I moved home and Virgin want to start my contract from 0. Help!

[Heidi]

Hello,
I have a problem with Virgin media, and at the moment they are not being of much help. I don't know which ones are my options.

I started my services with NTL a year ago (for 1 year). Meanwhile Virgin bought NTL. So now I am a Virgin customer. I didn't get any notification of this change. I discover it some months later when I wanted to contact with NTL.

Last month I called Virgin, because my contract was due and I wanted to resume it:

Virgin: You can not resume it because your contract is due on February 2008
Me: But my contract finishes in September 2007
Virgin: No, because you moved home some moths ago, therefore you started a new contract
Me: How can this be? If when I moved home I was still with NTL and they didn't told me that I had to start a new contract. I didn't sign a new contract.
Virgin: Well, is in "term&conditions" in your contract
Me: The only contract I have signed is with NTL, wich is due on Sep 07. It didn't say on it that I will have this problem If I move home. I don't even have a Virgin contract. I will like to put a complain, please.
Virgin: (take my details)
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Last week I received a letter from Virgin with a new contract. In the first page says "sign and return". If I sign I will be "married" with them until next september.
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I call them again to know how my complain is doing because I have not heard a word from them. They just told me the answer is the contract they sent me, where I can read the "terms&conditions"
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Today I called them again to ask for an address to send a wrotten complain. I hope this time I will have a proper answer.
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Does anyone know where can I get the NTL "terms&conditions"? (I can't find my NTL contract)
Have you an idea of what can I do?

Thanks a lot
Heidi

[brundles]

I'm afraid it's pretty standard for them that if you setup at a new house it's a new contract. I think it's tied into the initial setup costs for the new installation rather than anything else.

That said, you don't need to renew your contract at the end of the year. Once the year expires you move onto a rolling one month notice contract rather than being tied in for another year. Unless there is something you particularly wanted (i.e. a change in services) it's not worth agreeing to tie yourself in for another year - Virgin won't give you anything for it.

[v0id]

I don't see a problem if you've no wish to completely cancel your service(s) with Virginmdia :/

[Rob]

Most contracts will just roll over from month to month after the initial 12 months minimum period. They might only start a new contract where there is a significant change such as installation of a new piece of kit. You should be told if that applies.

The rebranding of ntl to Virgin Media did not affect your length of minimum contract.

If you are within you 12 month mimimum contract and wish to move, Vigin Media (ntl) are not obliged to let you cancel that contract at your current house. However, it makes good sense for them to do so, as a gesture of goodwill, as they lock you into a new 12 month minimum at your new address.

[Heidi]

First, thanks for the answers. Secondly, I'm not an English native speaker, so excuse my mistakes and misunderstandings.

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"Most contracts will just roll over from month to month after the initial 12 months minimum period."
- Wich one is the initial 12 months period? The only one I signed that finishes now OR the new one, they say started when I moved into this house? If by law is like they say (when you move home you loose you previous contract and start a new one) is the not something wrong that no one told me this or gave me a new contract to sign?

"They might only start a new contract where there is a significant change such as installation of a new piece of kit. You should be told if that applies"
- The only change I have had is moving home. And was still with NTL. They came, made instalation in my new home and left. No mention of new contract starting from cero. I still have the NTL equipement at home. It's not even Virgin's.

"If you are within you 12 month mimimum contract and wish to move, Vigin Media (ntl) are not obliged to let you cancel that contract at your current house. However, it makes good sense for them to do so, as a gesture of goodwill, as they lock you into a new 12 month minimum at your new address."
- My question is: Doesn't anyone tell you that as you moved home you will have to start a new contract? Don't you have to sign a new contract? How is this posible? How can I have a contract signed by me that says the finish date is this month but this doesn't applies? How can they have a new contract without my knowledge or sign? Is this really legal?

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"I don't see a problem if you've no wish to completely cancel your service(s) with Virginmdia :/ "
- Sorry about misunderstanding. I want to completely cancel my services with Virgin.

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I'm afraid it's pretty standard for them that if you setup at a new house it's a new contract.
- So for Virging doesn't exist "I'm moving home and I'm moving my services with me"? For them is more like "You are moving home = you are starting your services from cero."
Is this true? How horrible of them!

That said, you don't need to renew your contract at the end of the year. Once the year expires you move onto a rolling one month notice contract rather than being tied in for another year.
- At the end of wich year? The year I started a year ago? Or the year since I moved onto my new home?

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As you can see Im still lost and confused. If you have any more ideas I will be very happy to hear them.

Does any one have a copy of the NTL "terms&conditions"?
Because I never heard while with NTL about this moving home=starting new contract thing. I belive it's a new Virging thing. But how this applies to me if when I moved home I was with NTL not Virgin??

Have anyone have had this problem before?

