Telewest (Now Virgin Media)

[skyeley69]

As shameful as it is to say this, me and my partner have not been able to keep a track of personal finances over the past few years and as such have incured the late payment charge on more than one occasion from Telewest. I called just now to ask that they send me out a full list of bills from the time we have been with them, to be told that they were going to charge me £10 per bill (the gentleman on the phone confirmed that there was over 59 bills to our account i.e.£590)

He then went on to say that he could email them to me free of charge so i asked him to email all 59 of them over to me, he then put me on hold and came back saying his supervisor said he was only allowed to send 6 months previous out, so i settled for this, after requesting that he send these out, he changed his mind and said as we had changed our billing adress 2 months ago he could only send out those 2 bills. After being fobbed off again, i finally settled for these 2 only to be told that thier email server would be down until Feb 13th.

After this he then reiterated that i would be able to get all the bill copies from the complaints department for £10 each. So i made comment like "its okay, ill claim that back too" he wasnt impressed and gave me the address, and i took his name too for reference.

Should i persue this? as i think 59* £4 non DD fee + all the £10 late payment charges should be amounting to about £400 total and moving into a new house soon, this money could be really helpful.

Advice, Comments, warnings welcome!

Regards Skye

[buzby]

Noooo!

Send a Subject Access Request. This may cost you £10 but they have to send you copies of EVERYTHING. What a bargain. Once you have this, calculate your overpayments then hit them where it hurts!

[skyeley69]

Ive sent the Subject Access Request, so im now just awaiting a response. Sent scottish power one at the same time (wonder who will win on the speedy front)

[blacksheep1979]

I wouldn't claim the £4 non DD charge as they will come back with either it does cost them more (still kinda claimable) or that it is a discount to the DD payers - not a charge to non DD payers.

[Bookworm]

Then you would be mistaken.

Their T&Cs clearly describe the £4 (now gone up to £5) as an added charge for non-DDM customers, not a discount to DDM payers.

Unless they can show it costs them that much to process a non DD payment (which they'll be hard put to do compared to say, a BACS/standing order payment), it is absolutely right to go after them for that, as it is quite clearly un unfair term, creating a significant imbalance, as it were, towards the customers who do not want to pay by DDM.

[skyeley69]

I am claiming it all back... could really use either the money, or the credit on the bills for the next few months, as we are moving u see, so im being ruthless...

just called NatWest to offer them £1 a week on my £1328 overdraft, and just called Ebay to offer the £5 a week on the £72 i owe them, ebay happy, NatWest are whining, but i told em i aint payin anything while the amount owed is in dispute, they whined more, i went away happy that i'd riled them up enough for now

[shayna32]

Hi Skye good luck mate but can i ask what a Subject Access Request is and where do i get one from as i'm in the same position as you i'm afraid and have incurrred lots of late pament charges plus the non dd fee every month.

Have to say i think this is ridiculous this month as i get my bills vis email and this month due to the chnage over from telewest to virgin the e-bill system was down so my bill came late and then i was charged

[bazak1]

for an S A R, go to the templates library, data protection, (approx the tenth one down the list, Subject Access Request ). it clearly defines the law regarding them having to send you the statements you have requested ( up to a certain amount ) and the fact that you only have to pay £10- for all of them, not singularly like telewest have tried to do with you. have a look, it makes very interesting reading. if you do need to send one, have a good look around this site, including the F A Q's. get yourself a bit of knowledge, follow the advice and you should be ok. good luck.

[shayna32]

Thankyou i'll get on to it

[MARTIN3030]

Originally Posted by blacksheep1979

I wouldn't claim the £4 non DD charge as they will come back with either it does cost them more (still kinda claimable) or that it is a discount to the DD payers - not a charge to non DD payers.

Its a penalty charge...they DO say its something that costs them more but REFUSE point blank to disclose the figures.
CLAIM THEM ....I did and got the money back !

[mo]

what address did you use to send your Subject Access Request?

[buzby]

Customer Contact Centre
Virgin Media
Wythenshawe.
Manchester.
M22 0BA

[mo]

thanks,are they not telewest now?

[buzby]

Nope - NTL took over Telewest last year, it became ntl:Telewest. Last month the whole company rebranded as Virgin Media.

[i_spam]

sEND THEM A Subject Access Request TO :


ntl/telewest
Customer concern
Po box 333
Ntl
Matrix court
Swansea
Sa7 9bb

YOU SHOULD GET A REPLY WITHIN 10 DAYS AND ALSO SOMEONE WILL PHONE YOU UP AND TRY AND HAGGLE BUT TELL EXACTLY WHAT YOU THINK AND KEEP THEM ON THE LINE FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE. !!!

[buzby]

As noted earlier, NTL Telewest is no more.

[MARTIN3030]

See stickie for VM contact info.(A Data Protection Act should go to Registered office and its in London)
Ray thanks for the input there too.