Hi all,
2 months ago we signed up for Virgin Media TV, telephone, and broadband at £55 a month. We were promised the services would be installed within 14 days, and that we had 30 days to change our mind. After countless telephone calls, 6 weeks later, the install finally took place.
However, half way through the installation, the engineers got out drills and a box to stick on the house. I hadn't been told that any of this was going to happen, and explained that I would need 5 minutes to figure out where to put the box, so that it doesn't look too ugly on my house. They said that they can't wait 5 minutes, and that I would have to call Virgin to send some more engineers out to finish the install. I gave in and tried to persuade them to just complete the job however they liked, but, they said "Sorry mate, we have to go now. We've got other jobs to get to.". They looked rushed and stressed. So, they left the wires, and told us we would have to call Virgin to complete the installation.
We called Virgin, but they told us no more engineers would be sent out unless we paid a fee. I tried to reason with the lady on the phone, but she was rude to me and insisted I'd have to pay. After a day on the phone, I finally managed to persuade someone at Virgin to finish the install. He gave us the date the engineer would come, in 2 weeks time.
The engineer never turned up.
I called Virgin again to ask what was going on, and was told "We can't install on your house because we need permission of the landlord". I asked why were we not informed about this? She just kept saying "I don't have any notes about that on the system, sir.". I tried to explain that I own the house, and that there is no landlord, but she wouldn't/couldn't believe me. I offered to send her my proof of ownership if she needs it, and she said "Theres's no need for that. It says here on the system that we need permission of your landlord, so I can't proceed until we get that.". I said "Well, I own the house, so what is the next step I need to take to get this completed?". She replied "We need your landlord to sign a form." I said "Right, I'm the owner, so I'll sign the form then. Where do I get this form?". She replied "It has already been sent, you should have received it already." Needless to say, we hadn't received anything. After some time talking to her, I finally managed to persuade her to send out another form for us.
2 weeks later, with still no sign of this form, I called back Virgin Media and was told the same story again, and that the form had already been sent. It was like going round in circles. After a day on the phone, I finally managed to speak to someone who believed me when I said I was the owner of the house. He corrected the notes on the system, and agreed to send another engineer out.
2 weeks later, the new engineers finally turned up! However, they said there was a problem. Apparently, a previous Virgin engineer had cut the length of the wire from the street too short to reach the correct position on the house, so another Virgin engineer needs to fix it before they can proceed. They decided to install the box in a temporary ugly position until the wire could be made longer to reach the house. During the installation, one of the engineers kept swearing and looked like he was going to hit me if I looked at him. After 5 minutes, the engineer got even more angry and started shouting and swearing at his colleague. I'm not easily intimidated, but this man was quite frightening. I could tell he was out of control, and just kept out of his way. In the end, his colleague told me this was an ugly install just to get the service up and running, but promised another engineer would be sent out within a week to complete it. I was told not to call Virgin to re-arrange the installation, and that this would happen automatically. The angry engineer was still swearing and cursing under his breath, kicking stones around on my path. I smiled and thanked him. I was afraid, and just glad to have the angry engineer out of my house!
2 weeks later, after still no sign of the install being completed, we called Virgin media again. They told us they had no knowledge of the problem, and that we would need to pay a fee to have the installation completed. I tried to explain the situation, but the lady on the phone kept saying "there is no proof of this in the notes here, so there's nothing I can do about that, sir." I tried to speak to her manager, but everyone I spoke to had a rude tone of voice and was dismissive with me. I don't know how they keep business being like this..
Hoping to speak with someone in a helpful mood, I tried calling back at a later time, but the lady was defensive, angry, kept interrupting me, wouldn't let me explain the problem, and then at the end of the phone call, she told me "You have an attitude problem, sir. There are ways and ways of not speaking to people.".
After having angry engineers in my house, and dealing with people on the phone like this, it felt bit like I was back at school and being bullied. I've never experienced this much difficulty from a company before. I rarely complain and don't like to cause hassle but by this point, I started to feel like one of those difficult customers, which I'm not! I decided enough was enough, and called to just cancel the services.
When trying to cancel, the man on the phone was the nicest guy I had spoken to, apologised for everything that had happened, promised me it wouldn't happen again, and offered me a £110 credit on my account if I stayed with Virgin. Amazed by the complete turn around in customer service, I agreed.
