Virgin on the Ridiculous

Ann1e

Not sure this is the correct place for this moan; however, I have just telephoned Virgin in an attempt to clarify their "unlimited texts" statement on monthly contracts. It would appear that in Virgin-speak, "unlimited texts" actually means 3,000 texts and there is no way that it can be increased or changed! Even on a higher tariff "unlimited" still equals 3,000.

This is my 16 year old daughter's current balance/tariff:

YOUR BALANCE
Here's how much you've spent: 2.70
Your credit limit: 100.00

You have allowances:
WHAT YOU'VE GOT LEFT
Voice minutes 30 Minutes
Text messages 409 Texts

YOUR TARIFF
Your current tariff: Virgin £15.32

200 mins
Unlimited texts

Your refresh date: 28/05/2011

She informs me that there is no way that 409 texts will last her for another 12 days! This means that by the time her account is 'refreshed' instead of £15.00 there is every possibility that her bill is going to be nearer £50.00 or more. :eek: It is so easily done: and at her age, they text the person standing next to them! She even texts AND phones me from her bedroom, when I'm right next door!!

My gripe is - how do Virgin get away with selling a tariff claiming "unlimited texts" when it states in their (very) small print that "unlimited" actually means 3,000?! Isn't this blatant misrepresentation? Is there some legal loophole here?

What made it worse was the condescending attitude of the woman I spoke to, after hanging on the line for over 15 minutes, without the promised music that I can change by pressing the number keys - it seems 1, 2, 3 etc just equal silence! She actually laughed and started telling me how we could check how many texts etc we have left - doh, I know how to check it, I want to increase it! I actually ended up hanging up in huff! Not like me at all!!

Would really appreciate some help here as am very seriously hacked off at this rip off! Richard Branson, I am deeply disappointed in you, thought you were a man of the people!:(:(

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

JJ_Egan

Unlimited means limited in mobile speak for most networks .

jje

SaLoGo

Unfortunately there is no way to increase your text allowance with Virgin Mobile. If it's a SIM only package then perhaps consider moving to a different network that has a higher allowance. I believe O2's is 12,000?
If you're in a full contract then there's not a great deal you can do other than advise your daughter to budget her allowance by limiting herself to around 100 texts a day.

jenniewb

Most kids I know or knew through my sister had two or even three sim cards, they would have different numbers but it would allow them to use as many minutes, texts or whatever to fly around, it used to be the done thing to be seen swapping around your sim to your handset all the time...and no, I could never understand the texting someone 3 feet away from you thing either, but then when I was 15 my father could never understand the 'basic need' to call the friends on the landline after I had just left them at school/was seeing the next day and chat for an hour or so...it all makes perfect sense when your that age! Having said that I did learn that I had to be responsible for my own spending and was given a limit I had to learn to live with, hard but part of learning money skills.

Maybe see if she wants to get other sims? Virgin phones (the last time I checked) were unlocked, not sure if they automaticly lock if you put a different sim in (mine used to) so worth checking this out first of just sticking with Virgin but using two/three sims.

John_3:16

There has been a cap on most networks for a while now. There is no way round this with virgin and it would have been in your contract when you took it out.

My son has the same but finds it hard to go over the 3000 limit.

You need not have a bill of £50 a month if you act now. Ring virgin and take the credit limit down to a smaller level. Tell her thats what you have done and when its gone its gone.

Or as mentioned get another sim for when she has gone over. Texting you from her bedroom is a little excesive.

Guys_Dad

I share your frustration at the mis-use of "unlimited" within the mobile world. It applied to data and it seems to texts as well.

You have been advised on how to get your daughter more texts in a cheaper way than Virgin. However, I do wonder if that is the correct approach.

I ask, simply and honestly, if you should be encouraging your daughter to continue texting to the person sitting next to them, actually spending so much time with what must be inane pointless texting at over 100 per day? You could, instead, use the opportunity to bring it home to her that excess costs money and she might learn financial responsibility as a result.

But that's your choice, not mine.

