Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunderhead
As a customer, I was offered a "bundle" by an NTL customer relations/ retention representative, at a market-matching rate. I accepted this in good faith and I do not accept that this was any sort of "error" or "mistake." It was NTL's business process and they retained customers as a result.
VM are now trawling through these deals, reneging on them and then sending out dishonest letters, claiming that the deals were a billing mistake. Dishonest is the only word to describe the process and I would be ashamed to put my name to the letters carrying Trevor Elliott's name. The letters are undated, carry no return address and do not give details of the proposed revised charges. Does that sound like an honest, reputable way to conduct business?
An honest company would have been transparent and honest about what they were doing, and why they were doing it. The net result will be, in a few weeks time, that I will make alternative arrangements.
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And it is your right to find other providers if the changes Virgin are making are not to your liking
But again, they are a billing mistake. maybe a billing mistake instigated by an advisor, but a billing mistake none the less.
It was not ntl's business practise to offer discounts not valid for the services, and they did used to have data clense teams going through the accounts and correcting where they could, just the they were never that thorough, unlike the current teams.
I agree with what you have previously posted that verbal contracts are binding. But only within their own terms.
For instance, Virgin contract terms for anyone outside of the inital contract is 30 days (as was ntl's). If you want to terminate your contract you have to give 30 days notice. If you take on a change to a service its 30 days before you can remove it. If Virgin wish to change anything it is 30 days.
No offer ntl ever gave extended this rolling contract period beyond 30 days.
On the other hand, any deal Virgin give whether to new or exisiting customers, on the whole IS recontracting to a new contract. but even then it is a 12 month period, after which reverts to 30 days.
Since ntl has not existed for over 12 months, there would be legally no obligation for Virgin to continue with any price previously quoted, althought they have to give you 30 days notice (which is normally the bill) to change it.
If however, Virgin were to change a price quoted while you within a minimum 12 month contract, yes they would be breaking the law. But they would then
only have to honour the price to the end of the 12 months.
I again understand it is frustrating, especially if the level of discount you had was not that excessive.
In some instances though, ntl/Virgin have had accounts where they have been paying customers to take services, due to the level of discounts applied
The accounts clean up is going to take quite a while, but once it is done, Virgin's billing will be consistant, and based on a published list of bundles and discounts. Not the ex-ntl way of making it up as you go along