For me has been a big surprise, because I was expecting to move into a friend house this month. I have been waiting to finish "my contract" before moving, because my friend already has internet connection. And when I called them to let them know I don't want to renew my contract and they told me this....

[brundles]

If you want to cancel your VM services then they will take the contract starting from when you moved in February.

You could try arguing that nobody told you about the new contract but they tend to be pretty stubborn about this sort of thing.The only other way would be to downgrade to the minimum package and then just pay that off.

Out of curiosity (if you don't mind) why do you want to cancel?

[Rob]

You should have been told the contract would have restarted. If you weren't told you will have to argue that with Virgin Media. That won't be easy.

Regretably few people actually seem to get bits of paper to sign. I signed for my initial installation, but didn't all those years ago when I upgraded to digital TV from analogue, effectively a new installation and thus probably a new contract, and again when I had broadband fitted. There will have been some correspondence by letter confirming those installation, but I'm not sure if that mentioned contract peiords. However the Virgin Media Web site does make it very cler that if I were to upgrade to a V+ STB I would enter a new 12 month minimum period. Realistically that is what I would expect.

You should be able to demand a copy of the old ntl terms and conditions to which you were signed. Alternatively you may find a copy buried in a web archive - try www.archive.com

[beeman]

Well legally unless VM has documentary evidence showing you (in FULL knowledge) agreed to a new 12 month contract (either a tape of the original telephone conversation when you requested the house move or a signed agreement) then you DO have a claim for mis-representation against VM, however going down this route can be quite time consuming. If you get no luck from VM you could always contact your local Trading Standards Office and argue your case with them.

[Heidi]

In the complain letter I will tell them that they don't have a "tape of the original telephone conversation when you requested the house move or a signed agreement" because it dosn't exist. I will explain the the whole situation. Aswell I will ask the for a copy of the NTL T&C.

I will wait for they answer and see how it goes. With them, every time I had a problem (many times) everithyng was soo tedious and dificult. If things look like it's going to take ages, I will try the idea of downgrade to the minimum package and then just pay that off.

I wanted to finish my contract because I have the oportunity to move onto an area closer to my work in a friends house. They have already internet conection and I will have to pay my bills there, so I don't want to pay for two internet conections. I have been holding this move for 5 weeks until I had finish my contract. But with this news that virgin says I have to stay until february my plans are not posible. Until I readed your recomendations and I will do as I say above and see how it goes.

Thanks everyone for your help offered!
I will post the final decision when Virgin answers me.

[tex]

hi there,
well when i moved house 9yrs ago i didnot have to renew my contract, mind you then it was ntl.
tex

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by Heidi

I started my services with NTL a year ago (for 1 year). Meanwhile Virgin bought NTL. So now I am a Virgin customer. I didn't get any notification of this change. I discover it some months later when I wanted to contact with NTL.

Virgin didn't buy NTL. After NTL and Telewest merged they bought Virgin Mobile and later rebranded the company to Virgin Media. The company became Virgin Media on the 8th Feb 2007.

[Graham M]

Originally Posted by DarthYoda

Virgin didn't buy NTL. After NTL and Telewest merged they bought Virgin Mobile and later rebranded the company to Virgin Media. The company became Virgin Media on the 8th Feb 2007.

Not only that, there was absolutely loads of hype and information about NTL/Telewest becoming Virgin Media, if you didn't see it, you must have been wearing a blindfold.

[popper]

Originally Posted by Heidi

In the complain letter I will tell them that they don't have a "tape of the original telephone conversation when you requested the house move or a signed agreement" because it dosn't exist. I will explain the the whole situation. Aswell I will ask the for a copy of the NTL T&C.

I will wait for they answer and see how it goes. With them, every time I had a problem (many times) everithyng was soo tedious and dificult. If things look like it's going to take ages, I will try the idea of downgrade to the minimum package and then just pay that off.

I wanted to finish my contract because I have the oportunity to move onto an area closer to my work in a friends house. They have already internet conection and I will have to pay my bills there, so I don't want to pay for two internet conections. I have been holding this move for 5 weeks until I had finish my contract. But with this news that virgin says I have to stay until february my plans are not posible. Until I readed your recomendations and I will do as I say above and see how it goes.

Thanks everyone for your help offered!
I will post the final decision when Virgin answers me.

so as far as your concerned you have passed the original 12month NTL contract term and want to now cancel.

have a read of this thread
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/34...el-page-4.html it might give you some insights

it will probably need another registered letter of your 30 days notice, but as you say, you can drop all your services to the lowest amount at an time so as to reduce outlays.

[mcles]

Your original contract will state that if you move home and take the services with you than you enter a new contract.

It is also confirmed in writing when you move.

Sorry, I know this isn't very helpful.

[Chris]

Just to avoid any possible confusion:

NTL and Virgin Media are the same company. All they have done is changed their name.