virgin media...argh!!!

andiescottie

Hi all!
Have been hovering for quite some time, and I am loving your work!!
Unfortunately my first post is a rant.
Following the very helpful and informative advice on the forums I had called virgin media to see if I could re-negotiate my deal. I was on TV XL, Broadband XL and just a normal phone deal...all totaling at £54 per month plus all call charges. So I took the bull by the horns and called them, was offered nothing, so I gave my 30 day notice to quit. 2 days later I had a call from customer services to see if they could entice me to stay. In the end I was offered a free V+ box with free installation, free unlimited call package, and I dropped my broadband connection down to 4MB, all for the sum of £32.:j

Marvellous I thought...until I received my bill on Saturday. They had charged me £150 for the V+ box and approx £8 for the unlimited call package:eek: . So I called the billing department and queried this. The man on the phone was adamant that I would have to pay at least £75 for the new box. Eventually I got him to look at the "notes" on my account and there it said that I was indeed given the new package that I have outlined above. He said that as they were doing some work to the computer system, he would not be able to change anything, but he requested a call back from customer services which would be within 48hrs. That came and went. :mad:

So giving them the benefit of the doubt I called back on Wednesday. I spoke to a lady in customer services who empathised with my plight, but she said that her department wouldnt be able to do anything about it. She said that her manager was aware of the situation and would take it up with a further manager the next day. She told me that someone from the "outgoing " customer services department would call me back within 24hours. That also came and went!:mad:

So I called them again today and eventually got speaking to customer services again. I found that my bill had been paid...already taken from my account via direct debit, despite the fact that the direct debit date on my bill is the 14th April. Now I was furious! So I went through the whole thing again and the man on the phone said that he had spoken to his manager and that it would be dealt with tonight. I asked them to call me back, and for a change they actually did. I asked the agent on the phone how would my money be refunded...he said that he assumed that it would be credited to my virgin media account and that would take up to 24 hours to show.

So for those of you still alive I have a few questions.....
1. Is is lawful for a company to take payment from my bank account via direct debit before the date given on my bill?
2. Should I try to request an apology or some form of compensation from them? I am quite seriously ill and had just came out of hospital on saturday to find my new bill. I have also had to chase this up all week (in between hospital visits). I have worried about this all week!!
3. Should I ask them to repay the owed money into my bank account? as I am now -£158 that I need for other bills.

I would really appreciate any help or advice offered.
Many thanks, Andiescottie:D

C_Ronaldo

Hope you get it sorted

ukdickie31

You may be able to speak to you bank for immediate repayment to your account. DD's have a guarantee.

You should also have been given notice (14 days) of the amount to be taken via DD,

andiescottie

Hi again and thanks for reading my epic post and replying.:D

I received my bill on saturday 7th April, but it was dated the 26th March.

It said on the bill that the amount would be "debited on or after 14th April". Yet it was debited from my bank account today

Im totally confused with the whole thing.

Thanks again!!

olly300

Answers to your questions are:
1. No
2. Yes demand compensation they may not give it. If you feel up to it you can threaten to take them to a dispute service but it is a lot of hassle
3. Yes ask them to refund you into your bank account. If they refuse then write to your bank and state the amount was incorrectly taken out of your account and you want the money refunded.

Under the direct debit guarantee you are allowed to ask your bank - you should do this in writing - to refund you for an incorrectly taken direct debit. Unfortunately I have found that:
1. Many banks give you the wrong advice if you ask them verbally stating you cannot claim the money back or they cannot stop the payment, and you must get it back from the company concerned. This is an incorrect advice and banks have been taken to the financial ombudsman over this.
2. It takes from 5 working day to 10 working days to get the money back into your account.

mute_posting

Hi, just to put the cat among the birds so to speak - BTW I think Virgin CS and billing stink and I'm very much with Olly from a personal point of view.

BUT...

In response to OP's #1

does the "on or after" date given have any legal standing? Or would the "14 days notice" to change the DD ammount from a bill dated 26th March allow them to debit the money on 10/04? - DISCUSS

OP #2 definitely IMHO - every time my folks "on demand" breaks down they phone up and end up with a £5 credit on the account, so some "compensation" even if it is such a credit is probably not out of the question.

OP #3 Again, I would want it, but having dealt with companies like Virgin I can imagine the response before I even speak to them - "if we refund the money it will take 10 working days" (tosh, they just hope you will forget to check 2 weeks later when those "working" days are over)

MP

Iamthesmartestmanalive

The DD may not actually be gone, the bank may have just "reserved" the funds given its due to go on monday