Hi all! I'm in a bit of a rush because I've got an evening shift to start in half an hour and have to get ready but I'm trying to be a bit cheeky and ask for some help from the professionals in writing a letter of complaint. I'm just finding I ramble and lose the plot a bit so I'm going to post what I have so far and see if someone can help clear things up for me.
Dear Sir or Madam
My wife and I have been a customer of NTL then Virgin Media for four years. It is with regret that I must write to express the deep dissatisfaction with the handling of our account. These issues have arisen since we moved home taking our services with us on the 3rd of July. At this point I was and am a broadband and telephone customer.
Two bills arrived at our new address dated the 4th of July; our new account (#
xxx) and a bill under my previous number (#
xxx). The amount was confusing as I was expecting a final statement showing that months direct debit payment but this I assumed was normal. -£16.85 brought forward, -£1.80 service charge and £18.65 telephone usage charges. Amount owing under the previous account number, £0.
The bill under my new account number was for £28. This was a balance brought forward of £16.85 and a part months service charge. There was also a payment handling charge of £5. This was rectified with a phone call as the direct debit details should have been transferred. I was assured that the amount owing was £23. I explained my wife would call on payday (21st or 22nd) to pay this amount with a debit card and would at this point set up the direct debit.
On the 18th of July an unexplained £25 left my wife’s account via direct debit. I called and after many frustrating transfers and having to explain my story again and again I was told that someone from another team had authorised this payment without reason and this wasn’t correct, I should NOT have had the money taken. What was referred to as a ‘triple CS’ complaint was raised and I was told I’d be contacted within 24hr. The gentleman I spoke affirmed “they have to respond within 24 hours, if not I’ll call you myself on Saturday”. Obviously as I have not heard anything over the last 3 weeks we took the money back ourselves via the direct debit guarantee.
My wife called as planned and paid the bill with a solo card and setup the direct debit. We received a letter confirming the direct debit was setup.
Today I again receive two bills. One under my old account of £1.01 for telephone usage stating, “we look forward to receiving payment by 27th August”. The second for £64.35 stating “Thank you for paying your last bill. The bill is for information only. The ‘Amount due’ will be collected by Direct Debit on or just after 22 August 2007”
First I call to inquire about the old bill. I’m told to ignore this, the account is closed and nothing is owed. Second I inquire why there is a balance brought forward of £38 on my current bill when my wife is adamant she paid the bill? We check with her bank and the money was not taken, though today on the phone two customer service representatives said they could see the amount had been taken. Eventually after another long phone call and explaining myself to 5 different people it comes down to.
-The amount was never taken for, because of this you must pay us £10.
-As the numbers on the bills don’t quite add up, you must been charged for itemised billing which you do not get, does not show up on your bill but still is added on. We will adjust this amount by £2 to reflect the fact you’ve been paying for it.
-The direct debit is still not set up, it will not be setup until the balance is cleared in full.
I have no idea what has occurred here but there is certainly a breakdown in communication. When my wife called to setup the direct debit and pay the bill that is what she did and believed she did. I cannot for the life of me understand why the money was not taken and why there is no note of her call on the account, though we setup the direct debit as we have a letter and a bill saying “the ‘amount due’ will be collected by direct debit on or just after 22 august 2007”. At this point my wife was NOT told the direct debit wouldn’t be valid unless the balance was cleared, I can only assume because we believed we’d cleared the balance there and then.
What I would like to resolve this would be some questions answered as well as the £10 late payment fee removed. I do not consider this fee valid in the slightest as me and my wife have made the effort to pay this bill and to do everything we can to ensure things go smoothly. We have been let down and disappointed with the service given and the sheer amount of varying opinions and stories we have been told. How can we be expected to trust a company who cannot get their bills correct and take money in error without explanation with financial details? Please reply to the following.
-Why was £25 removed from my wife’s account on the 18th of July?
-What happened to the complaint raised regarding this matter?
-Why was my wife’s payment not taken when she went through all the motions with your customer service agent? -Why was I charged for a service which was not shown on my bill for at least the last two months? A service which I never requested?
-How many months have I been paying for this 'itemised billing'? Just since I moved house? Or an extra £1 added on each and every month for the past four years?
When talking to customer services today I was told that as I was getting a good deal I shouldn’t complain about the £10 fee anyway. This is unacceptable. I expect a prompt written response. In this era of identify theft it is almost unbelievable a company would handle personal information and financial details in such a way. I feel let down and disturbed at the amount of mistakes made.
Regards,
Mr X X
My wife just emailed me saying.
Ummm... the date was in the middle of last month. They definitely said the
direct debit was fine and we even confirmed it would be going out starting
the 21st of this month... well, last month (which it hasn't) the last
payment that went out was the £25 which I got back from the bank on the 18th
of July.
I did get a reference number and I will try and find it tonight... I am sure
I know where it might be. They said everything went through and here was my
reference number, would I like anything else and I said yes... I would like
to set up my direct debit.
Yes, this has happened with NTL once before I think. But it was aaages ago.
So any advice from pros at complaint letter writing? Obviously I want this tenner taken off my bill!
oh god I'm going to be late!
NTL Please help me write a complaints letter! 
