Hi All

Just wanted to tap into the font of knowledge on this website.
Thinking of changing media providers and wanted to understand any issues between Virgin who I am currently with and BT whom I’m thinking of changing too.
I’ve been with Virgin quite a few years but recently there have been several issues,mainly with TV service. I’m getting different messages from website,emails and telephone help desk.

So wanted to understand pro’s and con’s if I decide to switch.

It would be a broadband; tv and telephone package.

No expert but looking at their respective websites for broadband speeds ,Virgin states 100mb and BT 35mb three times slower ?

So due to recent issues and seeing offers for new customers, thought I would change too BT but wanted to understand people’s experience and advice.

Thanks

We're also looking to switch providers too - currently with Virgin but happy to move to whoever can provide the best deal.

We've never been interested in sports or movies, just the base TV package and an average broadband speed but our bills are now going past £60 a month which strikes me as way too much for their no-frills/cheapest package.

Currently considering going with freesat (as this is essentially all the channels we get from the Virgin Media box) then £25 a month for plusnet broadband with the firestick for any catch up stuff.

I was going to leave Virgin as the Internet alone had crept up to £46 a month, but they managed to offer the same speeds for 24 so I stayed.
It's far better than the normal BT, which relies on numbers using and how far you are away from the mast.

ColneMonkey wrote:We're also looking to switch providers too - currently with Virgin but happy to move to whoever can provide the best deal.

We've never been interested in sports or movies, just the base TV package and an average broadband speed but our bills are now going past £60 a month which strikes me as way too much for their no-frills/cheapest package.

Currently considering going with freesat (as this is essentially all the channels we get from the Virgin Media box) then £25 a month for plusnet broadband with the firestick for any catch up stuff.

I left Virgin and signed up to Talk Talk for £22.50 a month for fibre broadband including line rental. Then I bought the excellent BT Youview box for freeview and, with my Netflix and Amazon subscriptions for another £20 a month, I don't miss Virgin at all.

BT package is good value. Especially with sports. And havent had any issues with signal or speeds.

However things to note.

When your contract expires they will automatically put it up to full price without notification as you sign up to that 12 or 18 months prior. Youre expected to remember.

If you move house you will pay install costs even if you had new install free originally.

Tbh theyre all much of a muchness. I initially chose BT as you get free sports with it. Ive found it a bit cheaper than virgin and sky but never really had any issues with any. (Sky use same network anyway).

You get other freebies with BT like email and free storage for photos etc but you may get that elsewhere. And its a way of keeping you with them.

Fretters wrote:I left Virgin and signed up to Talk Talk for £22.50 a month for fibre broadband including line rental. Then I bought the excellent BT Youview box for freeview and, with my Netflix and Amazon subscriptions for another £20 a month, I don't miss Virgin at all.

It's just the broadband we want really. We have a firestick and amazon prime and Netflix so most of our viewing is through that.

Quite happy to give VM the boot as we're paying an awful lot for very little. The box is useless at catch up, really painful to navigate about and hopelessly slow, the landline we don't actually want and nobody phones us on it! Will have a trawl about for the best broadband deals.

cricketfieldclarets wrote:BT package is good value. Especially with sports. And havent had any issues with signal or speeds.

However things to note.

When your contract expires they will automatically put it up to full price without notification as you sign up to that 12 or 18 months prior. Youre expected to remember.

If you move house you will pay install costs even if you had new install free originally.

Tbh theyre all much of a muchness. I initially chose BT as you get free sports with it. Ive found it a bit cheaper than virgin and sky but never really had any issues with any. (Sky use same network anyway).

You get other freebies with BT like email and free storage for photos etc but you may get that elsewhere. And its a way of keeping you with them.

I have 1 month remaining on my BT contract,what your saying if I don't give them a months notice from now I will go on another rolling 12 month contract?

If you’re moving to BT, make sure you do it via Quidco. I got about £120 cashback and £100 loaded debit card last year.

Steve1956 wrote:I have 1 month remaining on my BT contract,what your saying if I don't give them a months notice from now I will go on another rolling 12 month contract?

No they will up your price to full price if you got a discount. You will have to contact them to retain discount.

Just left bt after years. Bill was rising steadily over years to £84 pm in the end. Moved to sky for £39 pm and have found every aspect better. When I go to visit a mate who has virgin I find it slow and clunky, sky tv definitely better of three. Tv/broadband/phone package with entertainment pack on telly (loads of channels).

And even though I’d been a customer for years bt stung me for a month and half’s extra money for ending contract early even though all my discounted items had gone full price a month earlier (robbing money grabbers)

Unfortunately all these companies (including utilities, insurance, banks etc.) aren't interested in existing customers who wish to stay. It's all about attracting new customers and knowing most don't shop around. You'd think the cost of having a turnaround of customers would be an issue but it doesn't seem to be as it is a common business model.

It relies on our lethargy. I hate shopping around for utilities and the like because there is no consistency in how they price things making it hard work to compare. There's more important things in life then this unnecessary waste of time. It's all about choice we are told. It's f....g annoying and I don't know what we can do except turn our backs on the lot of them, which we can't.

I'm with Virgin and they've been putting up prices of lately as well as removing options to reduce the line rental. It may be that if I went to them and say I was thinking of leaving - they have a special department for this - I could get a deal for a certain time before they'd go back to the higher rates.

ClaretWot4 wrote:No expert but looking at their respective websites for broadband speeds ,Virgin states 100mb and BT 35mb three times slower ?

Use http://www.speedtest.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to check your actual speed. Virgin & Vodafone advertise 100Mb but then in the small print.......
You might find you would get the same top speed from both.

BT are fine so long as you never have to contact them.
They'll contact you soon enough if they want anything though.

dougcollins wrote:BT are fine so long as you never have to contact them.
They'll contact you soon enough if they want anything though.

I had a few problems when I moved across, like most things moaning on Twitter seemed to hurry them up.