Virgin Media Discussion Thread
- Thread starter macca40
- Start date
Hi guys,
Does this additional fee they are charging next year still hit me if I'm on a discounted contract? I negotiated £7 a month off my current tariff a few months ago and wasn't sure whether its worth ringing them or waiting until it's up before trying to haggle?
Does this additional fee they are charging next year still hit me if I'm on a discounted contract? I negotiated £7 a month off my current tariff a few months ago and wasn't sure whether its worth ringing them or waiting until it's up before trying to haggle?
If you want to save some money with virgin here's the process:
You either need to be out of contract or have an excessive number of faults on the account, ideally both. Retention's staff have a monthly spend and a target, if you call at the end of the month you might get lucky, but equally you may end up with someone who has not a lot left in the pot credit wise.
Call up and choose the disconnection option, you'll end up speaking to customer relations, they'll have a look at the account, average spend, faults history, payment history etc. and try and have a chat with you. You'll generally get a better deal if you're not an utter ****. Explain why you want to leave, if you've got a genuine issue they can/will book tech's and escalate issues and generally they have reasonable system knowledge unlike the sales monkeys. If you're happy with the offer they make agree it, if not book the disconnection for 30 days and the equipment collection and wait, the outbound team will be calling you in an attempt to sort the situation sooner or later. If you want to take a new offer as a new customer the retention team could match them historically and 'down time' should be non existent, as soon as the disconnection is booked the wife/partner calls up wanting to take service in his/her name and explains you are moving out. They don't wish to do a TOR (Transfer of responsibility) and are willing to accept a new phone number. Credit check/up front payment, book the install for the day of disconnection on the other account and you're sorted.
Simple
You either need to be out of contract or have an excessive number of faults on the account, ideally both. Retention's staff have a monthly spend and a target, if you call at the end of the month you might get lucky, but equally you may end up with someone who has not a lot left in the pot credit wise.
Call up and choose the disconnection option, you'll end up speaking to customer relations, they'll have a look at the account, average spend, faults history, payment history etc. and try and have a chat with you. You'll generally get a better deal if you're not an utter ****. Explain why you want to leave, if you've got a genuine issue they can/will book tech's and escalate issues and generally they have reasonable system knowledge unlike the sales monkeys. If you're happy with the offer they make agree it, if not book the disconnection for 30 days and the equipment collection and wait, the outbound team will be calling you in an attempt to sort the situation sooner or later. If you want to take a new offer as a new customer the retention team could match them historically and 'down time' should be non existent, as soon as the disconnection is booked the wife/partner calls up wanting to take service in his/her name and explains you are moving out. They don't wish to do a TOR (Transfer of responsibility) and are willing to accept a new phone number. Credit check/up front payment, book the install for the day of disconnection on the other account and you're sorted.
Simple
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Just had an engineer visit to "fit" a new Superhub 2 AC and upgrade me to 200Mb. Apparently my TiVo power levels were way too high even though I've never really had an issue, so at least he made relatively good use of his time by adjusting them.
He tried to impress me by telling me how great 5Ghz was and got me to do a quick speed test on my iPhone 6 downstairs from the hub. 100Mb/s which he thought was good.
Immediately switched it into modem mode and connected it back to my R7000 as soon as he left, straight back up to ~180Mb/s wireless
He tried to impress me by telling me how great 5Ghz was and got me to do a quick speed test on my iPhone 6 downstairs from the hub. 100Mb/s which he thought was good.
Immediately switched it into modem mode and connected it back to my R7000 as soon as he left, straight back up to ~180Mb/s wireless
Associate
- Joined
- 29 Jun 2009
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- 367
- Location
- Cardiff
So my BT contract finished so I decided to move over to Virgin. I don't use a landline and hardly watch TV so broadband only is perfect for me. I do believe Virgin are the only supplier who offers broadband only. Opted for the 100mb package. It was installed yesterday and so far happy with the results!
