Missing airtime and poor customer service

<p>Virgin Mobile has been my service provider for 6 years - and for the first five, my experience was very good. So I was all the more disappointed with my bad experience this year. <br />I upgraded to a new phone and contract in December 2015 - the contract involving data, airtime and free minutes to Virgin mobile numbers. The latter was the real 'draw card' for us, as I wanted to be able to call my mother (also with Virgin Mobile) on the other side of the country. In January, I was shocked to see how quickly my airtime disappeared - until I realised that I had not in fact been granted the free minutes which were part of my contract. It took a number of calls to the call centre (being told each time that I must have used up my data or my free minutes, neither of which was the case, and then being promised that the matter would be looked into), before the situation was finally resolved and my free minutes began to come into effect. As far as I could ascertain, I was not given back the lost airtime, but I decided to leave the matter as it had been so complicated to get that far.<br />I was therefore quite frustrated this month when I realised that the same situation seemed to have arisen again. I had sent 3 just sms messages and made a total of about two minutes of phone calls to non-Virgin Mobile numbers, had not exceeded my free minutes and still had data, when I realised that most of my airtime had been used up. I called the call centre on the morning of 19 Oct when my airtime and data actually ran out and was told that the matter would be looked into and if applicable, resolved within 24-48 hours. I have heard nothing back from Virgin Mobile, and as the matter has not been resolved, I've resorted to sending this review, as I cannot go for the rest of the month without airtime and feel it quite unacceptable that I should have to pay Virgin Mobile for more.<br />I would greatly appreciate the reimbur*****t of the lost airtime, and to know that the situation will not arise again.<br /><br /></p>