Virgin Media V+ Con

[pettal]

CAN ANYONE HELP?

We have recently done the 3 for £30 with virgin (tv, broadband and phone). When we joined online there was an offer for a v+ box with free installation and free subscription for a year with the deal, when we telephoned the sales department a lady (i took her first name) confirmed the offer and so we looked forward to the installation.
Today when the bloke came to install the stuff he knew nothing about a v+ box and installed the basic one. When we telephoned to complain the customer service dept swore they had never heard of the offer. we have asked to speak to a manager who will phone us back within 24 hours (apparently!). When I looked back onto the online deals the offer had been removed. and on another forum (digital spy) a person took note of the deal and noted it was taken off within a day or so.
This makes me feel that they have made a mistake by putting the offer up and r trying to fob us off, is there anything we can do to get our v+?????

[reduk054]

I had a similar problem, and we had the basic box installed instead of the agreed v+. What we thought was going to be the £30 offer certainly did not turn out to be that either.
After complaining and having no luck, we cancelled the offer and they have taken the box away and cancelled the contract....back off to sky then!
I have complained as well. Address to follow
Red

[reduk054]

Virgin Media Ltd
Customer Concern Manager
ConcordBusinessPark
Threapwood Road
Wythenshaw
Manchester
M22 0EY

Hope that this helps!
Red

[pettal]

thanks i will try that, dont think i will get much luck by the sounds of it, but worth a try anyway! isnt there a thing about false advertising though, and cant they get done for it?

[buzby]

I'm not saying the offer you claimed didn't exist, but as a premium product I've never heard of such a giveaway. A second (standard) box free or discounted, yes. But with the various deal variations it becomes a minefield. Where did you hear about it, and what was the offer code?

[pettal]

it was on the virgin website. did'nt get a code. When a sales person phoned us to sell us the product we asked about it and she had never heard of it either, she asked us where we saw it, she checked it out and also saw the offer and confirmed it over the phone. it was clearly a mistake, but we took the offer at the time it was on the website so surely they should give it to us, or they have sold us a product under false pretences. sureley there's a law against that????

[davethorp]

It's not this offer is it?

V+ offer

[pettal]

no it wasnt that deal.

we managed to get somebody eventually to admit that there was such a deal and that we could have our free v + box. i even phoned back to double check that it was being installed for free and they said yes.

so it was installed and we have been happily watching it since.. until we got our first bill which had charged us for it. cue more annoying phone calls and being hung up on/cut off/waiting up to an hour and a half on hold... we are now being told that there wasnt such a deal, our v + box was installed because we requested an upgrade and not as part of any deal and that we are going to have to pay for it. HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! how can this company get away with such blatant dishonesty and incompetence. I am about to put the whole lot into written form and send it recorded delivery to head office copying in the ombudsman as i must have wasted about 18 hours on the phone to these people and have got nowhere.

[buzby]

Virgin will ALWAYS charge you for every single part of the service offered. What you are looking for is the compensatory CREDIT to be applied to your account that evens it out. So it is this you need to pursue, rather than complain 'you've charged me'. (There's a subtle difference).

Because you managed eventually to agree the deal existed, you did note the name or the date and time of the call? As unless it is in writing, you need all the evidence you can muster you're not making it up!

[SURFBOY]

does anyone know the address for the data controler for virgin media as i am sending them a Subject Access Request ?

[lemma1968]

If you are complaining, try an email to the acting CEO Neil Berkett. he has a very impressive CV, and has been in the temp role of acting CEO since August after CEO Steve Burch left the company at short notice and returned to the US.

Prior to being acting CEO he was COO - Chief Operating Officer.

I did and I had a response quite quickly and they are looking into things for me. I understand he is trying to implement a "do less properly" strategy whilst they are seeking a replacement.

For debt issues email Steve Wrench, Head of Debt Management. A very nice approachable man who seems to want to help.

I can pm those who who wish their contact addresses.

And a word of advice - when you go to the top, be as polite as possible. It gets you further.

[pettal]

Hi,
final update: after all the phone calls, emails, and letter writing i was appointed a key worker to deal with my complaint. within ten mins he phoned me back to offer a refund of the full amount of £150!!!! He said I was lucky coz the only reason he could do this was coz he found a note to the installer to say it was a free installation, which is not the norm.
In the mean time I spoke to a colleague the other day who had a call from virgin giving them the same offer! They were expecting a v+ box and got the standard one, she sent it back and has gone to sky.
surely what they are doing is illegal??

[buzby]

Good to hear you got it sorted - as for being 'illegal' of course it isn't! They can point to the offer being conditional, and due to an error the offer wasn't passed on to you as it should have been. This is either a mistake or incompetence, neither of which can be deemed illegal. As with everything, you need to ensure you keep complete records of what is asked for or agreed, and ensure they follow through.