Virgin Media In Dispute, Still Threatening Default

chaplin2020

Hi Guys,

I took out a contract with Virgin Media for TV, Phone & Broadband over a year ago. I wasn't at all happy with the box etc. and decided to go back to Sky when my contract was up.

I had heard horror stories from friends about extra charges on leaving so decided to be proactive. I rang them way in advance and asked for an exact date that I should give my 30 days notice so that I would at the end of my 12 month contract and not be charged any extra. I was paying £89 per month on average so expected my last bill to be the same and to have paid 12 x £89.

On the date given I rang them to give notice and again confirmed I would not be charged any extra which they confirmed. I then took out a new contract with Sky to start the same time.

My last bill was produced for £83. Over the next few weeks I received numerous bills from Virgin for large amounts, one was £290 for the month. I queried this and was told that it was just automated bills being sent out due to my account ending and not sending my equipment back. They said I should pay this amount then, 30 days after receipt of my equipment and account closure they would issue a cheque for the refund. Why not just don't charge me I asked and why, when I can pay over the phone does it take 30 days to then issue a cheque for the refund? I actually just decided to wait for the correct bill and would pay them then. I sent back all my equipment.

I was now in my 30 days notice period, had received a final bill of £83 and was ignoring the extra bills for the equipment as I had posted it back. What hapened now, without me knowing anything about it was that Sky, asked Virgin for my number a couple of weeks before my notice period ended. Virgin gave them the number. Now apparently I went from being on a triple service contract to a double one, despite me being in my notice period. They charged my an extra £66 for this change of contract and sent me yet another bill for it.

I have complained to them and stated thet I had done everything possible to avoid any extra charge yet still have been penalised. I have been through their complaints procedure and found them to be totally unhelpful. They offere to reduce this by £20 but as I see this as a penalty I refused and it is now with CISAS.

Virgin have been ringing me every day, sometimes multiple times to chase the £66 and every time I have told them it is in dispute. Today I have received a default notice from them saying I had 14 days to pay or they would give me a default. (They never even dated the letter). I am worried now that they will trash my credit file and it will be a world of hassle to remove it.

chaplin2020

What a despicable company VM are.

I have been told by CISAS that they have written to VM to ask them to cease all DC activity and VM have agreed.

Despite that I have been called multiple times a day by the collections department. I told the last caller about the CISAS communication and he just said they don't have to do anything CISAS tell them unless the ruling goes against them and collection activities will continue. I asked for his name and he only gave his first saying he didn't have to tell me his surname.

They are basically using the threat to my credit file to intimidate me into paying whilst also delaying the CISAS process as they have not yet responded to them.

They are acting like some dodgy backstreet debt collection company rather than a large provider and making a mockery of CISAS.