Associate
- Joined
- 31 Jan 2011
- Posts
- 2,310
- Location
- Hampshire
so they still have sucky upload speeds then... Personally Upload is as important to download to me and i would rather have 50/50 than 100/10 so my BT 80/20 is a much better option for me.
However a number of years ago when i was a VM customer to get the discount you have to go through with the disconnection process and you are then on your final 30 days before it stops working. about 20 days in i got a call from their customer service team asking me to stay and i said no i am in the process of arranging for a BT installation. They then went on to give me 50% off my package for 12 months.
Im much happier on BT due to the upload and i get a lower ping too (im actually with plusnet) but to get the discount you do need to actually go through with cancelling and then wait for them to phone you. otherwise they know the game and if people are hesitant to cancel they know they dont need to drop the price.
However a number of years ago when i was a VM customer to get the discount you have to go through with the disconnection process and you are then on your final 30 days before it stops working. about 20 days in i got a call from their customer service team asking me to stay and i said no i am in the process of arranging for a BT installation. They then went on to give me 50% off my package for 12 months.
Im much happier on BT due to the upload and i get a lower ping too (im actually with plusnet) but to get the discount you do need to actually go through with cancelling and then wait for them to phone you. otherwise they know the game and if people are hesitant to cancel they know they dont need to drop the price.
I just rang up to give 30 days notice as my contract ends in a week. Eyeing up some deals through Sky.The guy who answered was abrupt. No Merry Christmas. No Ho, ho, ho. No can we chat about it. Just asked why I am leaving. I told him because I am looking at another provider (didn't even mention a name). He told me it will end on January 20th and that they will send me a bag to put the equipment in and I must take this to a local shop and the shop will send it off to VM.
Goodbye.
I must say, I was a little taken aback. But seeing as BT Fibre is coming to my area from "between 4 Jan and 11 Jan", I do now have other options through Sky whereas before I didn't. Only 1.7MB via copper.
So, maybe it is truly time to leave after seven years.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know sometimes they wont even negotiate never mind try to even offer you a deal, paltry or otherwise
Goodbye.
I must say, I was a little taken aback. But seeing as BT Fibre is coming to my area from "between 4 Jan and 11 Jan", I do now have other options through Sky whereas before I didn't. Only 1.7MB via copper.
So, maybe it is truly time to leave after seven years.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know sometimes they wont even negotiate never mind try to even offer you a deal, paltry or otherwise
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Feb 2007
- Posts
- 13,260
- Location
- London
Ive always been able to negotiate a better deal with VM.
I always wait though till Im actually out of contract and I never normally say I want to leave.
I always wait though till Im actually out of contract and I never normally say I want to leave.
I am one week out. In fact, come to think of it, maybe yesterday was the day. Either way, I did call three weeks ago and had a chat with a lovely lady who offered to give me £5 a month off for six months. Bearing in mind that prices increase by £4 from February, for the £11 I would save in total over the first six months and then the £24 extra over the next I was not really moved. A new customer comes on paying less than I do.
I have usually been able to negotiate a better deal but the first was honestly not great (£11) and the second phonecall didn't even try. Told me the disconnection date and how to return the equipment.
I have usually been able to negotiate a better deal but the first was honestly not great (£11) and the second phonecall didn't even try. Told me the disconnection date and how to return the equipment.
Actually, thinking about it, why should I have to go and post their equipment back? Surely they should come and collect it. I am responsible for keeping it in good condition but surely my responsibility ends when the contract ends. I keep it safe until they come and collect it not have to actually post it myself.
