I have had appalling service from this company. My broadband connection simply stopped working four months into a one-year contract. After numerous phone calls to their premium-rate number nothing was any better. Here's my recommended strategy for dealing with them.
If they haven't solved the problem within a few calls save your money: give up! They're not going to fix it. I signed up with another ISP via my BT line within a week of Virgin messing up because I couldn't afford to be without a connection. Then start writing brief letters of complaint to Virgin. They won't reply. They don't like letters because they take time to answer and they can't charge you a premium rate for dealing with them. Their failure to reply to complaints made in writing puts them in a very weak position. Carry on paying their direct debit, because they will start threatening you with credit blacklisting if you stop. After two complaining letters with no response write them a brief letter giving them 14 days to return the charges you've paid for broadband and premium rate calls telling them you'll claim them back in the small claims court if they don't. Don't bother ranting in the letters, I don't believe anyone actually reads them! They won't reply to that either. Issue a claim via "claims online", the small claims website. It will cost you £30 in court fees which Virgin will have to repay. When court papers land on their desk they finally sit up and take notice. The matter gets passed to their legal department who will see the unanswered letters of complaint, realise they don't have a chance and authorise payment without you needing to take the court claim any further(and also in my case cancel the remaining period of your contract).
In short:
-The only way to get them to engage with you is via their legal department.
- Don't just stop paying the direct debits. That doesn't get them to address your complaints. They'll just send more standard letters and pass the file over to debt collectors.
If anyone wants any more information my email address is bethnal_green@hotmail.com
If they haven't solved the problem within a few calls save your money: give up! They're not going to fix it. I signed up with another ISP via my BT line within a week of Virgin messing up because I couldn't afford to be without a connection. Then start writing brief letters of complaint to Virgin. They won't reply. They don't like letters because they take time to answer and they can't charge you a premium rate for dealing with them. Their failure to reply to complaints made in writing puts them in a very weak position. Carry on paying their direct debit, because they will start threatening you with credit blacklisting if you stop. After two complaining letters with no response write them a brief letter giving them 14 days to return the charges you've paid for broadband and premium rate calls telling them you'll claim them back in the small claims court if they don't. Don't bother ranting in the letters, I don't believe anyone actually reads them! They won't reply to that either. Issue a claim via "claims online", the small claims website. It will cost you £30 in court fees which Virgin will have to repay. When court papers land on their desk they finally sit up and take notice. The matter gets passed to their legal department who will see the unanswered letters of complaint, realise they don't have a chance and authorise payment without you needing to take the court claim any further(and also in my case cancel the remaining period of your contract).
In short:
-The only way to get them to engage with you is via their legal department.
- Don't just stop paying the direct debits. That doesn't get them to address your complaints. They'll just send more standard letters and pass the file over to debt collectors.
If anyone wants any more information my email address is bethnal_green@hotmail.com