# General Business Category > General Business Forum >  virgin mobile

## murdock

i contacted virgin customer care 123 this morning to sort out my statement at 9 am...it is now 12.15pm and i still cannot get an answer from them...as i decided to change to prepaid from the date the contract expired...2 months ago.

one why they are still debiting my account for R209 for a contract (which they say is not a contract and still trying to figue out how a R199 contract all inclusive cost R209)

and secondly because thay are now billing me R696 for a handset buy out yet my contract has expired...finished...paid up...what ever you want to call it.

i have had enough so i decided to put a complaint on hello peter website...what a joke there are so many complaints about virgin mobile i decided not to waste my time...if anyone is stupid enough to take out a virgin mobile contract  after going onto hello peter website and reading how bad virgin mobile actually is then you must suffer for your own ignorance.

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## Dave A

> and secondly because thay are now billing me R696 for a handset buy out yet my contract has expired


WTF!  :Confused: 

Would this be for the phone they gave you for signing the contract?

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## IanF

Murdock,
You can ask your bank to reverse the debit order. Then you will get the call in 60 months about this from lawyers so just keep all the paperwork and write down times who called etc. to ward off the call from them. I would then also fire off a letter to them, explaining why you have reversed the debit order, email fax it and send it by registered post.

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## murdock

no...it would be the phone i have been paying for over a 2 year period.

the R199 top up deal was you get 199 "free airtime" but you pay off the phone interest free over the 2 year period...which you can buy out at any time because it is not a contract :Slap: whatever.

my phone was paid up 2 months ago...now the contract just continues because they are still loading the 199 worth of airtime which thay are deducting R209 for.

but the catch is i have to give 1 months notice...huh...i thought i never had a contract...and pay a R696.66 handset buyout to get out of the contract for the phone i have been paying off over 2 years...because i contacted them and told them i want it changed to pre-paid.

it was not ecr where i heard the ad for richard branson doesnt need your money its virgin customer care 123 where you hear it...how stupid could i be to have anything to do with a company where the owner doesnt need my money and expect to get service  :Slap: 

one of the reasons i went to vergin mobile was because nobody else could match their rates...well i must warn you understand (by this i mean read the document carefully) what you are getting into with virgin mobile before you sign up.

just remember if you go near a shopping centre (gateway ...pavilion etc)  you loose signal unless nobody in the building is using their vodocom or cell cell lines...virgin is at the bottom of the order...sometimes you get lucky and the phone works but as soon as the tower starts loading it drops your call  so effectively you pay more because you have to keep calling people back.

if you have a bussiness i would strongly advice you to stay away from virgin...customers get irrate when they try call you and your phone keeps switching them off or they cant get hold of you or the phone first makes an engaged sound then beeps like you have lost the call.

i just hope this threads helps someone else from having to go through what i have...i havent listed all the problems i have had with virgin mobile only a fraction...if you think this is a load cr*p go to hello peter website and look for yourself...virgin only has a 10 % customer satisfaction rate and a 90 % unhappy...makes you think.

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## murdock

> Murdock,
> You can ask your bank to reverse the debit order. Then you will get the call in 60 months about this from lawyers so just keep all the paperwork and write down times who called etc. to ward off the call from them. I would then also fire off a letter to them, explaining why you have reversed the debit order, email fax it and send it by registered post.


at a fee of R48.00 per time they have to reverse it...what they did last month was bill me R418.00 because i reversed the month before...now i fighting R418 instead of R209.

debit orders suck...the company you sign with can take any amount out your account whenever they please...then you have to fight to get your money back.

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## IanF

Murdock
That doesn't sound right surely you can block the company. I would try do that then write to VM and say this is what I have done what is the total I owe to migrate and give them a cheque for that and write on the cheque in full and final settlement. 
It is best to get away from negatives things like this quickly and get on with being positive about your business.

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## Dave A

> how stupid could i be to have anything to do with a company where the owner doesnt need my money and expect to get service


Classic!  :Rofl: 

Sorry - that one got to me (wipes tears from face and tries to get serious).



> at a fee of R48.00 per time they have to reverse it...what they did last month was bill me R418.00 because i reversed the month before...now i fighting R418 instead of R209.


You might want to read post 3 in this thread about debit orders. Some ways of dealing with this are better than others.

I'm still struggling with the handset charge - was it perhaps structured as a rental? If so, give it back instead of paying the R696.00.

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## murdock

just an update...i got a response today from lesley virgin mobile...they are saying that it was a mistake on their part but they will still debit my account for the R696.66 then give me a refund...and the other R209 that they will also be debiting from my account this month is for artime they loaded onto my phone at the begining of June...hello its the end of july this month they debited my account for R209 at the end of june for that airtime.

the thing that gets me really P*ssed off is why are they debiting my account for any amount i dont owe them any money...so why even debit my account then refund it at the end of this month...its just more fees for std bank and virgin mobile it like hold your ankles fool while we all take your money.

