Virgin Media sold me an unlimited SIM, then O2 claim it has a cap

compositecarbide

I was looking for a new SIM only contract, and I am an existing VM broadband customer so I thought I'd look at their Volt plans.

I logged in to my Virgin Media account, and used the 'Upgrade My Package' option to add a SIM-only plan to my account. There was an option for Unlimited data, only £10/month until April 2027. I chose this one because it seemed a very good deal.

I received an email the same day (26th June) from Virgin Media after ordering the upgrade, which clearly states "O2 Main Services: Unlimited O2 SIM".

3 days later (29th June) I receive an order confirmation from O2, saying my airtime plan is "250GB Classic"

When I received the new SIM card I set it up with my phone, and the My O2 app also shows this 250GB limit.

Firstly I messaged O2 customer support, asked them why my plan was not unlimited, and they replied: "We’ve reviewed your account and can confirm that order ************ shows 250GB of data, along with unlimited calls and texts, so the information displayed in your My O2 app is correct."

I then reminded them that my original order was for an unlimited SIM, showing them the VM email again, to which they replied "We totally understand your situation. However, after checking the Virgin Media website, we’re unable to find any Volt SIM priced at £10 a month. Could you please send us another screenshot confirming the unlimited data offer you saw?"

This is a ridiculous argument, considering how often providers give exclusive deals seemingly at random (Just check the MSE pages, most are better deals than the website itself!) and because I already have a SIM on my VM account now, I can't go back and get a screenshot of available upgrade options.

I also tried Virgin Media support, who initially said "We kindly ask that you refer to the order confirmation email sent on 29 June 2026 at 13:29:18, which clearly outlines the details of your tariff. We apologise for any misunderstanding or miscommunication."

The key fact is that I agreed to what was advertised by Virgin, and they're now providing me something different without me agreeing. When I told them that they had advertised an unlimited data plan, they came up with this classic: "We’ve reviewed the details, and the screenshot doesn’t specify the data allowance for the O2 SIM. As it mentions “Unlimited O2 SIM”, this refers to the speed of the internet rather than the data allowance. The email we shared includes the full specification with the data allowance, and you can review it for clarity."

I'm getting nowhere with either VM nor O2 support and neither will escalate my case to someone who understands what they're on about. I know that my usage will likely fall within the 250GB for most months, but I'm really unhappy at the idea of them not providing what they advertised when I signed up to the contract. Where can I go from here?

Woodstok2000

I just checked my account and saw this:

"If you have Virgin Media broadband at your address, you can unlock Volt perks. For example, you can get a 250GB data O2 SIM for £10/month, which Volt automatically boosts to Unlimited Data."

So it seems like it is a 250gb sim, but the volt boost makes it unlimited. Maybe o2 haven't applied the boost yet, or don't understand their tariff?

eddddy

FWIW, this looks like the deal you're talking about was promoted in hotukdeals.com

https://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/o2-unlimited-5g-data-min-and-text-eu-roaming-included-o2-priority-ps10pm24m-existing-bb-customer-4905972

The link takes you to: https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/volt-offers but that page has been deleted

In terms of the legal position - it depends on exactly when their t&cs say a contract is formed.

For example, it's very likely that the t&cs say that you clicking on "Buy now" doesn't form a contract. It only becomes a contract when they reply by email confirming the terms.

So they might be legally able to refuse to give you the £10 deal, but you can report them to the Advertising Standards Authority (for misleading advertising of a £10 deal), and to Trading Standards (via the CAB) for breaching consumer protection laws.

compositecarbide

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82060655#Comment_82060655

This is a very sensible explanation. Why both VM and O2 got in such a twist is beyond me! Seems they dug themselves in to a hole and tried to invent a reason.

I've had the misfortune of talking to O2 and VM support a fair number of times over the years and every single time they have been thoroughly incompetent. In fact, at the moment, I've lost 1 month of my fixed contract because when I went to renew my contract they set the new start date as the day I phoned instead of the end of the old contract.

compositecarbide

I've checked my account and whilst the VM broadband VOLT boost has been applied (250 to 350Mbps), turns out it doesn't apply to both accounts at the same time. The O2 one can take up to 14 days apparently and I may have to contact them again if it doesn't apply automatically. Why have I got a feeling that will be the case…

mta999

Probably a silly question, but apart from being annoyed at not getting what you applied for, is there much difference between 250 gigabytes and unlimited - you would have to be going some to use 250 gigabytes of mobile data a month!

dazzaofdagenham

couple of times I have had a text from Virgin to offer a SIM for @£10 unlimited….

Clicking the link would take me to the VM site and then no sign of the offer, VM support via WhatsApp would deny any knowledge of this and said if i wanted a sim then I would need to call O2 and arrange that seperatly….and the unlisted sim would cost 25 pounds as opposed to the 10 pounds in the text.

After a while on the phone,…..i simply gave up…

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82060665#Comment_82060665

I suppose Virgin media have to recoup some more money to help pay the £20 odd million fine they just got.