Why has Virgin Media charged me for a month’s phone bill? I’ve cancelled my contract!

I left Virgin Media on 18 August after the requisite month’s discover. My remaining cellphone and web invoice ought to have lined 6 days from 13-18 August, as an alternative I used to be introduced with a invoice for £148.14 overlaying the interval 13 August to three September.

Once I queried this I used to be instructed I wanted to make a month’s full fee and that after 31 days Virgin would refund something owed.

I mentioned I used to be not ready to do that and paid £20.44 by cellphone for the 6 days I owed. I cancelled my direct debit on the identical time. 

Regardless of contacting Virgin on a number of events by way of on-line chat and the cellphone, I’ve been unable to acquire an accurate remaining invoice.

I’ve now had an additional request for £148.14 from Virgin. Anon, by way of electronic mail

Angharad Carrick of This Is Cash replied: I’m sorry to listen to about your expertise with Virgin Media. As a loyal buyer for eight years, this isn’t the way in which try to be handled if you cancel a contract. 

To be slapped with a £148 invoice you understand you need not pay, in a price of residing disaster no much less, should be extraordinarily irritating.

Sadly, you are not alone with regards to having some problem with cancelling your Virgin Media contract.

In July, Ofcom opened an investigation into Virgin Media following related complaints from clients who mentioned the corporate made it troublesome to cancel its companies.

Some clients say they’ve struggled to get by way of to an agent whereas others mentioned they needed to make prolonged and repeated requests to cancel.

Fortunately you had been in a position to cancel the contract with minimal fuss, however you had been nonetheless handed an enormous invoice, regardless of paying for what you had used.

I perceive the explanation you determined to go away Virgin Media was as a result of the price of your package deal was attributable to enhance considerably, and you were not completely satisfied together with your wifi sign dropping.

Anybody trying to cancel a Virgin Media contract, ought to be conscious that it does cost an early disconnection payment if you happen to’re in your ‘minimal interval’. Usually that is agreed at first of the contract and may vary between 6-24 months.

The payment won’t be greater than the costs you’ll have paid for the companies for the rest of the minimal interval. 

Nevertheless, given you have got been with Virgin Media for eight years – 4 years at your present tackle and 4 years at your earlier tackle – it’s unlikely that the rogue cost is an early disconnection payment.

In actual fact, if you queried the invoice, which ought to have lined the ultimate six days from 13-18 August, as an alternative you had been introduced with a invoice that lined the interval between 13 August and three September.

Once you requested Virgin Media why that they had included the times from 18 August to three September, you had been instructed you wanted to make a month’s full fee and after 31 days, Virgin would refund something owed.

Given you had already paid the quantity you had used, and also you didn’t have to pay every other charges, I requested Virgin Media why it had requested for the remainder of the cash.

You then obtained had a cellphone name from Virgin Media who you say apologised profusely for the way in which that they had dealt with the termination of the contract.

Somebody from the workforce instructed me that payments are robotically generated and in your case, the payments had been generated in direction of the top of every month, and paid on or across the 14th of the month.

It meant that your remaining invoice was generated in late July which got here to £148. Nevertheless, Virgin Media admits that one in all its brokers made a mistake and the ultimate invoice ought to have been amended as quickly as you mentioned you had been leaving.

If a buyer pays greater than their remaining invoice by way of direct debit, their account might be in credit score and Virgin Media will refund any steadiness to them inside 45 days of the account closing.

A spokesperson mentioned: ‘We’ve got spoken with [the customer] on to guarantee her that we’ve got obtained her £20.44 fee as her remaining. [They do] not have to pay something additional and we apologise for the error.’

Have you ever had a problem with Virgin Media when making an attempt to cancel a contract? Get in contact: [email protected]