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## murdock

i have just received an email from lesley at virgin mobile advising me that i will not be billed and my account is sorted out and i am now  a prepaid customer  :Applaud: 

lets see what happens tonight with my bank account.

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## Dave A

Really pleased to hear that.  :Thumbup:

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## murdock

and just when i thought everything was sorted out...havent heard from them since this thread last year then suddenly out of the blue...i receive a summons today for an outstanding amount of R242.01...first correspondence since july last year...i have been a  prepaid customer.

this is why i dont give out banking details...sign any form of document be it an offer to purchase NOTHING.

I get calls from people wanting to verify personel details...I DONT GIVE ANY DETAILS OVER THE PHONE...if they want details no matter what...be it my home address or my home telephone number...if a company like standard bank or who ever a just updating details i go to the bank and fill in the form...so many people are getting caught by these updating details story on your cellphone...i have heard it becomes a legal recording which can be used against you...i might sometimes put the phone down then call the bank on the number i  am familiar with then update daetails...or when on the secure bank site fill out my detaill.

and as for virgin...i thought my sh*t was finished with them...i have been using my pay as you go with mtn again...without any problems.

the joys of having millions of customers on your data base...thngs are slow this month and you havent reached your target...just debit everyones account and the ones you have on the sysytem and walla couple million turnover...then see who complains and sort those who complain...i would love to know how much money is moved thru various accounts a month by "mistake" and at the end of the day the only one who always gets the short end of the stick you the customer...time wasted...fees charged etc etc...this is why i dont have any debit orders on any of my accounts...even my HP for my vehicle gets paid by eft...and boy have the bank tried to get this back on debit order.

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## tec0

I had similar trouble with MTN. This is what you do: get your contract printed out âit is on recordâ or if you have it even better. Then check the dates and make sure that it is expired and paid in full. Go to the bank get statements of all the Virgin Mobile transactions. 

Once this is done, contact Virgin mobile on E-mail only!!! This gives a written record of everything they claim. Once that is done go to a ârent a lawyerâ and ask him/ her to write a letter claiming fraud. Because that is what it is fraud, also the lawyer will make sure that the letter is delivered.

Give them a set date to respond. After this date has passed and they still want to play, go back to your lawyer and press criminal charges. But I never ever had to go this far. Normally after a letter from your lawyer they fix the problem and pay you your money back. 

If the consumer council is not on strike you can register a complaint with them, this just adds to the momentum and it is free.  :Smile:

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## flaker

All these service providers are bl   y same :Frown: . 
when i renewed my MTN contract i changed to a per second billing as i was told that this would be cheaper only to find that my month -end bill more than doubled. :Mad:  the F   cheek. when i delved further i discovered that the using that airtime that was credited at each month was just about a little less than 3 times telkom charge rate. so when i need to dial a mobile number & as am mostly at home i use the telkom line. any changes i would want to the present MTN contract would be a nightmare. i just know it. my a/c will be debited left,right & centre. you NEVER ever win with these guys. :Frown:

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## murdock

thats why i cancealed my contract...which wasnt a contract because it was virgin month to month...but it was a contract because i had to pay every motnth for the phone but its not classified as a contract because it is month to month should i go...OK you get the idea...the trick is not to buy an expensive phone unless you can afford to pay it off when you canceal the contract  :Big Grin: 

I save huge amounts of money being on pay as you go...cause i like to talk...as i am sure you have picked up by my long threads which just go on and on...but hey you dont like...dont read...with PAYG  the money runs out if you gewt carried away then the person phones back then you can talk as long as their airtime lasts  :Smile: 

i agree you never ever win with them...but boy are they making a killing out of us...bearing in mind they have millions os customers...one slip like a million people get over charged 1 rands...its like winning the lotto time and time again...you just keep holding your anckles and hope they use KY...and the goverments not complaining they are reaping the rewards too...hence the hush hush about the call rates

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## flaker

However Murdock,i must tell you that whilst the mobile bill has dropped to previous levels as has the usage as compared to the old free minutes contract,the telkom landline account has gone up a little,well slightly more than a little, but whose complaining. The arrangement in this household has always been that the spouse pays the landline bill  :Wink: .

