Awesome Sim only offer from Virgin if anybody is interested

This probably doesn't affect most people, but I feel it's worth noting that Virgin's international call rates can be extortionate compared to GiffGaff.

8p a minute to call the US on GiffGaff
90p a minute to call the US on Virgin

Also 0845 etc numbers:

12p a minute on GiffGaff
41p a minute on Virgin
 
Rainmaker said:
Sorry but this absolutely isn't true. After seeing them so highly recommended on this forum recently, I grabbed a Virgin 'big data' tariff SIM this week after buying my GS3 LTE. I then duly topped up £10 for 'unlimited' data with tethering. After syncing my new GS3 LTE and my tablet (flashing ROMs, re-downloading apps, backups etc) I hit 10GB of downloads quite quickly (inside a few days).

Strangely, as soon as I hit the 10GB mark my speeds hit a perfect 0.3Mbps no matter where (or at what time, or on what server) I tested. I phoned customer services and the guy tried to tell me it was due to utilisation in the area for which they are performing tower updates this month, and "it will reset at the end of this month"...

So, I said, you're basically blagging that I've been capped/throttled for hitting 10GB inside a month and the throttle will reset when I top up next month?... He denied this at first so I pushed, and asked what upgrades were they undertaking, and did that mean I wouldn't slow down after grabbing 10GB + next month after the 'upgrade'?

He started stuttering and eventually said, look, you've hit our FUP of 10GB and your browsing speeds will reset at the end of your top-up month. If you stay under 10GB next month you won't slow down, but if you go over you'll slow to 0.3Mbps or less again for the rest of that month, too.

Unlimited my arse. :p I jumped to Three on a pay-monthly SIM today (One Plan, my second contract with them) and am now downloading and surfing at 22 to 25Mbps no problems. :)

It's a shame because T-Mobile's network actually seems quite decent. I get more signal than I do on Three (marginally) and in more places. But Virgin? No thanks. Maybe it's worth me jumping to the full monty on pay monthly, but I'll probably just stick with Three now.

Edit: I'm not the only one it seems.
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This is mentioned in the terms, it's no secret.

"For customers who joined Virgin Media after 25 June 2012 excessive use over 10GB of data per calendar month will result in their maximum bandwidth being restricted to 3G speeds (384kbit/s) on our network between midday and midnight. For customers who joined before 25 June 2012 excessive use over 2GB of data per calendar month will result in this restriction being applied. This policy will apply until the end of the calendar month, when it will be automatically removed. We reserve the right to review these usage levels from time to time. At this reduced speed, customers will still be able to browse web pages, send/receive emails, and stream audio and video all at 3G data speeds, but peer-to-peer and large file downloads/uploads will be slower than normal."

Weird that he kept it from you, for me tethering 10GB is quite a lot and it doesn't end there albeit slowed to 3G.
 
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Rainmaker said:
snip.
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Big data tarrif is pay-g which comes under different t&cs to monthly contracts.
Also it only applies to p2p

At this reduced speed, customers will still be able to browse web pages, send/receive emails, and stream audio and video all at 3G data speeds, but peer-to-peer and large file downloads/uploads will be slower than normal
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Ah well, I shall see how it goes, I can always cancel after a month. But there certainly didnt use to be a FUP.
 
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ShortWarning said:
So that FUP only applies to pay as you go?
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Terms for pay as you go include this as well...

"If your tariff includes unlimited data, then this is for mobile internet services and data consumption actually on your handset. It does not include using your handset as a modem to connect other devices such as laptops and tablets – also known as “Tethering”"

My previous quote applies to all new contracts.
 
Gone for this deal, was on tesco mobile before, better value , and slighlty cheaper , il also get 3G at home, i dont with 02.
 
At this reduced speed, customers will still be able to browse web pages, send/receive emails, and stream audio and video all at 3G data speeds, but peer-to-peer and large file downloads/uploads will be slower than normal
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If the above is true then that would be fine with me. I can't see audio and video streaming working particularly well at 384kbits/s though.
 
ShortWarning said:
If the above is true then that would be fine with me. I can't see audio and video streaming working particularly well at 384kbits/s though.
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Me too. It seems sensible. I am on the unlimited plan and use perhaps 2gb a month. If there was absolutely no FUP the unlimited £12 a month package would last about 5 minutes in the face of people signing up and downloading 8TB a month or something ridiculous, leading to the withdrawl of the package for everyone.
 
damn, i just signed up with tmobile 12 month at £8 p/m getting a lot less, and i've just gone over my 7 day cooling off period.

anyone ever had tmobile allow the contract to be cancelled and signed up for with someone else if it uses the same network? prob a long shot but this is one hell of a deal
 
ShortWarning said:
If the above is true then that would be fine with me. I can't see audio and video streaming working particularly well at 384kbits/s though.
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At 3G speed, means video and audio will work fine, it's only p2p which is throttled to the 348 , or at least that's how I read it.
 
Glaucus said:
Sim was waiting when I got home,. Now have hot spot, so that's an improvement over gift gaff.
Will see how this "FUP" goes.
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Be interesting to see how you get on with the Virgin SIM Glaucus. I will order one myself very soon. Hoping the Lumia 620 will be out in the not too distant future.
 
Glaucus said:
At 3G speed, means video and audio will work fine, it's only p2p which is throttled to the 348 , or at least that's how I read it.
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It says "At this reduced speed, customers will still be able to browse web pages, send/receive emails, and stream audio and video all at 3G data speeds" which means everything is reduced to 384kb/s. I don't see how they could mean it any other way.
 
Bloomfield said:
It says "At this reduced speed, customers will still be able to browse web pages, send/receive emails, and stream audio and video all at 3G data speeds" which means everything is reduced to 384kb/s. I don't see how they could mean it any other way.
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The @ 3G speeds and only p2p will be slower.
It's ambiguse.

384kb/s would not support even the lowest setting on Netflix, as far as I can see.

From what I can find it needs 1.5Mb/s
 
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Glaucus said:
384kb/s would not support even the lowest setting on Netflix, as far as I can see.

From what I can find it needs 1.5Mb/s
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Which is why people don't think it will let you stream video :(.

The @ 3G speeds and only p2p will be slower.
It's ambiguse.
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3G speed means 384kb/s though, that's what T-Mobile customers who bought through a third party were capped at (it said capped to 3G speeds in the terms). HSPA would be faster than 384kb/s.

That's how I read it anyway after seeing the terms for T-Mobile third party contracts a while back.
 
I'll find out at the end of the month, if I don't go over, I'll make sure in will. Just change netflix to high quality then were talking ~2.3GB per hour. This is what I love about 30day contracts, nothing stopping you jumping ships if it doesn't work out for you, be it signal strength, costs or FUPs.

And you're right 3G is 384kbps, so use to them bundling the other stuff in as 3G.
 
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