No mention of Virgin installation costs

chrisf

I was a very happy Virgin Media customer. I was with them for four years, with broadband, phone and TV package. In March I informed them I was moving house and wanted to stay with Virgin at my new place. I went through the process on the phone and all seemed okay. Nothing was mentioned about installation costs. I moved, and found several letters to my new address which had been posted there 3 or 4 weeks before I had moved in. One mentioned installation costs totalling around £80. As I didn't get these letters until some time after signing up, I didn't know about installation costs.If I had been informed, i would have shopped around and cancelled my Virgin account. Today I got whacked with a direct debit of £140, which includes the installation costs. I called up and the guy in billing said I was the 20th person with this problem he'd heard from today! He also said the sales team do this all the time as they are on comission so leave out the nasty bits! He looked into my account and said I had been emailed about my new package, which included details of the extra costs. I asked what the email address was and it was a Virgin account that I've never heard of - I use hotmail as my point of contact with Virgin!
So, I now have paid this costs unwillingly via direct debit, but this is not on as I knew nothing of them when i signed up or in the 3 or 4 weeks afterwards as they sent the letters to the wrong address and an email i don't actually know about.

Have written to head office and am now holding my breath for a refund - I may turn very blue!

Anyone else had this problem?

Arrgggggggggggggh!

visidigi

did you move from and to a cabled area? or did you move from cable to national?

Usually you should have dealt with the moving team, not the direct sales team? Also The billing guy sounds like he was trying to pacify you with phantom statistics.

The problem here is that just because they didn't mention them doesn't mean they don't apply, it sounds like you organised the move well in advance of actually moving if the letters were there up to a month before, its unfortunately not up to Virgin to know when you specifically move in...

chrisf

I moved from cable area to a phone line area (where the broadband is terrible) - took about 2 mins to load this page tonight!

Yes, I organised it all well in advance, and told them the exact date I was moving in - so no excuse there, shurely?

It was the moving team, rather than sales. But they didn't mention any extra costs at all. I was shocked to find I had to pay them, I think it's underhand not to tell you when you call up - it's just not fair play and I wouldn't have signed up if I had known. I've been duped!
Anyway, hopefully my case will serve as a warning to others - don't trust anything anyone ever says. Everyone is out to get your money, no matter where you turn.

visidigi

there is no fee cable to cable usually, but cable to national is two separate things and charges usually apply.

Hopefully some agreement can be reached on the costs.

chrisf

Yep, I am sure they'll agree not to budge and I will agree to go to another provider...

corbyboy

chrisf wrote: »

Yep, I am sure they'll agree not to budge and I will agree to go to another provider...

I doubt it as you will inevitably have signed up for at least a one year contract.

chrisf

Well blow me down. Just had a call from Virgin. They are refunding all my installation costs and apologised. The power of the pen, eh?
Chuffed.
Thanks Virgin.