Ann1e

Guys_Dad wrote: »

I share your frustration at the mis-use of "unlimited" within the mobile world. It applied to data and it seems to texts as well.

You have been advised on how to get your daughter more texts in a cheaper way than Virgin. However, I do wonder if that is the correct approach.

I ask, simply and honestly, if you should be encouraging your daughter to continue texting to the person sitting next to them, actually spending so much time with what must be inane pointless texting at over 100 per day? You could, instead, use the opportunity to bring it home to her that excess costs money and she might learn financial responsibility as a result.

But that's your choice, not mine.

Yes I should! But unfortunately I find it extremely hard to win any argument with her at all! Her answer to everything is, "I'll give you the money"! I fully agree that at her age she should realize the value of money but despite have just finished a one year Law GCSE course plus, of course, all her other courses/lessons, she still doesn't seem to see my point. I just can't explain that money wasted is money wasted, whoever ends up spending it!

I find it much easier to have conversations with the kids at school - some of whom are her friends - they talk to me, tell me things that they wouldn't say or talk about with their own Mums; yet my own daughter won't even tell me whether or not she is still in a 'relationship' despite visiting the 'ex' last week. I find out more about my own daughter from her friends!

She's bright, pretty, clever, tall and slim, but I'm afraid rather molly-coddled - only child, had late in life, my own fault entirely: but I'm still really annoyed with Virgin and their use of 'unlimited'!

grumbler

Not that it helps in any way, but just another thread about 'unlimited': O2 Breaking contract agreement for Unlimited data pre June 2010

BTW, I am not with giffgaff, but they offer 'unlimited' texts for £10 and in their FUP they say: "Unlimited - At giffgaff 'unlimited' means 'unlimited', so play fair and play nice, so it stays that way."

http://support.giffgaff.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/240/kw/fair/session/L3NpZC9ENFVBKmF1aw%3D%3D

pimento

Ann1e wrote: »

She informs me that there is no way that 409 texts will last her for another 12 days! This means that by the time her account is 'refreshed' instead of £15.00 there is every possibility that her bill is going to be nearer £50.00 or more.

She'd better start saving or sit on her hands then!

She could switch to a BlackBerry and use BB Messenger. They're free.

Guys_Dad

Ann1e wrote: »

Yes I should! But unfortunately I find it extremely hard to win any argument with her at all! Her answer to everything is, "I'll give you the money"! I fully agree that at her age she should realize the value of money but despite have just finished a one year Law GCSE course plus, of course, all her other courses/lessons, she still doesn't seem to see my point. I just can't explain that money wasted is money wasted, whoever ends up spending it!

I find it much easier to have conversations with the kids at school - some of whom are her friends - they talk to me, tell me things that they wouldn't say or talk about with their own Mums; yet my own daughter won't even tell me whether or not she is still in a 'relationship' despite visiting the 'ex' last week. I find out more about my own daughter from her friends!

She's bright, pretty, clever, tall and slim, but I'm afraid rather molly-coddled - only child, had late in life, my own fault entirely: but I'm still really annoyed with Virgin and their use of 'unlimited'!

What an honest answer and I applaud you for it. :beer: Struck a chord with me - I had to join Facebook to see what my lads were up to!

Ann1e

Guys_Dad wrote: »

What an honest answer and I applaud you for it. :beer: Struck a chord with me - I had to join Facebook to see what my lads were up to!

My daughter has defriended me on Fb - luckily as I teach her year group at school, they tell me stuff that I don't know!! Nothing bad - funny thing happened the other day, talking to OH on phone, but didn't get to phone before a/phone kicked in, saying how daughter had visited ex boyf and that I didn't know what's going on I suddenly got, "Because it's nothing to do with you", in my ear. She'd heard the conversation and picked up the phone to join in! Luckily we all laughed it off. But that's where all the texts are going, or a lot of them, to the ex (or is he??).

Oh to be 16 again, in some respects, and have the stuff and opportunities they have today! Jeez, I sound old!! It is really helpful to work with these kids tho', they keep me young (well, young thinking) and 'in the loop'.