Bad Credit Agency

What can I do if Virgin Media report me to Consumer Credit Information Agencies as they threaten?

I had been requesting disconnection from their broadband services for weeks. Since their only response was to acknowledge the webforms and I hadn't been getting a decent service anyway, I cancelled the direct debit, owing them at the most a fraction of £18, although they hadn't credited my account for replacing a damaged modem cable as they said they would do. Any attempt to contact them always results in being referred to another department. They don't respond to my emails or letters. They seem to think I owe them £51 (I've asked for an itemised statement) and are threatening to disconnect my services (which is what I wanted) and report me to Consumer Credit Information agencies, which I don't really want. I have let them know how much I have spent on telephone calls to their technical support an on alternative dialup access and let them know that any claim they make against me will be met with a counter claim. If they report me do I have a right of reply?

Public Comments

1. That small amount of money won't kill your credit rating by any means... maybe swallow your pride and pay the bill???
2. Yes, you can reply. Ask in a written letter for an itemized statement.
3. Hello, (ANS) In my opinion if you want to be free from Virgin Media because the customer service & actual broadband service was so poor, then I would be very pragmatic and don't chase the claim with counter claim. I would just for the sake of getting my service moved to a better provider ASAP pay the bill and then the matter is closed & you can move on. **Its NOT worth the pure stress & hassle & anxiety for what £18 to £51 quid?? No! pay up and be done with them. **Plus if you get into a long complex argument over a relatively small amount of money it would hold up any migration you need to another ISP. **Its not worth the potential of may be having your credit history file damaged for that amount in my view. Hope that helps? Best Regards IR **PS: I can highly recommend Zen internet for excellent quality of broadband.
4. Do everything in writing from now on. And keep copies. They can and probably already have sent the information to the credit agency. Don't pay what you don't owe. Ask for the full itemised bill (assuming your in the UK quote the Freedom of Information Act, and Data Protection Act 1998 and state as you are putting it in writing, they have 14 days to send the requested information back to you). If they don't get back in touch, go to the financial Ombudsman. The liklihood of them ignoring it is slim, so you should get the reply you want. Once you have it you can then make a more informed choice as to whether you need to pay this money or not. Don't hold onto the fact that they 'said' they would credit you. These things often get lost in the system. If they have reported it to Exeprian/Equifax the only thing you can do is either pay in full, OR get them to contact either one back and inform them its a satisfied debt. This is the biggest problem with our credit recording. ANYONE can contact these companies & say you owe them money. And once its on there, it stays on for 6 years, unless you pay to have it removed. That also happens for someone at your address with a similar name (say you & partner are both S Smith, you will both show up on each record). All people living at your address n the past will be recorded too, unless to ask for a statement from them where you prove your lack of financial link to the person. Good luck with it!
5. Most of these sorts of letters from such businesses and big banks and similar such big concerns are generated by a computer and hundreds of such identical letters are sent out daily without any human involvement. Think this may well be the case with you, and if they did indeed do what they threaten, you might well be able to sue them for libel. The sole intention of these computer generated letters is to put unjustified pressure by scaring naive but innocent people that to avoid further stress and hassle, best to pay them something they may well not be entitled to, so as to further line the pockets of their Directors unjustifiably. One way would be to send them a letter by recorded delivery that if they do not respond to your valid complaints they will be not only be hearing from your Solicitors, but you are also in touch with a national newspaper who will highlight their misconduct, so their playboy Chairman may get some nationwide publicity he will not welcome. But perhaps rather than getting advice on Yahoo, I would advise you to see a Solicitor. A good firm will be able to advise you of the best way to hit back at the unlawful oppression of you through the Courts and start scaring them instead of them scaring you. If you do i think it is likely their whole attitude will become much more conciliatory and responsible towards you.