Virgin Media trying to charge me the Earth!

rubberducky1

I recently transferred my phone, tv and broadband from Sky to Virgin so I could improve my broadband via fibre optic and get a better deal. At the time, we were looking at moving house but all the areas we were looking at were covered by Virgin fibre optic so thought nothing of it.

We are now about to move and I have just found out Virgin can't provide fibre optic at the new address so we have had to take normal broadband and phone. To do this, Virgin say I have to sign up for a new 18 month contract and pay about £60 in activation fees. They are now saying that they can't provide TV at the new address but that if I want to cancel that service with them, I will have to pay the disconnection fee, despite the fact that they can't provide it for me?!

I've complained via their e-mail system as their call centre is foreign and I could get more sense out of a stone - they can't even get my name tight and they've had three attempts! The e-mailed response was effectively 'like it or lump it' and they won't budge.

I've heard Virgin aren't that hard to get to waive fees - how do I go about it effectively??

visidigi

So you took out a new 18 month contract at the time when you were looking to move house?

You've complained about what exactly? The fact you can't get out of a contract you signed?

You might get some good will, but its not Virgin's fault you're moving to an unserved area - that is your specific choice.

They will be entitled to early termination fees of your contract and they could be considerable as your discounts on registration when you first signed up are based on the average revenue from your contract over the term.

You're breaking your contract at your address, it doesn't matter if they can or cannot provide the services where you are moving to.

Sorry...but they're not wrong and you will have to pay.

rubberducky1

If that's the case, shouldn't they warn you that if you move house and they can't provide the services, you're still liable for the remaining term of the contract?
And are you suggesting that by not purposely buying a house that Virgin could supply to, it's my own fault??

My complaint was that I was intending to remain with them, National or Fibre Optic but that, just to stay with them, I have to sign a NEW 18 month contract (I have no choice in that) and that I have to pay £60 in activation fees. I wouldn't have had to pay that if I was a new customer at the new address would I. The new address currently has Sky and a BT line so Virgin only need to transfer over as the provider on the BT Line so what is costing them £60?

Regarding the TV, the advisor on the phone didn't explain that I could no lionger have Virgin, she said they would pass my onto one of their 'partners'. When the call was transferred to Simplify Digital, they told me they were too busy to talk to me and would call me back. Which they never did. So I don't even know where I stand with the TV.

It may not be Virgin's fault that I am moving to an unserved address but it's not mine either is it? Their website says they serve to a house literally across the road so I wrongly assumed that if they could serve the, they could serve me.

visidigi

rubberducky1 wrote: »

If that's the case, shouldn't they warn you that if you move house and they can't provide the services, you're still liable for the remaining term of the contract?

They do, its in the contract you agree to.

rubberducky1 wrote: »

And are you suggesting that by not purposely buying a house that Virgin could supply to, it's my own fault??

I'm not suggesting its your own fault, it is your own fault - even if you don't like that fact. These are the sorts of issues that house movers have to deal with all the time - different suppliers in different areas, different suppliers in the same areas. Fact of life.

rubberducky1 wrote: »

My complaint was that I was intending to remain with them, National or Fibre Optic but that, just to stay with them, I have to sign a NEW 18 month contract (I have no choice in that) and that I have to pay £60 in activation fees.

Correct - you would need a new contract as its a different address and dealing with a separate product offering - ADSL Outsourced instead of directly owned fiber, same reason for the activation.

rubberducky1 wrote: »

Regarding the TV, the advisor on the phone didn't explain that I could no lionger have Virgin, she said they would pass my onto one of their 'partners'. When the call was transferred to Simplify Digital, they told me they were too busy to talk to me and would call me back. Which they never did. So I don't even know where I stand with the TV.

Thats down to the partner, if they were unable to take your call and you are interested you will need to redial - if you dont want their service, then that is a break of contract.

rubberducky1 wrote: »

It may not be Virgin's fault that I am moving to an unserved address but it's not mine either is it?

Err yes it is your fault, you chose to move there. Again, you won't like that point, but it is factually correct. Remember, this is about your current contract at your current address, because it cannot be transferred it will need to be ended, and as per the terms and conditions of contract early termination fees are required to be paid.

Liked I said before, a common factor in moving house and not unique to Virgin, its a standard practice.

rubberducky1 wrote: »

Their website says they serve to a house literally across the road so I wrongly assumed that if they could serve the, they could serve me.

The website must have said they didn't serve you then? Did you phone them? Assumption is no good when dealing with any utilities provider, anywhere.

rubberducky1

As helpful as that all was, if only to get me riled enough to call them, the actual question I asked was how to go about getting them to waive the fees.

I have just spoken to a supervisor who actually agrees with me about the fees for moving and the disconnection fee, despite it not being in line with company policy and has waived all the fees for me without me even having to argue my case.

This is obviously an issue they have come up regularly so it can't just be me that was stupid enough to get into this situation and then be annoyed at the ridiculously high charges imposed on me for having the gall to buy a house without first checking it was served by Virgin.

Buzby

You also don't get 'fibre optic' - you get copper to the door, not fibre (co-axial, not a telephone cable pair). Co-ax is certainly a better medium than xDSL, but until you get fibre to the door from VM (You don't) this is just marketing, not a statement of fact.