How do you solve a problem like Virgin Media?

[filthiestfis]

Virgin Media have overcharged me on my broadband and now they are saying they wont refund me for their mistake.

They overcharged me about �7 last month and now they are planning to overcharge again by �8 because its too late to cancel the direct debit for next month.

What can I do? I can cancel the D/D myself, via my bank, but will it cause me more problems with Virgin?

By the way, I dont have a contract with them. For the past year and a half I have had them on a verbal phone agreement where every 6 months we agree to stay on the same price.

How enforceable is this verbal agreement? Since they dont have any verbal or written record of me agreeing to pay �18 for their broadband, how can they not refund me for the excess money theyve taken from my account?
Should I send them a letter by recorded delivery straight away?

[rabbitygirl]

I sympathise. I had been with the same company for years, thru 3 name changes till it became ntl. No problems. I moved the same day they became Virgin. OMG did my troubles start. Even with the same staff they acted like they were virgins on the telecom scene. Broadband madam? Yes please. I was set top. In the new place they fitted a modem. Just ring up and get a number to install. I did. It didn't work. They said, 'ooohh, that number would never have worked'. I said 'get me connected tonight or you can come back and get your stuff and I am going to Sky. He then said he couldn't connect me without going on DD. 'What?. You want me to DD for �8 a month but no requirement for the TV which is over �100 a month'. Yes. I did. They didn't manage to call on it. A red letter came. I paid my entire broadband bill for 7 months, the duration of my house rental. It took the woman 3 goes to add it up.



The equipment was brand new. 2 months in the broadband slowed to a snail. Techy came in, set the modem to higher setting and said if that didn't work I needed a rewire. A what? Your wirework doesn't last longer than 2 months? Not one piece of equipment, modem, 2 boxes, remotes, all new from boxes, worked correctly. I even took a new TV back to the shop to see what was faulty. It wasn't the TV.

Now with Sky. No problems. Touch wood. Tho I am sure many would tell you a similar story of defecting from sky to virgin. Luck of the draw.

As you say, there is no written record of a lesser charge so it looks like they have you. Well done for getting a 6 month rate for 18 months but you may have to bite the bullet now. Whether its DD or other payment method, they are intent on getting it.

[jno]

an agreement is an agreement whether it's written down or not. The point of writing things down is just so that you've got evidence. Yes, send them a letter, stating all the facts and see what happens.

[bednobs]

as answered in law - if you feel you dont have an enforceable agreement with them, whats to prevent them charging you what they like?

[4GS]

We had the same problem,
we moved in July, asked them to disconnect the package at the old house, and connect the same package at the new house.
That was far too simple for V.M, we spent 3 1/2 months being billed, and paying for two houses, and being disconnected on a fortnightly basis, they couldn't find any record of our payments on their system even when their own credit control dept were tellng the customer service people at Virgin that we had paid.

They owe us over �160 which is being credited this month, and we are now back with sky.

[bigmamma]

Good luck getting any refund on one of their mistakes , they overcharged me back in January and , after phone calls and letters I finally got it in July . x

[filthiestfis]

If I cancel the upcoming direct debit whats the worst that can happen?

[Pippa68]

It seems that Vigin are still NTL underneath :o(

[Pippa68]

*virgin*, godammit!!!

[Bewlay Bros]

I found their customer relations second to none. Under NTL, I had paid for the full movie package for nearly two years without realising. These were the days when you had to manually set your favourites so I never bothered.

Anyway, whether my movie watching (moreover lack of watching) was monitored or not, they refunded the entire amount of around a nice 500 pounds without even a quibble.