When a Virgin Media salesman called at my home, I told him I was with EE. He said the contract was null and void as EE had been bought by BT, and persuaded me to sign a contract costing £10 a month more than EE.
I then discovered my EE contract was live and I would have to pay a £118 early termination fee. EE has been excellent and waived it, but when I rang Virgin to ask about its complaints procedure, I was kept on hold so long I used £20 credit on my phone. As a pensioner, I can’t afford multiples of £20, so I’ve had to let the matter rest there. DH, Lichfield
This appears to be an unpleasant example of a salesman taking advantage of an older customer. You were sold a 12-month contract for 50Mb broadband and telephone and, after investigating at my behest, Virgin discovered you were also signed up to a £6 sim-only deal on the same day. You say you have no idea what a sim deal is.
Virgin says it has no record of your conversation with the salesman so can’t verify the details, but as a goodwill gesture it will apply a retrospective £10-a-month discount to your bill to match your deal with EE and refund the money you have paid for the sim. It adds: “We apologise for the confusion and as a gesture of goodwill have applied a further discount to the account so he’s now paying less than EE’s cheapest broadband package.”
Be wary of signing any contract if cold-called by phone or in person.
If you need help email Anna Tims at your.problems@observer.co.uk or write to Your Problems, The Observer, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU. Include an address and phone number. Submission and publication are subject to our terms and conditions
