Virgin Media / Advantis DCA

[whitsend]

About 13 years ago I had cable tv installed by Nynex, it was then taken over by NTL and I moved to their broadband service. Later when Virgin Media took over I found their service to be very bad, however I stuck with them a while until I had enough and moved to Sky. I had never signed a contract with Virgin or agreed any T&C's so I gave 30 days notice in writing as my old Nynex contract stated. Now I am being chased up by Advantis DCA for £190 that they say I owe Virgin when it was paid up to the end of the 30 days notice period, they even acknowleged me leaving with a phone call trying to change my mind and they let Sky take over the telelphone number, so I did not have to change my number. I have written back telling them I did not agree any T&C's with Virgin, but they wrote back saying they have put my account on hold for 21 days, but Virgin do not send out contracts, as most of their selling is done on line or over the phone, and I still have to adhere by what they say, but £190 is nearly 4 months of what I was paying, it must due to a cancellation fee. Is there anything I can do or should I pay it, even though in my eyes I do not owe them anything. If I had know about any of this I would have cancelled as soon as Virgin took over NTL.

[brokebutnotbeatn]

Wow. This must go back YEARS. It must be statute barred by now! When was the last time you paid anything against this account?

[whitsend]

Its about 5 years ago, but not quite statute barred yet.

[brokebutnotbeatn]

I would ignore Avantis or send the prove it letter, edited to suit, which you'll find in the library.

[whitsend]

I will ignore them for now, they must know they're on shaky ground putting the account on hold.

[Bazooka Boo]

Virgin Bledia, a bit like Shallowfax, are one of my many favourite circus outfits to deal with.

 

Did Virgin Bledia (VM) inform you that you owed them anything? or that they were passing it onto a tame inept DCA to chase? NO! of course not.

 

Check your credit file see what, if anything, is on there.

 

Ignore Advantis, the ONLY letter you ever need send these fools is http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/content.php?428-General-debt-letter-if-you-know-nothing-of-the-debt

 

Lodge a formal complaint with VM, it won't be answered, but just make it anyway and when they fail to reply within the 8 weeks they have to deal with your complaint, which they will, you can escalate above their heads to adults to deal with.

 

Keep a diary of events, keep copies of everything you send, when you sent it, and all letters you MUST obtain "Proof of posting".

[whitsend]

Thanks, I'll get that letter sent off, I send everything by UPS courier anyway as the only post office near us closed quite a while back, so everything is trackable.

[Bazooka Boo]

OK, let us know how you get on, you can lodge a formal complaint with virgin bledia online, this will go ignored also, so keep the receipt email you get saying they will get back to you in 3 days, they never do, and you can just repeat your complaint for 8 weeks then go to otelo and escalate it with them, showing them the evidence of the non correspondence from VM.