2 weeks later, after more of the same problems, getting told "there's no proof of this on the notes on the system here, sir, so there's nothing I can do." ... repeatedly ... I got tired of it, so I called Virgin again to cancel. This time, the man on the phone offered me a further £70 credit if I was to stay with them. He told me that would be £180 total credit, which is equivalent of more than 3 months for free, and he guaranteed me that an engineer had been booked in for 7 days time. I caved in and agreed to stay again, as long as the engineer turned up and installation was completed within 7 days.
Suffice it to say, the engineer never turned up.
On the same day, I received my first Virgin Media Services bill. Our service was £55 a month, with free installation, and we had £180 credit on our account, so you can imagine my surprise when the bill showed £66 a month, plus £150 installation fee, and no sign of any account credit. I called up Virgin Media to try to explain that I had been promised free installation, £180 account credit, and only £55 monthly fee, but the man on the phone just kept repeating "There is nothing about this on the notes here, sir. You're not correct, sir." By this point I was exhausted. I asked to cancel my service, but was told I'd have to call back on monday to cancel.
I called back to cancel, and I've now been told "Today is your last day in the 30 day trial; you're permitted to cancel today at the latest. Are you sure you want to cancel?" I was amazed that the 30 day trial had been started before the service installation had even been completed. Relieved, I agreed and confirmed that I'd like to cancel. I've been told the cancellation has now been booked on the system and will go ahead.
I'd normally not be worried about proof; but considering the fact that Virgin Media have so many times told me "there's no proof of this on the system here, so I can't do anything, sir.", I'd like to get proof of cancellation.
I spent another 45 mins on the phone asking a man if I can get proof in writing; he just put me on hold for 45 minutes and then said no. He said "We can't email you for security reasons"... but I need proof that I have cancelled, in writing or email before the end of the day. Today is the last date I can cancel, so writing a recorded delivery letter wouldn't get there in time. They won't give me any contact email address.
Is there anything I can do?
They do everything by phone. How can they have any proof that I signed up in the first place, without a signature?
Apart from the bills being considerably more than what I agreed to, I really feel scared by what this company could do to my life if I was forced into a 12 month contract.
Thanks, you help is deeply appreciated!What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
2 months ago we signed up for Virgin Media TV, telephone, and broadband at £55 a month. We were promised the services would be installed within 14 days, and that we had 30 days to change our mind. After countless telephone calls, 6 weeks later, the install finally took place.
However, half way through the installation, the engineers got out drills and a box to stick on the house. I hadn't been told that any of this was going to happen, and explained that I would need 5 minutes to figure out where to put the box, so that it doesn't look too ugly on my house. They said that they can't wait 5 minutes, and that I would have to call Virgin to send some more engineers out to finish the install. I gave in and tried to persuade them to just complete the job however they liked, but, they said "Sorry mate, we have to go now. We've got other jobs to get to.". They looked rushed and stressed. So, they left the wires, and told us we would have to call Virgin to complete the installation.
We called Virgin, but they told us no more engineers would be sent out unless we paid a fee. I tried to reason with the lady on the phone, but she was rude to me and insisted I'd have to pay. After a day on the phone, I finally managed to persuade someone at Virgin to finish the install. He gave us the date the engineer would come, in 2 weeks time.
The engineer never turned up.
I called Virgin again to ask what was going on, and was told "We can't install on your house because we need permission of the landlord". I asked why were we not informed about this? She just kept saying "I don't have any notes about that on the system, sir.". I tried to explain that I own the house, and that there is no landlord, but she wouldn't/couldn't believe me. I offered to send her my proof of ownership if she needs it, and she said "Theres's no need for that. It says here on the system that we need permission of your landlord, so I can't proceed until we get that.". I said "Well, I own the house, so what is the next step I need to take to get this completed?". She replied "We need your landlord to sign a form." I said "Right, I'm the owner, so I'll sign the form then. Where do I get this form?". She replied "It has already been sent, you should have received it already." Needless to say, we hadn't received anything. After some time talking to her, I finally managed to persuade her to send out another form for us.
2 weeks later, with still no sign of this form, I called back Virgin Media and was told the same story again, and that the form had already been sent. It was like going round in circles. After a day on the phone, I finally managed to speak to someone who believed me when I said I was the owner of the house. He corrected the notes on the system, and agreed to send another engineer out.
