Virgin changed contract terms without informing me - recourse?
So last fall I left the country for a little over a month and called Virgin to suspend my account. It was then they informed me the fee went from $5 to $15, so for someone who frequently travels out of town this was the first new mark against them.
Called up when I returned, and they told me it was impossible to go back on my plan, and that by suspending it, I was only able to get new ones, all of which were more expensive. I felt this was issue #2, since I told them that's what I intended to do, it would have been courteous to inform me that would be impossible when I first suspended the plan.
So they talked to the supervisor or some nonsense, and said "good news, we can get you basically the same plan, and it comes with a free phone." I asked them why I needed two phones, and also said presumably that would lock me in for years? I don't want that since I come and go a lot from the country. Asked for a discount since they were apparently willing to give me a free phone. They refused, so I told them I would be switching soon because I'm apparently paying for a phone I don't need regardless so you're over charging me as far as I'm concerned.
10 days later I switched to Public Mobile, and have had nothing but great things to say about them thus far.
I get a visa charge for like $60 in Jan for those 10 days of service (but no physical copy), and as per Virgin, waited 90 days because they said sometimes the final bill takes that long to settle. Finally called a couple weeks ago, and they say there is no mistake. The "basically the same plan" I switched to was a 2 year contract plan vs the bring your own device plan I originally had, and that included a $50 break fee. So hardly "the same plan" at all. I got somewhat worked up since I felt they had a duty to inform me of this as it was a particularly material change, something I never would have agreed to, especially since I knew I was on my way out, and as it was left after 10 days. They told me basically tough, that's the deal you agreed to. Despite being entirely over the phone, and no mention of differing T & Cs.
So I called Visa to initiate a charge back. This is where VM's scamming brilliance comes out. The 90 days they made me wait to get clarity for my final bill, is *also* the limit of time you have to initiate a charge back. Visa did end up giving me the money back from their own coffers since apparently I'm a good client, but frankly it isn't their cross to bear, $50 is a rounding error, and it's more about the fact Virgin lied to me, and that they're likely doing the same thing to other people who aren't in a position to wave off $50.
Any thoughts on ways to obtain satisfaction? Complaint to the CRTC? Challenge senior management to a duel?
Called up when I returned, and they told me it was impossible to go back on my plan, and that by suspending it, I was only able to get new ones, all of which were more expensive. I felt this was issue #2, since I told them that's what I intended to do, it would have been courteous to inform me that would be impossible when I first suspended the plan.
So they talked to the supervisor or some nonsense, and said "good news, we can get you basically the same plan, and it comes with a free phone." I asked them why I needed two phones, and also said presumably that would lock me in for years? I don't want that since I come and go a lot from the country. Asked for a discount since they were apparently willing to give me a free phone. They refused, so I told them I would be switching soon because I'm apparently paying for a phone I don't need regardless so you're over charging me as far as I'm concerned.
10 days later I switched to Public Mobile, and have had nothing but great things to say about them thus far.
I get a visa charge for like $60 in Jan for those 10 days of service (but no physical copy), and as per Virgin, waited 90 days because they said sometimes the final bill takes that long to settle. Finally called a couple weeks ago, and they say there is no mistake. The "basically the same plan" I switched to was a 2 year contract plan vs the bring your own device plan I originally had, and that included a $50 break fee. So hardly "the same plan" at all. I got somewhat worked up since I felt they had a duty to inform me of this as it was a particularly material change, something I never would have agreed to, especially since I knew I was on my way out, and as it was left after 10 days. They told me basically tough, that's the deal you agreed to. Despite being entirely over the phone, and no mention of differing T & Cs.
So I called Visa to initiate a charge back. This is where VM's scamming brilliance comes out. The 90 days they made me wait to get clarity for my final bill, is *also* the limit of time you have to initiate a charge back. Visa did end up giving me the money back from their own coffers since apparently I'm a good client, but frankly it isn't their cross to bear, $50 is a rounding error, and it's more about the fact Virgin lied to me, and that they're likely doing the same thing to other people who aren't in a position to wave off $50.
Any thoughts on ways to obtain satisfaction? Complaint to the CRTC? Challenge senior management to a duel?
