Virgin Media cuts off phone (baby due)

[NetworkGuy]

Just been listening to a piece on BBC R4 You and Yours about the (poor) handling by Virgin Media where a woman, planning to have a home delivery, days away (end of last week, baby still awaited today) found her line was not allowing outgoing calls.

Found out that Virgin Media had "disconnected" the phone service (999 calls only) because of "high usage". VM says it is to protect customers.

When interviewed the lady explained that she needs to be able to ring her husband and/or midwife, has always paid bills on time, and found that because of higher than usual numbers of calls (to the same regular destinations, not abroad, not lots of different numbers) VM chose to block her calls.

When she complained, explaining need to call midwife in anything from next 10 minutes to 2 days, VM says they had tried to call (she has no missed calls) and that reconnection takes a day as VM sends the request to Openreach.

VM demanded 75% of the current bill to be paid before they would reconnect the line (sounds like blackmail!) and then explained they send the request on so reconnection takes up to 24 hours.

It appears even after VM had requested reconnection, Openreach (part of BT handling all phone lines for all networks) didn't connect her next day anyway! They didn't answer the question about why it took longer, just had a dig at VM's choice to disconnect customer.

Customer found she would be charged 180 pounds if she wanted to cancel VM service, so is stuck with them until end of 12 month contract.

Sorry for duplication of explanation about the 24 hours - but for the mum-to-be that was one of the most frustrating aspects.

As some other listener said via the radio programme, it's none of VMs business about how many calls one makes, and you should not need to 'warn' VM that you will be making more calls just so they don't cut you off 'just in case of fraud'.

Posted as I felt VM users should be warned about this silliness, before they, too, find they have their phone service 'blocked' unexpectedly!

I didn't hear that segment, but did hear a later comment from another listener, who used to work for a mobile phone company, who said that they used to monitor clients' phone usage and flag up anything unusual - a sudden increase in calls or unusually high cost calls etc, so they could pick up on fraud before things got too bad.

That said, of course Virgin Media should have contacted the woman before blocking outgoing calls from her phone.

Didn't hear the segment, but it sounds like a lack of communication .... ironic as this is their business !!

Somehow, I can see VM's POV, but it was shabby service ...

I can perhaps understand it if the calls had been from a mobile phone, ie something which can be swiped from a bag or desk, but from a landline it's a whole different story.

Not like there were lots of calls abroad, or to some 09xxx phone sex line running up a big debt, or someone with poor credit history with them, making lots more calls.

I think if someone broke a leg, or was confined to the house for a period of convalescence, the number of calls could go up, but I'd never expect BT or any other phone company to block calls being made.

I expect the next time it happens will be when someone has a relative either go into hospital abroad, or be arrested, and the family in the UK will make a load of extra calls abroad, then VM will try to contact them at some random time, perhaps not speak to the account holder, and decide unilaterally to stop calls.

Fortunately for me, I make my calls using 1899.com and pay for them when the bill hits 2 or 3 quid (each call casts only 5p, to 01/02/03 numbers). I don't get any calls billed by BT except the free weekend ones (I have to make 10 calls a month, as they installed the line for free, so only use BT at weekends for free 0845/0870 calls, and 01/02/03, and only to make up the numbers of calls!)

The question is, at what stage do you want them to 'step in' and ask about calls. When the number has hit 50 or something? Or when the bill so far that month has gone past 50 quid?

Only this year (after high roaming charges for years) has the mobile industry put a limit of 50 Euros on calls from your mobile, from Europe, unless you request a higher limit in advance.

In the one case it has taken years to get to some way of warning (mobile) customers against phone charges "running away" while for landlines, we have (for years) had the option of barring premium rate calls, but to have some software detect a rise in call numbers and not just create a 'warning letter' for the customer rather than suggest they have calls blocked is, to my mind, a step too far.

Surely if someone lost they job and started making enquiries with lots of different firms and agencies, suddenly making a major change in calling pattern from evenings only to daytime too, you would not think it sensible to block their calls.

Would love to know just how much had been spent by the woman expecting her baby - perhaps it was a result of her calling her husband on a mobile and that being charged at a high level (some indirect access firms charge 10p/min, my Asda PAYG costs 8p/min to mobiles, and Tesco mobile charges 6p/min if you pay 6 quid a month for their 'PAYG' SIM... academic for the pregnant lady as she has no mobile coverage at home, I think)

I didn't listen to the story but this happened to me too. I run a business from home and so the telephone is vital. I changed my direct debit date so the timings were out for a month so I went over my credit limit.

I didn't know that there was a credit limit never mind that I was over it. I only knew I had been barred when I phoned to report that my phone wasn't working. They never phoned me to tell me any of this. I was livid.

I had to pay a percentage of it to bring it under the limit (don't know the exact percentage) so they would lift the bar. Service was resumed the same day.

The thing that annoyed me most was that they didn't call me to warn me first. They said they didn't but I had no missed calls and I'm at home all day.

For anyone wanting to listen, it was one of the first items on air today.

How stupid. I use my landline less than once a week, so would they block me if I decided to go mad and use it 3 times a week? None of their business really, I suspect it was an 'unlimited' call package and they decided she was using it too much.