Soldato
- Joined
- 17 Aug 2003
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- 20,160
- Location
- Woburn Sand Dunes
Well, no. Its down to you, you would have agreed to that when you signed up. But still, virign are completely useless when it comes to returns. I've asked them 4 times now, since February, to send me the bag and and labels to send my equipment back. They keep, i assume, sending to my old address (moved in feb to a non-virgin area), despite me telling them i no longer live there and giving them my new address and postcode. I'm still waiting for the bag whilst they pester me with emails threatening to charge me for the goods. Also managed to get a mark on my credit history because they reported a default for a month that they suggested i dont pay (in order to lump it all together in one payment at the end of the contract). They are utterly useless.
despite that though i'd go back to them in an instant if it were an option here.
despite that though i'd go back to them in an instant if it were an option here.
Permabanned
- Joined
- 23 Apr 2014
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- Hertfordshire
I wish there was an alternative to VM but nobody around me can offer broadband at even 1/3 of the speed......
Granted, I had that problem. In fact, the only option was copper at 1.7Mb. Now as I mentioned, Infinity is coming. So, even though 38Mb isn't 100Mb, it is plenty fast enough for streaming Netflix HD, Youtube, etc. Wifi speeds upstairs are "only" around 60Mb - 70Mb so I will probably get 54%-63% of what I am used to.
So long as things stream, whether it takes another 10 seconds or 2 minutes to download something in the background will not make me lose any sleep. Steam only really gets to between 3.5MB - 4MB on game downloads so even then the 38Mb doesn't really cost me at all...assuming that I get 38Mb!!!!
Im having Virgin installed tomorrow, but need cables to 2 different areas of the house (TV downstairs, Broadband upstairs).. Do you think this is going to be a problem, and will they insist I run my modem from the same cable point as the TV?
No, just tell them what you want. I've got the same setup, they just run two cables from the box on the outside of the house. One goes upstairs to the cable modem in my office (another box on the inside of the wall). The other goes downstairs to the TV (box on that wall too, then to the Tivo).
They don't lift floorboards or go into attics, so you need to do that and they'll let you run the cable and terminate it for you.
Great, Thanks.. I just had this funny thought they would insist on everything running off the same point (to save money).. I've got my LAN centred around the office upstairs, so need it there.
Thank you thought I was going mad with everyone saying £3.49 increase my letter clearly says 4 quid extra per month !
If you want to save some money with virgin here's the process:
You either need to be out of contract or have an excessive number of faults on the account, ideally both. Retention's staff have a monthly spend and a target, if you call at the end of the month you might get lucky, but equally you may end up with someone who has not a lot left in the pot credit wise.
Call up and choose the disconnection option, you'll end up speaking to customer relations, they'll have a look at the account, average spend, faults history, payment history etc. and try and have a chat with you. You'll generally get a better deal if you're not an utter ****. Explain why you want to leave, if you've got a genuine issue they can/will book tech's and escalate issues and generally they have reasonable system knowledge unlike the sales monkeys. If you're happy with the offer they make agree it, if not book the disconnection for 30 days and the equipment collection and wait, the outbound team will be calling you in an attempt to sort the situation sooner or later. If you want to take a new offer as a new customer the retention team could match them historically and 'down time' should be non existent, as soon as the disconnection is booked the wife/partner calls up wanting to take service in his/her name and explains you are moving out. They don't wish to do a TOR (Transfer of responsibility) and are willing to accept a new phone number. Credit check/up front payment, book the install for the day of disconnection on the other account and you're sorted.
Simple
Simple
Is it not easier just to tell them to change account holder to a new name/person and start a new contract with the new account special offer of 50% off first 9 months ?
Associate
- Joined
- 31 Jan 2011
- Posts
- 2,310
- Location
- Hampshire
Thank you thought I was going mad with everyone saying £3.49 increase my letter clearly says 4 quid extra per month !
Simple
Is it not easier just to tell them to change account holder to a new name/person and start a new contract with the new account special offer of 50% off first 9 months ?
If its the same Sir name they wont do it. You can use your Wifes previous sir name and it works fine (dont ask me how i know
) but as other have mentioned technically its Credit Fraud However as long as you pay the bill i cant see them taking some one to court for giving them money. Same deal with Sky and their TV if its the same sir name they wont treat you as a new customer.