Can't resolve complaint with Virgin - do I go to small claims?

Redcoat

This has been a very long ongoing saga with Virgin Media so I'm going to do my best to truncate and outline bare skeleton of issue.

- Called VM 28th April to change package - end phone and TV package and upgrade internet from 30MB to 100MB. Got quoted price I was happy with, gave one month notice to change.

- Email received quoting higher price. I call them, get messed around by various people but get told all ok and a letter will be sent confirming correct price.

- Letter received later in week also quotes higher price. I call them again. Again get messed around, passed between people. Someone eventually agrees original price but says can't send anything in writing to confirm. I'm unimpressed, he sends an email confirming price so at least I have something.

- Whilst on phone advise them my phone has stopped working around 2.5 weeks prior to the day it's meant to be cut off. I wonder if they've done it early by mistake as it is very coincidental. They can't tell why the phone is not working, put me through to technical who dump me back to customer services. I speak to various people. They say I have to have engineer round. I say that's daft as a) not sure if they've disconnected or if it's a fault and b) the phone is being disconnected in under 3 weeks so waste of time and money all round. I ask for refund for rest of month to settle matters. This is refused. Again, I try to reason with various people, eventually get a very rude supervisor on phone who is unhelpful and refuses to take a complaint from me (contrary to VM's policy).

- I try to contact various phone lines to log a complaint (more about the level of customer care than the actual pricing/phone line issues) and each time I am obstructed. Eventually I email the CEO's office. I get a response saying someone will be in touch. This is 2nd May. I don't get any other response from them until 15th May.

- In meantime I try to engage with VM on Twitter as CEO office not replying to my emails. They say they will look into it and ask me to fill in forms. Multiple times they fail to reply and when chased ask me fill in forms again or say they can't help when they said they could.

- I summarise my complaint online for all to see on Storify website and send the CEO office and twitter team the link.

- Eventually after chasing emails, lots of tweets and posting the Storify link someone calls me from CEO complaints office on 21st May. He says he will read all details of complaint on Storify link and call back same day. He doesn't. Eventually I get hold of him following day.

- Now in theory at this point after a phone call lasting a good 45 mins this all gets resolved. He agrees they have failed at every step - incorrect pricing quotes, being passed around lots of people for no reason, rude and incompetent treatment, no one apologetic or empathetic, social media team failures, his own failure in getting back to me, the fact that the phone line has not been working - the lot. We agree a good will gesture credit to my account of £100 plus £15.99 refund for the phone line not working most of a month (what I asked for in first place!) plus double checked my new charge would be what was originally quoted.

- I received £115.99 credit to my VM account. My new bill arrives. They have still overcharged me by £5.55.

- I email them asking them to get in touch about this and rectify three times - 1st, 9th and 18th June. No response.

Now I don't know what to do. They just will not get in touch and this should have been resolved long ago. I know the amount of money is not much but I am just so furious that after all this time and hassle they still can't get it right and their customer service (which I was assured was usually so much better than I had experienced) is still an absolute joke. I know there is no point going to Ofcom as they don't get involved in individual complaints until you have virtually given yourself a coronary trying to fight it.

I am considering applying to small claims court but unsure because a) the only financial loss I have at the moment is £5.55 and b) because VM have already paid me £115.99 goodwill gesture. It is worth pointing out that the £100 goodwill no way covers the hours I have spent on all this if I apply my hourly professional rate. I now feel I should be properly compensated for their useless service and they should be forced to recognise it legally rather than bleat apologies that they don't mean or make promises they don't act upon.

Like I said at the beginning, this is a truncated, factual account. You can imagine the details of the rude, infuriating and incompetent people I have had to deal with. I am so fed up and just want them to do the right thing.

Views/advice much appreciated! Thanks for reading.

unholyangel

You can only claim for actual losses incurred due to their breach. And I sympathise, believe me. I'm a virgin customer who had problem after problem with them on a monthly basis for several years. Eventually all got sorted.

Is the £5.50 perhaps for partial month services?

Redcoat

Thanks for response.

