to the "if you are thinking of leaving us" department. They are somewhat more sympathetic. Also, in your case I think you have enough reason to be justified in genuinely leaving them. Tell them you will be cancelling your DD as soon as you put the phone down. If they cant sort this out I would leave them neway personally!

emd1987

I didn't know you could just leave like that though. Wouldn't that come up on my credit report as a defaulted account if I don't pay them? I'm only 6 months into a 12 month contract.

Thanks for your reply.

worbikeman

In that case say you will be cancelling at the earliest opportunity. It shouldnt come to that, in my experience they hate to lose customers to rivals.

dmg24

Is it not common sense that if you divert a landline to a mobile you will be charged to call a mobile? Otherwise everyone would do this as a cheap way of calling mobiles!

vuvuzela

dmg24 wrote: »

Is it not common sense that if you divert a landline to a mobile you will be charged to call a mobile? Otherwise everyone would do this as a cheap way of calling mobiles!

"Common sense" seems to be less common nowadays

vuvuzela

emd1987 wrote: »

I didn't know you could just leave like that though. Wouldn't that come up on my credit report as a defaulted account if I don't pay them? I'm only 6 months into a 12 month contract.

Thanks for your reply.

You are correct. Threatening to leave when you are in a contract is meaningless and you will ruin your credit record if you cancel the DD and not pay. They will definitely send the account to debt collectors.

emd1987

I'm asking for help not abuse thanks.

aheaton46

If their call centres are so poor, you may be better off writing.
Have you asked them to review the recording of the original sales call, to see what was agreed?

emd1987

Yes I did and got no response apart from "All we can do is apologise" like that makes any difference to me being £120 out of pocket.

I still haven't had a call back so I'm going to ring back now.

flea72

the person at VM was correct, it is £2 per month, to have the call divert facility

however, you then pay the price per minute rate, for all calls that are diverted to your mobile

think VM currently charge about 20p/min for calls to mobiles

you must have spent over 10hrs on the phone to rack up a bill like that

F