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## tec0

E-mail on mobile works!! It is all I have to say on the subject. New phones make it easy and you can get a lot of info trough at a fraction of the cost! What I do is l load a small data bundle on my mobile and then I send e-mails rather than SMS because it is less expensive. A 1mb e-mail âText onlyâ Is massive compared to a R0.40 SMS...  :Wink:

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## flaker

> E-mail on mobile works!! It is all I have to say on the subject. New phones make it easy and you can get a lot of info trough at a fraction of the cost! What I do is l load a small data bundle on my mobile and then I send e-mails rather than SMS because it is less expensive. A 1mb e-mail âText onlyâ Is massive compared to a R0.40 SMS...


forgive my ignorance. are you suggesting that the message can be sent to a *mobile number*? i would have thought that a message sent via "e-mail" would be sent to an *email address*. 
thanks

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## tec0

> flaker
> forgive my ignorance. are you suggesting that the message can be sent to a mobile number? i would have thought that a message sent via "e-mail" would be sent to an email address.
> thanks


Right, firstly e-mail on handsets is not uncommon anymore. Fact nearly all my friends have e-mail on their phones. So if you know the person and he/she has e-mail capability you can enjoy the service. Secondly if you use MTN E-mail that is available to Pre-paid customers you will get notified if someone sends you an E-mail. 

The only drawback is if you donât use a Data bundle this can become expensive fast AKA R2 per 1MB!!! Data bundles are must to use this service properly. 

I think E-mail to phone numbers will be reality one-day but right now there is a mix of free e-mail accounts and so itâs not perfect... 

Also if you know the person then getting an e-mail address is as simple as asking. An SMS is faster but sometimes you are limited. E-mail can handle a lot of text so itâs worth doing if you have a lot of information you need to send out.

I know it wasnât the answer you where looking for but technically it is still early days. Mobile phones are getting better and the technologies are evolving so it is worth contacting technical support and ask what is possible.

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## murdock

i dont mean to be a pest with this but people...

BEWARE OF VIRGIN MOBILE...there accounts department are a few years behind...when they get up to speed you suddenly end up with money being debited from your account for amounts not even they can explain.

i have just been on the line to virgin mobile customer sevices...

what i didnt realise is even if you are a pre paid customer...you have to keep loading air time otherwise they bar your line...my question was then why dont i just get a contract and pay a monthly fee...the whole idea of pre paid is so i dont have to pay a month fee...

the idea of moving over to pre paid was so i wouldnt have to deal with the accounts department...but now reralised they are about 1 to 2 years behind...so even though i have been a prepaid customer i am now being summons for errors which they made more than a year ago...according to their accounts department at the time of transfer...my account was paid up in full before i could make the move...the other problem is nobody can give me a straight answer or produce an invoice...they are requesting that i send them all my documents to prove i dont owe them any money  :EEK!: 

you live and learn...thank goodness for internet and forums to help us decide who to deal with...before i deal with any company or lay out any money i do a google search on a company then got to hellopeter to check for unhappy customers...then after reading bad pubicity...if i get caught then its my own stupidity... :Chair:

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## IanF

Murdock
Tell them you are willing to go to court, can they send you the papers they will use to take this to court. Then write to the credit vetting agencies with a copy to Virgin Mobile that this is a dispute which is going to court so they won't list you.
They are the ones who need the paperwork if they are taking the matters forward.
That is my layman's advice.

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## tec0

All you need is your bank statements your contracts must be on record âYES it is a legal requirement to keep recordsâ Know that you have the right to these records as they are technically your agreements with this company.

If they cannot or will not produce the documents you can request an E-MAIL stating the reasons why they cannot produce the documentation in question. This E-MAIL must then find its way to your lawyer along with your bank statements. 

IanF is correct; it will be wise to follow his advice. 

In the end Virgin Mobile will find that withholding information is the worst thing they can be doing at this point in time. Explain everything in to your lawyer. Give him ALL the information and take them to court. 

If you think this is over kill then ask yourself this: Is my good name worth it?

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## murdock

now just too p*ss on my battery they have just sent me an email stating that i did not pay the last month of my contract which wasnt a contract...blah blah...now heres the joke it was a debit order...i havent got time for this...but will look at my bank statement s soon...my question would be why didnt they debit my account for the last amount considering it was on a debit order...so whos fault is that...my contract was changed to prepaid from the 1 june...one months notice would mean end of june would be the last payment which it was yet there is a summons for outstanding payment end of july...

the joke is its always us the customer who suffers because for something which was resolved last year in june already...now i must waste my time going through all my paper work to find this info to sort out some thing they cant get right...at whos cost? it cheaper for me to pay R300 than spend 3 hours sorting this out....and if i dont my name goes down the sh*t shoot again

my name has been cleared for a couple of years and even got my credits up at the bank(i verified this with the bank manager gone from a 2 to a 6 in less than a year) due to my brilliant management of my money affairs...i dont need this in life again.

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## murdock

clearly richard branson is making so much money he can afford to have a companies in south africa... :Shutup2:

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## Dave A

:No: 

Sterkte, boet.

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