The Great Virgin Media Rip Off

[Avesovum]

Hi All,

 

I am in rental accomadation and the landlord wants it back.

 

I informed virgin media that i will be moving home and would like my services transfered to my new address. When they checked my new address they said we cant cover that house as we dont have telephone lines going to it. I did a postcode check on there website and to my astonishment there telephone lines were only installed upto house number 112 and my new house number is 224 on the same street.

 

Then they said as you are on a 12 month contract we will have to charge you £75 for early disconnection but if you take our broadband through BT we will waver that charge. "I was gobsmacked" So im having to pay £75:mad: because virgin cant supply me with the services that I want. This sounds like unfair trading practices and down right blackmail. Has anybody else had this done to them. P.S. I have been a non stop virgin customer for over 12 years now so loyalty doesnt exist with Mr Branson aarrggghhh.

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

You've got a choice of either paying £75.00 and walking away or switching to Virgin Media National.

[buzby]

Or asking your landlord to pay you to abandon your contract. He might if your relocation was unplanned.

[indebtstudent]

As far as I can tell Virgin have a unique approach to business. Instead of trying to make money from offered decent prices and service they make enormous effort to come up with additional charges.

 

Hell it beats working for a living!

[buzby]

Hardly unique! This is the new trend in consumer commerce. And it's our job to stop them trying it on!

[Bookworm]

Got to agree with Buzby: just got notification from Orange that "as so many customers want itemised billing nowaday", they'll be charging me an extra £1.47/mth for my bill unless I switch to online billing of course.

 

What is this trend where we get charged for their running costs???

[locutus]

Got to agree with Buzby: just got notification from Orange that "as so many customers want itemised billing nowaday", they'll be charging me an extra £1.47/mth for my bill unless I switch to online billing of course.

 

What is this trend where we get charged for their running costs???

Off topic but isn't that a material change to your contract?

 

Back on topic (well slightly) I don't think Mr B has anything to do with decision making, I think he holds a very small stake in the company, so you can't really blame the beardy one

 

Virgin have offered you 2 choices, you can either continue your broadband through a BT line or you can terminate it and pay an early termination fee.

 

The problem VM have here is to continue your contract as it stands now means digging up roads and extending fibre optic cable for about 56 house lengths. Unless the government fund this sort of thing houses like your new one are likely to stick to the twisted copper wires that BT use.

[buzby]

What is this trend where we get charged for their running costs???

 

It is THIS we have to eradicate. The fact consumers are being held to be liable for all sorts of charges that were previously the 'domain' of the supplier, shows how 'outsourcing' has given them the mindset to try it on. And the courts aren't falling over themselves to protect us from it.

 

Now that I think of it, neither is the present government. Remember when BT would come and fix a fault with a smile because it was 'covered by your rental'? Now, we have battled over where the fault lies, and if in 'your' wiring (wiring that they probably installed) you get hit with a 3-figure bill that a standard tradesman could probably fix for 80% less - if given the chance.

 

We're being shafted, but because the process is so gradual, people accept it as the 'norm'. We need to do all we can to reverse this and support compannies that are fairer to their consumers. Stuff 'Fair Trade' nonsense being just for farmers. Consumers need it too!

[locutus]

The Boiled Frog

 

They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water,

it will leap out right away to escape the danger. But, if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant,

and then you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling,

the frog will not become aware of the threat until it is too late.

The frog's survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes.

[buzby]

Just as well I'm called Buzby and not Kermit...!

[locutus]

that is fortunate as the government think we are muppets