I don't think so as the bill includes £1.45 credit from last month as my package changed just a few days before the end of the billing period.

Could actual losses incurred include my time though? It just seems outrageous they can treat people like this and there is no recompense. It's not like I have anywhere else to go as already dealing (in theory at least) with the CEO office!

Bantex_2

Its a fiver. Forget it. It really is mot worth the stress or time.

InsideInsurance

Redcoat wrote: »

Thanks for response.

I don't think so as the bill includes £1.45 credit from last month as my package changed just a few days before the end of the billing period.

Could actual losses incurred include my time though? It just seems outrageous they can treat people like this and there is no recompense. It's not like I have anywhere else to go as already dealing (in theory at least) with the CEO office!

Your losses can include your time but unless you can show you HAD to take time off work and didnt get paid then "your time" is a fairly token amount and not a professional rate.

You do also have the option of a complaint to OfCom once you have a deadlock letter from VM which you can ask them to issue if they arent prepared to meet your demands

Redcoat

Bantex wrote: »

Its a fiver. Forget it. It really is mot worth the stress or time.

Strange point of view, Bantex. I have spent many hours trying to resolve issues with Virgin and they assured me it was sorted - supposed to just not worry about that, am I? Also, I have no idea what I am going to be billed next month as they still can't apply the right monthly charge to my account. Assume you would just be happy with sky/virgin/BT/whoever just making up what they are going to take from your bank each month?

Stevie_Palimo

Bantex wrote: »

Its a fiver. Forget it. It really is mot worth the stress or time.

It may just be a fiver as you put it but surely the thing here is principle above everything else and if it were me I to would not let it slide on by as the larger the Company the more they expect they are above the law.


See it through and do let us know how you get on.

Redcoat

InsideInsurance wrote: »

Your losses can include your time but unless you can show you HAD to take time off work and didnt get paid then "your time" is a fairly token amount and not a professional rate.

You do also have the option of a complaint to OfCom once you have a deadlock letter from VM which you can ask them to issue if they arent prepared to meet your demands

Thanks for this. Not sure how to get a deadlock from them when they won't reply! Think I will try one last email to them asking for this. Last time I did that was when the CEO office deigned to reply to my email after a fortnight!

Poppie68

Redcoat wrote: »

Strange point of view, Bantex. I have spent many hours trying to resolve issues with Virgin and they assured me it was sorted - supposed to just not worry about that, am I? Also, I have no idea what I am going to be billed next month as they still can't apply the right monthly charge to my account. Assume you would just be happy with sky/virgin/BT/whoever just making up what they are going to take from your bank each month?

Bantex is correct, it's a common sense point of view! Why stress over something that is not going to impact on your life. You can check your next bill online so you will be aware of what they will be taking out of your bank...if you are not happy with Virgin and what they are or may take out of your bank each month cancel your DD and pay online each month.

SeduLOUs

I'd personally forget it now and see the £100 (or more realisticaly the £95) good will gesture as a win. Tell everyone how rubbish they are (as publicly as possible) and vow never to deal with them again.

Anything further will wind you up more and waste more of your own time for very little gain.

Redcoat

Poppie68 wrote: »

Bantex is correct, it's a common sense point of view! Why stress over something that is not going to impact on your life. You can check your next bill online so you will be aware of what they will be taking out of your bank...if you are not happy with Virgin and what they are or may take out of your bank each month cancel your DD and pay online each month.

I do understand the point about stress vs. £5 but it's actually bigger than that for me. I can't accept that it should be ok for them to treat me the way they have over the last 2 months (and as I mentioned originally for the sake of brevity my original post doesn't really fully express the shocking level of service), not reply to a customer and then I just accept that's ok.

I guess I'm a little surprised that people posting on a consumer rights forum think that way but it's horses for courses.

Just playing devils advocate - if someone in Tesco threw your shopping down the conveyor belt, was rude to your face and then overcharged you £5 for your shopping, and when you went back to them with your receipt and explained the problem they refused to speak to you and ignored all your attempts to resolve, how would you feel?