Virgin Huge (and wrong) Bill

cpashto70

Hi folks
I'd be really grateful I'd someone could help me out with this. I'd had problems with Sky in the past and thought it was all over when I joined Virgin 2 years ago.

I've been on the Broadband, landline and telephone (evening and weekend calls) package for most of the past 12 months. I'd noticed our bills (paper) were gradually rising, from the £40 or so pounds per month, up to over £75 last month. I queried this and they told me it was for out of hours calls. I didn't agree with the amount but nevertheless accepted it...I really didn't need the hassle of complianing and so on.

However, yesterday I received an e-mail bill from Virgin. It said:

"your Virgin bill..blah..blah..will be deducted from your account on such and such a day...Don't worry there's nothing I need to do. Just make sure the total of £306.27 is available [or something like that]".

£306.27!!!! Surely, I thought, this is a typing error, and it was meant to say £36.27?

Today, I called Virgin CS to query the mistake, and they told me there was no mistake and the bill was for this months package charge plus telephone calls eminating from August of 2010. I said that this is wrong, and the calls are inclusive. And, any out of hours call charges are placed in the monthly bill anyway: hence the package deals.

The woman says, this is the case yes, but we are allowed to withhold bills for six months and put them into one bill.

Is anyone else thinking I'm being duped here, or is it just me? I was assured that the package included calls evening and weekend, and other calls e.g. 0845 numbers and mobiles are included in the monthly bill too. Hence, the reason for bills getting larger every month. I get online billing and as it's a package deal, I don't receive an itemised bill. I'm absolutely disgusted and feel exploited, hoodwinked, and calously ripped off. I'm a very light user of the phone in any case and make sure to only use the phone at weekends and the evening. I've probably made two or three calls to a mobile in the last 12 months. Surely this can't be right?

The woman at Virgin was keen to underline/highlight the fact that they ARE ALLOWED to do this.

I'm not so sure. There's no way I can meet the bill and so will be definately cut off in a few days and then I'll have no way to sort this out. Even if I was owing this money, I can't see how they'd basically leave it six months before informing me. I was assured by the sales guy that I'd be better off upgrading to this package, and for an extra fiver a month would work out cheaper over the course of time.

PLEASE HELP ME. This has got to be stealing AND Miss-selling of a package service isn't it?

I'm so angry and frustrated. I need the phone so much, because my daghter is very ill with anorexia nervosa and liver damage, and resides 6/7 days a week at hospital. I'll be totally lost without the phone, if something happens.

Thanks in advance of any replies.

Craig

Buzby

Yes, they are allowed to do this, but there has to be a VERY good reason. And incompetence isn't a 'good reason'. If they have billing issues, then they have to ensure their accuracy and frequency of billing is appropriate (and has to be certified as fit for purpose by OFCOM anyway). If there are/were technical issues affecting your billing, they needed to advise of this, NOT keep quiet for 6 months then bill you in one hit. Even then, assuming you do not dispute the actual calls - ie you made them - then there should be a way for you to pay off the lump sum in stages, not get hitr with a single bill.

You need to write to complain, state that you acknowledge that you made the calls as billed, but their delay in so doing has resulted in an amount you were unaware of and could not have forseen. You want them to provide a staged payment process to cover the underbilling (say, over 6 months), and you require confirmation that their reporting of your credit file finances will not reflect any delayed or late payments due to their error. If they fail to agree, then you wish to formally advise them that your account is disputed, and will raise the matter directly with OFCOM.

See what they saay to that!

Mrs_Arcanum

Try posting your problem on Cable Forum someone there may be best able to advise. They have contacts within VM and some VM staff post on this independently run site.

flashg67

From your post, you also appear to be disputing that you even made the calls? If you're billed online, your account section should hold recent bills - have you checked them and had a look at the call charges that have already been applied? Have you checked the call charges that are on the 'new' £306 bill? It does seem very high - is there someone else in the house who has access to the phone? IMHO, you really need to look at the numbers they say you've been calling and dispute the calls if necessary.

It's easy to say, but NOT paying isn't the best option - do your best to pay it, or call and work out a payment plan if you can. Not paying may lead to further interest/debt collectors charges going on top?

macman

What VM package are you on that has inclusive calls to mobiles?
Edit: Virgin Talk Evenings & Weekends only includes non-premium rate landline calls, and calls to VM mobiles only during the inclusive hours (not to other mobile networks at any time). It also does not include 0845 numbers. The exclusions are clearly show on the relevant VM website page:
http://shop.virginmedia.com/phone/talk-unlimited.html
Sounds like you have either been mis-sold or have failed to understand what is actually included.
VM telephony is about the most expensive you can buy: remember that every chargeable call also attracts a connection charge of 12.24p on top.