@virginmedia Anyone know whats going on with virgin changing billing dates ?

[theshuffler]

Hi

anyone else recieve a letter from virgin about changing billing dates?

 

 

below is the text from the letter .

 

 

they now want me to pay in advance for my services and according to their website it doesnt give me the right to opt out of the contract without paying fees .

 

 

Anyone with any thoughts ?

I cant really get my head around it ,

and they say they are doing it because some of their customers are confused,

I think lots are going to get confused.

 

We wanted to let you know about some important changes were making to the way your billed

.Please take a few moments to read this letter so you know what to expect

 

Were always looking to improve our service, so in October we are making some tweaks to our billing system that simlify the way it works

 

Some of our customers tell us they find it confusing that their billing date isnt the same day they get their monthly allowance of minutes texts and data.

With our new system were able to bring these two dates closer together , and hopefully make things more straight forward.

 

First things first you wont pay any more for your package than normal but you will have a new billing date .

This means your bill will arrive earlier than your used to, and will continue to arrive on ( or no earlier than ) this new date in the future.

 

So you can see exactly how the change affects your bill in the next three months have a look at this table

 

Allowance date 30 sep 2014 31 oct 2014 30 nov2014

Earliest bill date 10 oct 14 2 nov 14 2 dec 14

direct debit 24 oct 14 14 nov 14 16 dec 14

 

I wasnt confused before this but now I am

 

This is their FAQS on the subject

 

BILLING

 

 

All you need to know about Billing

 

Bill Change FAQs

 

1. I still don’t understand why my bill dates are changing, what does it mean to me?

Billing isn’t very exciting, but it doesn’t have to be confusing. In making the change to our billing systems, we are going to improve the way it works which means you will find it easier to know when you're allowances are added and when you’re billed for them. It’s a one-off change that we think will make things a bit simpler.

 

2. What is an allowance?

Your allowance is how many inclusive minutes, texts or data that are included in your tariff. It’s easy to keep track of what you’ve got or how much you’re using.

 

3. Why are you making this change now?

You’ve been telling us that billing isn’t as straightforward as it could be and some of you find it confusing as things happen at different times. So we wanted to take the opportunity to make the change as soon as possible.

 

4. What if I don’t want my dates changed? Can I undo it later?

Unfortunately not, but if you need to discuss this with us, one of our agents will be happy to discuss it further and see if we can do anything as an exception.

 

5. What happens if I change my tariff or upgrade?

If you change tariff or upgrade to one of our SIM Only packages after we’ve changed your bill date, the date your allowance gets added will change again. Don’t worry though, we’ll tidy this up by the end of this year without moving your bill date again.If you upgrade to anything else like another contract, it won’t.

 

6. Why am I being billed twice in a month?

Currently your bill date and refresh date have a significant gap between them. As we bring them closer together, this means that your bills will be produced in quicker succession so you may therefore get two bills and two direct debits in the same month. Don’t worry though we’ll only do this once

 

7. Are you allowed to do this, do I have the right to cancel my contract without penalty if I’m unhappy with the proposal?

From time to time we need to make changes to improve the experience all our customers get. If you were unhappy and wanted to leave without early termination fees that wouldn’t be possible. We’ve tried our best to give you the maximum warning to reduce any impact from this change and in some cases can discuss alternative solutions if there are no other options.

 

8. Is there any chance of a delay to when you make the changes, how will you let me know in advance?

Any delay is unlikely, but we would take steps to tell you by SMS if anything changes

 

9. Do I need to contact my bank if you’re moving my Direct Debit?

No, you won’t have to do anything, we’ll take care of all the details.

 

10. Since you’ve made the change I have two direct debits taking in the same month which I can’t afford, what happens?

If you find yourself in that scenario we’ll do our best to help by giving you longer to pay.

 

11. What is a refresh date? Will this change too?

Every mobile customer has a monthly date where your allowances are refreshed. This helps you track how long you have to use your voice, texts or data. Nothing changes, we’ll just be bringing the bill date closer so its all aligned around a closer period.

 

12. Will the change affect any promos or discounts I have?

No. These will remain on your account as normal.

 

13. If I receive two bills in a month will I pay more than I normally do?

No. You will receive two bills in a shorter space of time. Both will have a charge for your monthly allowance and any charges outside of this e.g. charges for using your phone abroad.

 

14. Will I get pro-ration on my bill?

No, you will not receive any pro-ration on your bill.

 

 

15. Why am I getting two bundle charges on one bill?

Some customers will experience this because you're bill date is being moved later so you will be billed as we apply your next bundle i.e. you will be paying for it in advance rather than in arrears. Therefore, for one month only, you’ll pay for two (the one from the previous month and the one for the following month).

[king12345]

Another scheme prone to the very usual 'admin errors' of VM which just by coincidence will inevitably result in customers being overcharged

[theshuffler]

I def smell a rat , but an elusive one