2 weeks later, the new engineers finally turned up! However, they said there was a problem. Apparently, a previous Virgin engineer had cut the length of the wire from the street too short to reach the correct position on the house, so another Virgin engineer needs to fix it before they can proceed. They decided to install the box in a temporary ugly position until the wire could be made longer to reach the house. During the installation, one of the engineers kept swearing and looked like he was going to hit me if I looked at him. After 5 minutes, the engineer got even more angry and started shouting and swearing at his colleague. I'm not easily intimidated, but this man was quite frightening. I could tell he was out of control, and just kept out of his way. In the end, his colleague told me this was an ugly install just to get the service up and running, but promised another engineer would be sent out within a week to complete it. I was told not to call Virgin to re-arrange the installation, and that this would happen automatically. The angry engineer was still swearing and cursing under his breath, kicking stones around on my path. I smiled and thanked him. I was afraid, and just glad to have the angry engineer out of my house!
2 weeks later, after still no sign of the install being completed, we called Virgin media again. They told us they had no knowledge of the problem, and that we would need to pay a fee to have the installation completed. I tried to explain the situation, but the lady on the phone kept saying "there is no proof of this in the notes here, so there's nothing I can do about that, sir." I tried to speak to her manager, but everyone I spoke to had a rude tone of voice and was dismissive with me. I don't know how they keep business being like this..
Hoping to speak with someone in a helpful mood, I tried calling back at a later time, but the lady was defensive, angry, kept interrupting me, wouldn't let me explain the problem, and then at the end of the phone call, she told me "You have an attitude problem, sir. There are ways and ways of not speaking to people.".
After having angry engineers in my house, and dealing with people on the phone like this, it felt bit like I was back at school and being bullied. I've never experienced this much difficulty from a company before. I rarely complain and don't like to cause hassle but by this point, I started to feel like one of those difficult customers, which I'm not! I decided enough was enough, and called to just cancel the services.
When trying to cancel, the man on the phone was the nicest guy I had spoken to, apologised for everything that had happened, promised me it wouldn't happen again, and offered me a £110 credit on my account if I stayed with Virgin. Amazed by the complete turn around in customer service, I agreed.
2 weeks later, after more of the same problems, getting told "there's no proof of this on the notes on the system here, sir, so there's nothing I can do." ... repeatedly ... I got tired of it, so I called Virgin again to cancel. This time, the man on the phone offered me a further £70 credit if I was to stay with them. He told me that would be £180 total credit, which is equivalent of more than 3 months for free, and he guaranteed me that an engineer had been booked in for 7 days time. I caved in and agreed to stay again, as long as the engineer turned up and installation was completed within 7 days.
Suffice it to say, the engineer never turned up.
On the same day, I received my first Virgin Media Services bill. Our service was £55 a month, with free installation, and we had £180 credit on our account, so you can imagine my surprise when the bill showed £66 a month, plus £150 installation fee, and no sign of any account credit. I called up Virgin Media to try to explain that I had been promised free installation, £180 account credit, and only £55 monthly fee, but the man on the phone just kept repeating "There is nothing about this on the notes here, sir. You're not correct, sir." By this point I was exhausted. I asked to cancel my service, but was told I'd have to call back on monday to cancel.
I called back to cancel, and I've now been told "Today is your last day in the 30 day trial; you're permitted to cancel today at the latest. Are you sure you want to cancel?" I was amazed that the 30 day trial had been started before the service installation had even been completed. Relieved, I agreed and confirmed that I'd like to cancel. I've been told the cancellation has now been booked on the system and will go ahead.
I'd normally not be worried about proof; but considering the fact that Virgin Media have so many times told me "there's no proof of this on the system here, so I can't do anything, sir.", I'd like to get proof of cancellation.
I spent another 45 mins on the phone asking a man if I can get proof in writing; he just put me on hold for 45 minutes and then said no. He said "We can't email you for security reasons"... but I need proof that I have cancelled, in writing or email before the end of the day. Today is the last date I can cancel, so writing a recorded delivery letter wouldn't get there in time. They won't give me any contact email address.
Is there anything I can do?
They do everything by phone. How can they have any proof that I signed up in the first place, without a signature?
Apart from the bills being considerably more than what I agreed to, I really feel scared by what this company could do to my life if I was forced into a 12 month contract.
Thanks, you help is deeply appreciated!What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
