Virgin Media forces me to accept Spam

I tried to log into my Virgin Media account today to pay my monthly bill. I was greeted by a page that said VM wanted to confirm my details.
Unfortunately, after confirming account details it was impossible to access your account unless you agreed to your account details being passed to other companies. There was no chance of an opt out.
I tried calling customer service and got the normal runaround. Apparently I am the only one to complain? Can this be true?
Full details at http://vmspam.blogspot.com/

I'd recommend you blank your e-mail addy in that blog. It would be ironic if you got excessive spam due to that.


With regards the VM spam, I would have a good look at your original contract with them regarding third party disclosure if any, and see what's what. Perhaps by signing up you have agreed in some way to disclosure (albeit, Virgin third party companies).

Thanks for the advice regarding the email address camieabz, however, that is just a throwaway address.
Regarding my original contract I will indeed have a look through it as you suggest. Although I have been with VM since they started up and have never received mail from their other companies.
I have logged on to their site each month to pay my bill with no problem until today.
I just feel it is wrong to make me accept marketing span to enable me to access my email or account through their portal.
VM were quite uncompromising in attitude, saying if I needed to pay my bill and didn�t want to accept their spam I could always pay by direct debit. However, to set up a direct debit I would have to access my account and to do that I would have to accept their spam offer.
What I find difficult to believe is that I am the only person to complain. Maybe I am just too old?

You imply that if you don't tick the box then you can't Continue. Is that right, or have they just worded it badly and mean "To acknowledge you have read this, tick the box"?

In reply to a post by eric2393:

I tried to log into my Virgin Media account today to pay my monthly bill. I was greeted by a page that said VM wanted to confirm my details.
Unfortunately, after confirming account details it was impossible to access your account unless you agreed to your account details being passed to other companies. There was no chance of an opt out.
I tried calling customer service and got the normal runaround. Apparently I am the only one to complain? Can this be true?
Full details at http://vmspam.blogspot.com/

How did you enter the URL of the site? Why would they need to confirm your details?

You didn't pick up a Phishing link from an email did you, so CS wouldn't have a clue what you were on about?

Hi RobertoS,
Here is a picture of the page I arrived at. I also thought it may have been a badly worded webpage, however, CS confirmed that it was indeed a marketing ploy.
http://vmspam.blogspot.com/2011/03/virgin-media-choi...
All seems rather strange to me?

Did you read the text next ot the tickbox in the picture?

There's no mention of "confirm you have read this".

RobertoS,
I entered the site by pressing the "My Virgin Media" tab at the top right of their main page at http://www.virginmedia.com/
You ask why they would need to confirm my details.....I wondered about this too. The only explanation I can think of is to force you to accept their spam.
No one at VM could give a reason and as I worked my way up the food chain of CS the more difficult it seemed to get.
I was left with the impression that I was the only person to complain about the web page in question, and told in no uncertain terms that VM were fully compliant with OFCOM regulations and that I should adhere to the T&C's and not complain to CS but to write a formal complaint.
Don't get me wrong, I think Virgin Media provide a very good service, however, when something goes wrong and you try to work your way through the CS system it seems they have very little interest in the customer. Perhaps I'm just too old and expect too much?
http://vmspam.blogspot.com/

Isn't that what I was discussing? Surmising perhaps that is what was meant?

So I asked what happens if you don't tick the box. Can he continue or not? If the effect of ticking or not ticking the box is identical then it should be worded the way I suggest, if the effects are not identical then what happens?

The possibilty I was implying but didn't think it necessary to explain in detail is that it is a badly-worded version of all the others we get, asking for permission, (or the opposite), to use it for marketing by themselves or others.

I suspect this is just a poor attempt at getting clicks on the blog, in order to "win" something.