Virgin Media. Help please.

[Giltastic]

This was originally posted on the Consumer Action Group forum who put me on to this site for help. Any views?

I got caught in a bit of a tizz earlier.

I have had a cable telephone line for years and just over two months ago had a cold call asking me to upgrade to the £30 package so I get the television and broadband package.

It was verbally agreed over the phone that my existing direct debit would be used to cover all the services. I got a letter this morning suggesting that I had not been paying for my broadband and television and that they were charging me an extra £10 for non payment. I telephoned to dispute this. They said the direct debit had not been set up for the broadband and the television. They agreed to take off the £10 charge, but when I told them that the the agreement between Virgin Media and me was to have one direct debit payment, once a month, so they should just cancel the offending bill and add it to my existing DD, they advised they could not do this because if the "Direct Debit Guarantee". I have to make a card payment then they can cancel the extra bill and have one DD as originally agreed. I suggested that I had done nothing wrong and that they should be able to cancel the extra bill and add the cost to the direct debit.

The chap I spoke to was quite patronising and I got angry, it suddenly became a challenge to get them to change the billing to suit my convenience and to be as originally agreed.

Should I just pay the bill and put it down to a bad experience. I was told that my problem was a rare occurence and that they have over 7m customers so mistakes can be made. Are they in any breach of contract? I have had no problems with the television, broadband or phone, only with the offence of the standard penalty charge letter, the inconvenience of speaking to a robot with attitude for forty five minutes and my inept technique when it comes to complaining.

What do members think? Am I being over sensitive?

Since I posted this I have received a red bill and the £10.00 charge has not been removed. Can I close the account without having to pay the cancellation fee? At the moment all I want is to have Virgin Media fix their mistake. Am I asking too much?

All help gratefuly received.

ps

Is it coincidence that the television package is not working this morning? Stuck on one channel.

[lostandconfused]

it is likely that you are going to have a seperate bill for BB. i would sugest calling to pay the blanace and try to get the late payment charge removed again.

They cant be put on one bill at the moment as they are different systems. I wouldnt have thought the fact that they are on seperate bills would mean you could cancel early as the total amount is correct?