Is this enough to remove defaults - Virgin Media

sartois

Hi,

The toerags at Virgin Media pretty much ruined my credit rating due to claiming I owe them money for a service they failed to provide me. They have recorded a Default and 10 late payments on my credit file. The charge was for an early disconnection fee, and I have email confirmation that I would not be charged for this at the time (over a year ago). However, they did charge me this fee (without my knowledge as all correspondence went to an old address) and recorded late payments against my credit rating every time I didn't pay a debt I had no idea about.

So I wrote to them and they responded saying that if I pay the £88 early disconnection fee they will remove the defaults from my file. I clarified several times with them (on the phone) that every late payment will be removed and asked them to back it up in writing. Although I don't feel they deserve the £88 as they wasted so much of my time and money when I moved house back at that time (and they confirmed I would not have to pay it), but it's such a small amount (in comparison to how much delaying buying a house could potentially be) and seems like the quickest resolution to getting my credit file in a good state.

The thing is, what they have sent me in writing does not appear to be what they said on the phone regarding my request to remove any 'late payments' recorded:

"After our conversation, I confirm the debt of £88.12 once you pay it then your credit file will be amended in 14 days if you buying a property or it will take 30 days for he default to be changed to settle.
When you want to make the payment, please call me on the number below and I will go ahead and start the process."

I don't trust these idiots at all. Am I right in thinking that if I pay them the £88 then the credit report will show as it's settled, but I will still have 10 late payments recorded? This does not sound like what we agreed on the phone. Should I go back to them and demand clearer wording in writing about the late payments?

Thanks in advance

fermi

You need very clear confirmation in writing.

What you have there is not good enough. On that wording, they could just mark the default as settled, leaving the default and late payments and you would have no comeback.

sartois

Thank you - that is what I thought. I am not sure if the people who work at Virgin are just incompetent or if they are tricksters. I knew it sounded too good to be true when I was speaking to them earlier. Either way they cannot be trusted. That much I do know. This is what I replied with:

Hi,

Thanks for your message, but this is not what we agreed on the phone. I want to make it 100% clear that the only reason I am agreeing to pay this money is to correct my credit rating. I was promised by Name Removed (Virgin Media Manager) that I would not have an early disconnection fee applied to my account. I do not believe I owe you this money.

Following is an email received from Name Removed dated 8 Oct 2012:

"Dear Sartois,
Further to our conversation this morning, I can confirm that no early disconnection fees have been added to the above account.
Yours Sincerely
(Name Removed)"

From what I understand from our phone conversation is that the £88.12 is an early disconnection fee that I was promised I would not have to pay by (Name Removed)

Simply having this debt "settled" is not good enough. I need every single Late Payment recorded by Virgin Media removed from my Credit Report as well as the Default removed.

Please confirm you agree with the above. If you really want the £88.12 that you previously told me that you were waiving due to the incompetence of Virgin Media I really don't care, but what I do want is the quickest possible resolution to fix the damage you have done to my Credit score.

Please send me (in writing) confirmation that you will remove every late payment recorded on my credit file as well as any trace of a Default.

Mokka

If you have confirmation in writing that they've waived the early disconnection fee then why do you want to pay?
Trying to be 'nice' to companies exhibiting this level of incompetence and ill will will not earn you their gratitude or make them behave fairly towards you.
Send the original email to the VM address on your credit file and demand to have the default and late payments removed.
It is indeed interesting that VM seems to 'accidentally-on purpose' mix up customers' addresses, cause them credit ratings problems and extort money they are not entitled to this way.

VM- how about changing your practices and starting to run an honest business?

chanz4

Virgin Media
CISAS
Chief Executive Office
PO Box 238
Wythenshawe, Manchester
M22 0WJ
T 0800 052 1569 Ext. 837

[EMAIL="Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk"]Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk[/EMAIL])

Cisas is only language they understand

sartois

Mokka wrote: »

If you have confirmation in writing that they've waived the early disconnection fee then why do you want to pay?
Trying to be 'nice' to companies exhibiting this level of incompetence and ill will will not earn you their gratitude or make them behave fairly towards you.
Send the original email to the VM address on your credit file and demand to have the default and late payments removed.
It is indeed interesting that VM seems to 'accidentally-on purpose' mix up customers' addresses, cause them credit ratings problems and extort money they are not entitled to this way.

VM- how about changing your practices and starting to run an honest business?

Thanks - I completely agree. It's not so much a case of me being nice to them, it's more of a case of just trying to clean up the damage the fastest way possible so that I can apply for a mortgage.

As wrong as it is to do, £88 is a small price to pay in comparison to losing out on a good mortgage deal, or not getting a mortgage at all. The way house prices rise in London at an alarming rate at the moment so this could potentially cost thousands. Especially as I now have the 20% deposit needed, and no outstanding debt at all.

However, the level of incompetence at Virgin Media is quite scary. I have a feeling that even if I paid them the £88 I will still be left with a bad credit rating, with no incentive at all for them to correct it. My financial advisor suggests legal action against them, but I don't know how that would help speed things up!

I guess I will go the route of the underwriters on the credit file, I feel foolish to believe that they will repair the damage they have done even if I pay. The idiot that was dealing with my complaint has told me they won't correspond with me at all, which I suspect is either more incompetence or a lie.

sartois

chanz4 wrote: »

Virgin Media
CISAS
Chief Executive Office
PO Box 238
Wythenshawe, Manchester
M22 0WJ
T 0800 052 1569 Ext. 837

[EMAIL="Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk"]Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk[/EMAIL])

Cisas is only language they understand

Thank you chanz4! This sounds like it has potential... I have never heard of CISAS before and thought the FOS was my only course of action. I also will send an email to that executive team address... they can't all be incompetent at Virgin Media... can they??!

sartois

chanz4 wrote: »

Virgin Media
CISAS
Chief Executive Office
PO Box 238
Wythenshawe, Manchester
M22 0WJ
T 0800 052 1569 Ext. 837

[EMAIL="Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk"]Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk[/EMAIL])

Cisas is only language they understand

This

So it seems that Virgin Media do employ a few sensible people, but hide them away in the executive office. The idiots on their complaints team who I initially dealt with are a complete waste of space. They are not only incompetent but also rude.

However, an email to the [EMAIL="Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk"]Executiveteam@virginmedia.co.uk[/EMAIL] resulted in a sensible adult conversation (on the same day the email was sent), and after they looked at the facts (they actually made the effort to read the notes on my file with them) are crediting my account with the incorrectly applied disconnection fee which will remove the defaults. The person I spoke to even used to work for one of the credit file companies so understands how the system works.

That said, I will never do business with Virgin again, and will continue to actively discourage people from using them, but at least they will not impact my life any further.

2 Morals to this story:
1. Start your complaint with the people at the top, not at the bottom.
2. Never, ever use Virgin. For anything. Ever.