Virgin media package issues

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 11:15

I am looking for some advice, I wish to cancel or reduce the cost on my very expensive Virgin Media bill by doing away with their Tv package my be the phone if I need to but want to keep their broadband (I cant get fiber yet).

I was originally getting a discount for 12 month which ended, im now getting charger £59 a month for XL tv which I dont use, any time calls (discounted to £5 they say) and 100meg BB ( should have been increased to 150 for free but never happened.

I've spoken to them 3 times now and the the only thing they are offering is to change my tv to M+ and reduce the bill by £5 or drop the package to the lowest bundle and reduce it by £11, but it will be a new 12 months contract. I can cancel but the will charge me £168.
I'm a bit annoyed with them, im at the point im thinking cancel my DD and then wait for them.

BDEE · 4 May 2016 at 11:18

What is the charge for? Are you locked into a minimum contract period?

If you are then it would be foolish to cancel your direct debit. If you get into arrears and you are contracted in then it could cause you all sorts of issues.

How long until your minimum contract ends?

NexusK · 4 May 2016 at 11:23

Phone them up again and make sure it's retentions you call, the thinking of leaving them options as they're talking nonsense to you. If they dropped you to the lowest package and only lowered your bill by £11 you would be paying £6 more than that package costs with zero discounts. It's price with no discount is £41.99.

Retentions are usually quite good, simply explain the issue to them and ask them what they can do for you. If you are unfortunate and get someone unwilling to help just hang up and call back so you get a different person. I currently pay £36 for the lowest package but also have BT Sport included for free.

Haggisman · 4 May 2016 at 11:27

IIRC Virgin initially put you onto an 18 month contract, so if your 12 month discount has only just ended then you will still have ~6 months left which would explain the cancellation fee.

If you want something to aim for, I'm currently paying £18.50 for 50Mb BB only

AtreuS · 4 May 2016 at 11:32

Remember if you are still in contract they are under no obligation to lower your bill/package at all. They may do you a deal but they do not have to. You signed an 18 month contract knowing what you were agreeing to after all.

Why are you annoyed? surely you knew after 12 months the bill would go up? did you not read the contract fully?

Clav · 4 May 2016 at 11:40

If you are still in your (normally 18 month) contract there is very little you can do other than try retentions. After 18 months they will have no issues in putting you back onto whatever package you want, with a new contract, which is what I do.

NexusK · 4 May 2016 at 11:44

You don't need to be out of contract to lower your package which is what he's wanting to do. You can chop and change it whenever you want.

FishFluff · 4 May 2016 at 12:24

NexusK said:
You don't need to be out of contract to lower your package which is what he's wanting to do. You can chop and change it whenever you want.

If the OP is wanting to cut out TV and phone though, that's not lowering the package. That's cancelling elements of it.

NexusK · 4 May 2016 at 12:34

It doesn't matter, he could drop everything but the broadband if he wanted to while still in contract. The only thing he can't do is cancel everything and leave without penalty.

Any change like that would require a new contract but that's beside the point.

Brenn47 · 4 May 2016 at 12:55

No matter what package you go for, Virgin Media will just keep upping the price till you're paying over £50 a month. They're utter rip-off merchants.

Haggisman · 4 May 2016 at 12:58

NexusK said:
It doesn't matter, he could drop everything but the broadband if he wanted to while still in contract. The only thing he can't do is cancel everything and leave without penalty.

Any change like that would require a new contract but that's beside the point.

It does give a lot less scope for negotiation however, as he's a captive customer.

Probably better to wait the couple of months until you are actually out of contract and getting a decent deal, than getting a minimal reduction but tied in for another 12 months.

ZXSpectrum · 4 May 2016 at 13:23

I pay just under £28 for 100Mb BB only. I would call them up and tell them you are having financial difficulty and you need to reduce your outgoings and you don't watch the TV or use the phone. That's exactly what I did but I was out of my contract period.

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 13:49

I have 5 months left in my contract.
Im looking to reduce the cost im £60 for really nothing.

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 14:00

AtreuS said:
Remember if you are still in contract they are under no obligation to lower your bill/package at all. They may do you a deal but they do not have to. You signed an 18 month contract knowing what you were agreeing to after all.

Why are you annoyed? surely you knew after 12 months the bill would go up? did you not read the contract fully?

Im annoyed because its cone up more then it should have done and I cant change anything without paying more or agreeing to a new 12 month contract.

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 14:05

NexusK said:
You don't need to be out of contract to lower your package which is what he's wanting to do. You can chop and change it whenever you want.

That's what I thought but they want to put me into a new 12 month contract if I change anything.or charge me £160+ if I cancel.

Haggisman · 4 May 2016 at 14:10

2013 said:
Im annoyed because its cone up more then it should have done and I cant change anything without paying more or agreeing to a new 12 month contract.

How do you mean it's gone up more than it should have done?

I'm assuming at the start of the contract you were told that the discount was only for 12 months and that it would be going up after this?

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 14:18

Yes but the prices I was told was £20 less then what it went up to, that's after Ive removed some extra channels.

Put it this way I was paying £43 in total inc the extra channels, I was told it would go to £55 with the extra channels.
mb
but even after removing the extra channels Im paying £59 and my speed was meant to go upto 150mb from 100mb I had a email about 3 months ago to tell me which never happened.

NexusK · 4 May 2016 at 14:26

2013 said:
That's what I thought but they want to put me into a new 12 month contract if I change anything.or charge me £160+ if I cancel.

Yes getting put on a new contract is standard but i wouldn't worry about it unless you are moving soon. They put prices up every year, after which you have a set time (a month? I can't remember) where you can get out of the contract, or do what most of us do and use that to negotiate a deal you wouldn't otherwise get.

In other words come December-ish when prices go up again being tied into a 12 month contract means absolutely nothing anymore. So get on the phone to retentions and get your bill reduced then either leave in December or get an even better deal then too.

Haggisman · 4 May 2016 at 14:44

2013 said:
Yes but the prices I was told was £20 less then what it went up to, that's after Ive removed some extra channels.

Put it this way I was paying £43 in total inc the extra channels, I was told it would go to £55 with the extra channels.
mb
but even after removing the extra channels Im paying £59 and my speed was meant to go upto 150mb from 100mb I had a email about 3 months ago to tell me which never happened.

You would have gotten an email after agreeing to the contract which would have had the details of any discounts.

What's probably happened is that during your contract there's also been a price increase (this is normal, and ~£4 sounds about right for what you're paying). You should have been notified of this, and then would have been able to terminate the contract with no penalty. Sounds like you've missed that chance, and unfortunately as it is, it sounds like you're either going to have to either:

Stick with it till the end of the contract and then negotiate a better deal.
Downgrade your package and sign up for a new 12 month contract.

2013 · 4 May 2016 at 16:13

I've been able to change my tv package before when I dropped the extra channels, also i asked the sales person if if I could make changes without any issues like new contract, at the time I was told I could.