Virgin Media and haggling

[J50]

So I'm useless at haggling. Contract with VM will have run out a while ago. We have all the tv and fast broadband and sky sports etc and pay £138 pm.
So with no sport on telly I'm thinking that I'll take us down to the basic level. On the website the "Bigger Bundle" is £45pm for 12 months which would be fine.

So I ring them and the 'Best they can do for me is £96 pm for that'. I'm quite shocked and just put the phone down.

I can go the cancellations etc. My slight problem with that at the moment is no other phone line and therefore no alternative. Also too much of a reliance on the old email - @ntlworld.com

Plan??

[FactualFrank]

Isn't BT phone line + Sky an option, which you can mention to them?

[Gordaleman]

So I'm useless at haggling. Contract with VM will have run out a while ago. We have all the tv and fast broadband and sky sports etc and pay £138 pm.
So with no sport on telly I'm thinking that I'll take us down to the basic level. On the website the "Bigger Bundle" is £45pm for 12 months which would be fine.

So I ring them and the 'Best they can do for me is £96 pm for that'. I'm quite shocked and just put the phone down.

I can go the cancellations etc. My slight problem with that at the moment is no other phone line and therefore no alternative. Also too much of a reliance on the old email - @ntlworld.com

Plan??

Please tell me when you find an answer. It's almost impossible to leave virgin without major problems. It's even difficult getting through to customer services.

Who the hell wants to have to change all their various log-ins and emails that they have used for years?

[karatekid]

moneysupermarket.com Just put in your postcode and they will list the best deals.

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadb ... ne-and-tv/

[J50]

Isn't BT phone line + Sky an option, which you can mention to them?

There's not been a BT phoneline here for years. I think I could try and get one installed from the telegraph pole across the road.

[LoveCurryPies]

I used to have the 300mb VM broadband but as a cost cutting exercise reduced to the 100mb broadband. The slower is speed is perfectly acceptable and really makes no difference.

[Gordaleman]

moneysupermarket.com Just put in your postcode and they will list the best deals.

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadb ... ne-and-tv/

It's not so easy with Virgin. Most companies won't transfer you from virgin unless you start all over again.

[Darthlaw]

When I left Virgin at the end of September last year, I finished up taking them to the ombudsman because of the incessant lies their staff told. It was only resolved in early Feb.

Even when I had the call recording, exposing their error, they refused to back down and even tried intimidating me with credit defaults and threats of debt collection agencies (who actually were the best people in the whole debacle). They even ignored the Ombudsman, initially, which is when it really hit the fan for them.

Now with plusnet, who are exceptional. I wouldn't go anywhere near Virgin Media.

[Devils_Advocate]

So I'm useless at haggling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2iZjxSGca8

[Fretters]

When I left Virgin at the end of September last year, I finished up taking them to the ombudsman because of the incessant lies their staff told. It was only resolved in early Feb.

Even when I had the call recording, exposing their error, they refused to back down and even tried intimidating me with credit defaults and threats of debt collection agencies (who actually were the best people in the whole debacle). They even ignored the Ombudsman, initially, which is when it really hit the fan for them.

Now with plusnet, who are exceptional. I wouldn't go anywhere near Virgin Media.

I moved house to an area with no VM. I wanted to take my package with me but physically couldn't, yet they still charged me a disconnection fee. I cancelled my direct debit and refused to pay, with it eventually going to a tribunal (I forget who that was though, some public body) and they used the same intimidating tactics with me - threatening me with court etc. I stood my ground and won the tribunal, but thousands of others will pay the fee even though it's VM that can't offer them the service at their new property.

[Barry_Chuckle]

There's not been a BT phoneline here for years. I think I could try and get one installed from the telegraph pole across the road.

When I moved to my current property the phone line had been disconnected/taken out. I took broadband with SSE who had BT pop around and reconnect, cost me nothing.

[Steve1956]

Virgin & Sky are charlatans,does any customer actually pay the same amount for their services,it seems they will charge anybody the amount they are willing to pay,its time theses companies were made to have set payments for their services and not what they can actually screw out of someone,wouldnt pay either of these companies in washers....thieving b@stards.

[summitclaret]

So I'm useless at haggling. Contract with VM will have run out a while ago. We have all the tv and fast broadband and sky sports etc and pay £138 pm.
So with no sport on telly I'm thinking that I'll take us down to the basic level. On the website the "Bigger Bundle" is £45pm for 12 months which would be fine.

So I ring them and the 'Best they can do for me is £96 pm for that'. I'm quite shocked and just put the phone down.

I can go the cancellations etc. My slight problem with that at the moment is no other phone line and therefore no alternative. Also too much of a reliance on the old email - @ntlworld.com

Plan??

Get quotes from the alternative suppliers. Don't worry about the costs of a new line connection at this stage as any charge would probably soon pay for itself. Then threaten to leave VM and be persistent. It works every year for me. Just done it again last week.

[Darthlaw]

I moved house to an area with no VM. I wanted to take my package with me but physically couldn't, yet they still charged me a disconnection fee. I cancelled my direct debit and refused to pay, with it eventually going to a tribunal (I forget who that was though, some public body) and they used the same intimidating tactics with me - threatening me with court etc. I stood my ground and won the tribunal, but thousands of others will pay the fee even though it's VM that can't offer them the service at their new property.

Pretty much exactly what happened with me, apart from I had a call recording of their staff saying I didnt have to pay. That, plus four separate calls where they said I didnt have to pay, yet they still registered a default on my credit file. All the time they wanted £250 disconnection, because they couldnt provide a service at my new house!

Ultimately the ombudsman ruled against them,they had to remove the default and the amount owing was waived.

Still, the sheer number of them willing to say anything to get you off the phone was astounding. Like they train their staff in deceit.

[J50]

Get quotes from the alternative suppliers. Don't worry about the costs of a new line connection at this stage as any charge would probably soon pay for itself. Then threaten to leave VM and be persistent. It works every year for me. Just done it again last week.

Yeah time to do this methinks. And start the laborious process of switching emails to a generic one I have.

[J50]

Been advised elsewhere (MSE forum) that one plan is to alternate being a new customer with the wife every 12 months. That way it's easy to get the new customer discounts every time. Apparently this does work. Though you do lose email addresses, so time to start switching that as per my last comment.