Virgin Media can’t decide if I’m in debt or owed hundreds!

I WAS paying Virgin Media £103.96 per month and knew this was very high so decided to leave. The retention team offered me a new deal at £56.62 per month, upgraded my internet and added 12 months of free line rental.

Then, £203.27 was taken by direct debit when I was on holiday. At the same time, I received a credit note for £299. Virgin said the £299 should have come off my invoice and that it would send a cheque.

I received the money owing on June 17 last year. Then, in August, I received a bill for more than £200, with a credit note in the background! The executive complaints team offered six months of free monthly service as compensation, which I accepted.

Then, from September to April, I had to ring Virgin with more problems — twice claiming back money: £269.89 in September and £192.01 in March.

I was at my wits’ end when I received a £399 invoice on April 8. I was initially offered a further free month, which was later raised to four months. I feel this is inadequate and we have reached deadlock.

Meanwhile, the retention team has now offered me a new deal at £67 per month, which I have accepted as my contract had gone up to £97. P. T., Greater Manchester. Phew! Reading your letter I felt like I had been transported back to the Seventies with esther Rantzen running us through a consumer saga on That’s Life!.

It’s one thing for a company to make a mistake. But to keep on making the errors, even when the executive office is involved, suggests someone, somewhere, is failing to pick up responsibility.

I must say I am rather surprised you stuck with Virgin. If I had received that service, I would have said thanks but no thanks to its new offer.

Going back, it seems your monthly charges were initially split over two statements rather than one. This was apparently a ‘systems error’ (code, I suspect, for some bumpkin pressing the wrong button).

Next, an ‘IT error’ (wrong button again!) meant the credit added to your account was not applied by the billing system. So you continued to be charged even though you were in credit.

Virgin has spoken to you about this and the money taken in error has been returned. It has now also agreed to give you an extra six months of free services — making 12 months in total.

In addition, it has applied other discounts, leading you to accept the new contract.

But perhaps best of all, it has created an entirely new account for you to ensure you won’t have any further issues, and it sends fulsome apologies for the difficulties you have had. I BOUGHT a condenser dryer from Argos for £233.99 in June last year. Even on a cool setting, it melted a mattress cover. At the beginning of August, I phoned Argos to complain and was put through to the manufacturer.

I was told an engineer would look at it, but that it would cost me around £100 if no fault was found. I was not happy as this meant it would be my word against theirs.

I phoned Trading Standards and was advised to send a registered letter to Argos stating my complaint and asking for a reply within 14 days. That was on August 7, 2017. I did not get a reply.

I tried using the dryer again and this time it melted two dressing gowns and a throw, putting the total cost of its damage to just less than £200.

We then had a family crisis, which took over, but still we needed to dry clothes so we were forced to buy another machine. We are £233.99 down. F. H., Oxford. wheN you buy something from a store, your contract is with the retailer, yet some insist on putting you through directly to the manufacturer and then attempt to ignore their responsibilities.

The law is clear. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, your rights are against the retailer, not the manufacturer. Goods should be of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. Your tumble dryer was neither.

If you discover a fault within six months of delivery of a product, it is presumed to have been there when you bought it (unless the retailer can prove otherwise). when I put these points to Argos, it referred to the manufacturer’s warranty. This is irrelevant under the act and is additional cover.

Argos agrees that you were not comfortable with the potential call-out fee. I wouldn’t have been either. As I explained to the retailer, a £100 charge feels like a strong disincentive to getting a potentially dangerous machine fixed.

Argos says that when you went back to its customer services team, you were asked to provide proof of purchase and any evidence of the fault and damage the product may have caused.

It says it did not receive this. You said you sent it by signed-for delivery. Perhaps Argos should search its post room.

Argos has now repaid you the cost of the machine and added £50 gift voucher as compensation. This won’t fully cover your losses, but at least you are rid of this dangerous tumble dryer.