Virgin Media cancellation charge

Kim_13

born_again said:

robert_purnell said:

Ayr_Rage said:

If you were still in the minimum term of the contract then the cancellation charges will be valid and you'll also be required to return any equipment as they direct or you may incur further charges

You'll have to dig out the last contract your agreed with Virgin and check.

We have not signed a contract, but they will say you agreed a new contract when we changed your package, cant win.

When you sign up to a new contract, you get sent a email with the details, you have to reply to get that offer. So that is your agreement. Unless you have just been on a rolling monthly contract after the initial contract 30 years ago. This is a digital signing of your contract.

We weren't asked to sign anything for our latest contract. Previously it had said you should click to confirm which would be a digital acceptance or similar. The contract followed the pre contract information and eventually showed as accepted in the contract area from pending/contract sent to x@mail. Presumably acceptance is when you verbally agree to the package over the phone, after which you review the documents sent and they will be binding after 14 days if VM are not informed that you no longer wish to go ahead. 

We wouldn't be able to do anything quickly and conveniently if physically signing were required (the majority of the population don't have styluses to sign with.) Rather than not having physically signed anything, your focus should be on that VM did not remind you that the termination fee of £631 would be due if you went ahead, and are now in a worse position than if they'd just said your minimum term ends on X date and there's nothing we can offer that will cost you less than you're currently paying until then. If someone has had to phone up due to the loss of £200/£300, then clearly allowing them to go ahead with something that will cost them 2-3x that amount and for which they receive no service at all is obviously unsuitable.

You need to get them to reinstate the previous contract (it will need a credit to cancel out the ETF that would automatically have been applied to the account at the moment of disconnection) and take it from there. Seeing out the contract is better than this as it means you don't have to pay the £631 and then pay for an affordable package elsewhere on top.

littleboo

it seems that the OP now has a contract with EE so re-instating the VM service wont help, they will face the same issue if they try and cancel the EE one

GrubbyGirl_2

The first thing you need to do is call both VM and EE.  If you haven't started a new contract with EE then talk to them and explain what is happening and cancel your new contract.  Hopefully that won't be a problem especially as you haven't started (hopefully).  As for VM explain the position you are in and explain that because of the winter fuel payment cut you simply can't pay that amount.  I would hope that they are a compassionate company and will try and work out a better deal for you.  Maybe you would even qualify for a social tariff?

Emails won't work, you're much better talking to them directly and pleading your case