Virgin won't close my account after the end of my fixed contract - HELP

Usermah

VirginMedia is refusing to close my account despite my fixed contract ending in 2019 and multiple requests since June 2020. I made a request to them by emails, mobile chat, website chat, phone calls and even sent a letter to their complaints department without success. I have signed up with another provider because I had enough of their poor service and high costs, however Virgin doesn't acknowledge my requests to close my account and keep showing me bills that I will be charged. I am at the end of my wits - What can I do? (before you ask, I even emailed their CEO!) 

Hasbeen

Usermah said:

VirginMedia is refusing to close my account despite my fixed contract ending in 2019 and multiple requests since June 2020. I made a request to them by emails, mobile chat, website chat, phone calls and even sent a letter to their complaints department without success. I have signed up with another provider because I had enough of their poor service and high costs, however Virgin doesn't acknowledge my requests to close my account and keep showing me bills that I will be charged. I am at the end of my wits - What can I do? (before you ask, I even emailed their CEO!) 

So there was no outstanding debt on account at end of contract?

JJ_Egan

As above .

OP reads as a balance owing to VM.

OP what are these bills VM are showing .

BUT one big question may be the key .

You signed up with another provider . Did you then give VM notice to cancel . Or did you not cancel and are still in a rolling 30 day contract with VM as you have not cancelled .

Usermah

Nope, there was no outstanding balance on my account. My bills are settled every month by DD. Even if there was a balance outstanding when I made my requests over several weeks I would have gladly paid that and moved on. But no-one from VM ever acknowledged my request to cancel my account with them or communicated any reasons why they refuse to close my account. 
With respect to the question on signing up with another provider - when I signed up with the other provider I hadn't been able to get any response from VM about my account being closed so I went ahead and signed with the new provider thinking that would at least trigger some kind of communication about VM's 30 day notice period - I had no problem with paying that as long as I could get rid of VM. but we are not talking about them wanting me to pay for the next 30 days or settling an outstanding bill - They do not acknowledge my request to close my account full stop! 

JJ_Egan

Nope VM are not notified as they are on a different infrastructure .You have to cancel VM .

VM would not know you are using a different internet infrastructure .

Farway

OP, and don't just cancel your DD with VM thinking it will trigger a cancel VM response.

The only likely response from DD cancelling is getting defaults on your credit files

Usermah

But I have given them notice in writing - its been more than 2 months. If they do not acknowledge my request to cancel my account does that mean I have to continue paying VirginMedia forever? I don't understand how a company get away with something like this?

molerat

What has their reply been to your formal complaint ?  You have raised this as a COMPLAINT I assume ?

Usermah

I sent a formal complaint in writing by post with special delivery on 9th July and the only thing I have heard from them is they sent me an email on 10th of July telling me they removed some services but my new monthly bundle will cost £57! 

iniltous

Have you contacted them and spoken to a customer service rep ?, I had VM a couple of years ago, I had been a VM customer for about 3 years, when I cancelled, ( FTTC became available ) I called and although they did the usual ‘retentions’ stuff, they actioned  my request and 30 days later , the service ceased.
Is you service still working ?, if it is then they obviously haven’t actioned  your request, but TBH, sending a letter or email, unless you get a response, you have no way to know if the correct VM staff have seen it, so IMHO not the best way to cancel.
I dare say, if you contacted the executive level complaints , or even Branson himself , that should get things moving, obviously they cannot hold you hostage, if you want to leave they cannot stop you, but that doesn’t mean that if they consider there is an account to settle they won’t pursue it

Usermah

I emailed the CEO Lutz Schueler! I have never in my life seen such behaviour.
Eventually I did speak to a person and she told me she will call me back to fix this for me and she never called! I have spent over 12 hours on chasing them and trying to communicate with various people at VM. So are you saying I will just have to pay double until the correct person at VM finally sees my request and cancels my account with them? I can't believe they can get away with this. Isn't there a regulator I can contact?