Virgin PAYG - beware

Treehuggger999

Having got the message that Virgin was no longer doing PAYG I decided to move to another provider. Virgin stated that you could claim back any remaining balance on your account once it had closed. So I signed up with Asda and got a PAC from Virgin and made the transfer. On the day the transfer happened I received a text to say my balance was zero. On the day I applied for a PAC my balance was about £15. When I called Virgin the rep said I should have made the claim when I applied for the PAC. So I made a complaint. I have looked back on the Virgin website and there is nowhere that this is made clear. Virgin must be making a packet from people like me plus the odd bits of balance that customers have not bothered to claim. Anyway, I have made the complaint and we will see what happens but as I pointed out to the rep on the phone this is no way to run a business. After all, the whole exercise was instigated by Virgin themselves.

Neil_Jones

You are not actually entitled to transfer credit (or refund for that matter) from one PAYG provider to another.  If Virgin have offered a refund of any credit outstanding that's their decision, there is no obligation to do such a thing..  It is certainly not universal.

And it states quite clearly here - https://www.virginmedia.com/help/virgin-mobile-pay-as-you-closing - "You can request a refund for any leftover credit by registering your details with us at Your Account, then calling 789."

pumas

Virgin are offering to refund PAYG credit, as their PAYG is being discontinued on 11 Jan 2022.
I claimed back my credit, having registered my numbers online.
The texts, and I think, the website said to ring 789 for the credit, which I did. The credit was refunded to my account in 2 days and I got one PAC for all numbers at the same time.

tinker411

pumas said:

Virgin are offering to refund PAYG credit, as their PAYG is being discontinued on 11 Jan 2022.

They are indeed, as they're the ones closing their PAYG service as mentioned here (along with the 'how to claim' process): https://www.virginmedia.com/help/virgin-mobile-pay-as-you-closing

As is standard for the porting process though credit does not automatically transfer from one provider to another, so any claim for a credit refund would need to be made before porting out (as you did, but the OP did not, which explains the different experiences).

Treehuggger999

Just to give an update - to Virgin's credit they upheld my complaint and refunded my balance so it is worth complaining!
Happy New Year to you all

CJB666

I am helping an elderly relative close down his Virgin PAYG account. He has medical issues including needing regular dialysis. He cannot really use the phone - a Doro - but he needs texts about appts from hospitals. The Virgin website state clearly that refunds of remaining credit are given prior to closure. However when we called Customer Service the agent said  "No" - refunds of credit will not be made. His credit is £15 - quite a sum to lose for an old age pensioner. So Virgin lied on their website. And a refusal to refund credit is surely criminal fraud. Typical money grabbing telco. He'll be well rid of them.

CJB666

A good reason for NOT claim a refund of credit is that one has to give them one's bank account details. Such is the apparent dishonesty of Virgin I wouldn't put it past them to make a fraudulent debit on the account for some imaginary reason.

roddydogs

? Credit was offered right from the start, no problem! And you don't give your bank details, just a debit card.

listric

Unfortunately, if my experience is typical, Virgin cannot be trusted to tell their customers the truth. They lied repeatedly to me and actually disclaimed knowledge of an offer listed on MSE and their own site.
Their customer service is appalling and their agents do not even have basic information about customer accounts. Their customer service has a poor score for a reason. I tried to contact their customer services about an incorrect bill yesterday and the waiting time was 4 hours. This is not unusual. Beware.