Fair Warning this is a very long post as I’ve tried to include all the details so as not to drip feed.
I’m looking for some advice on how to proceed with my Virgin mobile phone & contract.
On the night of November 23rd I went to bed, and authorised an iOS update to happen overnight. I plugged in my phone and went to sleep, when I woke up my phone signal was stuck on searching.
I phoned Virgin who told me there was a phone mast down in my area and that engineers would fix it soon. They gave me a month off of my phone bill excluding the cost of the phone.
I called again 2 days later and the person I spoke to said that I should have a physical sim as the esim can cause conflict so they’ll send me out one in 3 working days, and that just putting it in the phone should rectify the problem.
It took 7 days and didn’t work so I phoned again, the person I spoke to said it needed to be activated, which would take up to 24 hours. Still not working.
I ring again and the next person tells me again about the phone mast issue so I make a complaint and they arrange for a manager to call me back, I gave them DH’s number as mine can’t make or receive calls. No call happened.
I contacted apple through their chat service and they run diagnostics which show a hardware issue with the communications which means my phone needs a repair which could cost money.
I have insurance with Virgin so I call them again.I explained that the manager didn’t phone and there’s a fault with the phone, they try telling me again about the mast, but reiterate the phone fault. They say my problem has to be dealt with by a manager. This time they offer me a date & time for the manager to call and I make very clear to phone DH’s number. I had DH’s phone for an hour before and 3 hours after that time, nothing.
I tried my sim in DH’s phone and there is signal, and I could retrieve answerphone messages and texts.
I then went to Apple with my phone, they say that there was likely a weakness with that component on my phone and that when the updates happen they check each component in the phone and the stress of that may have overwhelmed that component and it broke. That piece of info isn’t in the report they sent me but it does state the issue and that my phone “shows no signs of misuse” with a description of the phone being without scratches etc. They also mentioned that had the phone only just been out of guarantee then they would’ve considered replacement but by this point it was 2 months past it, the fault happened 1 month after the guarantee had finished. Also if I had paid for Applecare instead of the insurance they would replace my phone free of charge but at this point I was advised to go back to Virgin as the repair would cost me over £300 through them.
I checked my insurance cover with Virgin who wish to charge £100 excess for (most likely) a refurbished phone. Bearing in mind, when I was sold the insurance by them it was on the key points of “ease” and “cheaper than replacing my phone” I have so far paid £170 towards insurance, and with the excess of £100 (total £270) I could buy a newer refurbished version of my phone through Amazon and then take their insurance which is £21 A YEAR and £50 excess, coverage is the same. Also, I’m still paying for my phone through the contract and they want me to send it back to them if they send me a replacement, which I presume they will repair and sell on (for the £100 excess) to someone else. I won’t be able to get Applecare with a refurbished phone so no guarantee of preventing it happening again.
I phoned again today at 11am and asked to speak to a manager as the issue can only be resolved by a manager. They refused, made me explain it all again and mentioned again the phone mast which I replied that my sim works in DH’s phone. They reiterated several times that they would “Make sure” the manager would call on DH’s phone by the end of the day (9pm) and after having DH’s phone with me ALL DAY, nothing.
When asked about the previous manager calls they’ve said “they couldn’t get hold of you” so they must be calling my broken phone every time.
They’ve also apparently raised a complaint each time and marked as urgent. Afaik I can’t go to the ombudsman unless I receive a deadlock letter which I presume is issued by a manager.
I haven’t been able to use my phone for calls, texts or data for nearly 2 months. I haven’t bought another phone because I thought throughout this whole time that it would be resolved soon. DH needs his phone for work and has to respond quickly so I can’t leave my sim in his phone.
I’m phoning back in the morning but I’m in despair not to mention the stress and anxiety I’m having about missing important calls and safety issues with not being able to make any, and there aren’t any pay phones near me either.
Again, any advice would be very appreciated 🙏