Sky, Virgin & BT TV Haggle down prices and ge...

[andy2004]

had a phone call from a bloke named David on monday who works on the CEO's team, his dealing with the problems i'm having, and has requested a engineer come out and replace the modem and get it activated today.
LOL engineer cant fix the problem, my disconnection date of the 13June, it seems has already been and gone, according to their system i'm in the process of being disconnected or already disconnected. Which is why they cant activate the new modem which is in the GARDEN WALLED.
they can not remove it form the firewall because i'm leaving them.
Only way i can activate the modem, is to cancell the disconnection, get the modem activated and then give another 30days notice of cancellation.disconnection.
now i'm going to be contacting David again and giving him an update.
so much for the free upgrade to 20mb, which started with the modem being behind a firewall and unable to activate, being told 7 days when it can be done in 10minutes, and then lied to by other staff about engineer being sent out when they not even booked, only for me to ask to be disconnected and now being told that I have been, even though my disconnection date is 13 June but system has be down already, which is now the reason the modem cant be activated.
PI** POOR SERVICE from Virgin MEDIA, so if retentions phone me up in the next 13 days and try to convince me to stay with a better deal,
the offer had been be a never to offered again one,
new customers can get upto 30mb, and free weekend calls for half price £12.50 a month, yet I'm paying £31 for 10mb and free calls daily. dont seem fair.

[mainvein]

i emailed neil birkett and lo and behold i got a call back within 2 hours offering me a better deal. I was on the bus to work and the phone kept cutting out so didnt have time to digest all the information, but firstly they offered me:

20mb broadband
500gb tivo
free install
move my old box upstairs
xl tv
weekends phone for £52 a month!!!

i said that i wanted a superhub too as my NAS drive runs too slow on their existing router, so they chucked that in and put it up to 30mb too.

At first i thought i was onto a winner, they were really apologetic, but thinking about it they kind of tried to placate me with a much worse deal than the existing customer premiere collection.

They also told me that i now had a loyalty discount applied to my account too so that why it was lowered to £52 a month.

When i got to work i looked into it a bit more and i now have gone from feeling valued to feeling a bit shafted. If i wanted to i can upgrade to the 60mb bband (like the premiere collection) but i have to pay a fiver extra a month - bringing the total to the £58 a month - the SAME AS THE EXISTING CUSTOMER PREMIERE COLLECTION!! - So much for the want to keep your business call.

Also, in the small print on their site it says that existing customers upgrading (like i am with the internet) can phone up within 30 days of activation to get the installation charges and first month rental back! - That was never explained to me, feels like they were trying to get even more money than before the first operator did that caused me to complain.

I have sent them a detailed email asking for a full breakdown of what my loyalty discount entails as from what i can see it is just a big fat lie

[mainvein]

Originally Posted by mainvein

i emailed neil birkett and lo and behold i got a call back within 2 hours offering me a better deal. I was on the bus to work and the phone kept cutting out so didnt have time to digest all the information, but firstly they offered me:

20mb broadband
500gb tivo
free install
move my old box upstairs
xl tv
weekends phone for £52 a month!!!

i said that i wanted a superhub too as my NAS drive runs too slow on their existing router, so they chucked that in and put it up to 30mb too.

At first i thought i was onto a winner, they were really apologetic, but thinking about it they kind of tried to placate me with a much worse deal than the existing customer premiere collection.

They also told me that i now had a loyalty discount applied to my account too so that why it was lowered to £52 a month.

When i got to work i looked into it a bit more and i now have gone from feeling valued to feeling a bit shafted. If i wanted to i can upgrade to the 60mb bband (like the premiere collection) but i have to pay a fiver extra a month - bringing the total to the £58 a month - the SAME AS THE EXISTING CUSTOMER PREMIERE COLLECTION!! - So much for the want to keep your business call.

Also, in the small print on their site it says that existing customers upgrading (like i am with the internet) can phone up within 30 days of activation to get the installation charges and first month rental back! - That was never explained to me, feels like they were trying to get even more money than before the first operator did that caused me to complain.

I have sent them a detailed email asking for a full breakdown of what my loyalty discount entails as from what i can see it is just a big fat lie

update - loyalty discount is £7 per month apparently, my package is now £49.95 a month (even though they said £53 on the phone). according to them there is no loyalty discount on the collections they offer either - all sounds a bit cloudy to me really.

anyhoo, virgin is due to be installed again on tuesday, however a chat with sky have offered me a great deal so toying with going back to them, anyone here have sky broadband? is it any good? the internet is the only thing keeping me with virgin

[skyinsider]

Originally Posted by mainvein

update - loyalty discount is £7 per month apparently, my package is now £49.95 a month (even though they said £53 on the phone). according to them there is no loyalty discount on the collections they offer either - all sounds a bit cloudy to me really.

anyhoo, virgin is due to be installed again on tuesday, however a chat with sky have offered me a great deal so toying with going back to them, anyone here have sky broadband? is it any good? the internet is the only thing keeping me with virgin

Depends on the speed you can get really. That being said, for many people standard sky ADSL is faster than Virgin fiber due to there usage policies.

Anybody with broadband should call there supplier and ask about fair usage and speed management. An example of how it works is, say, you may pay for 30meg fiber on any network, but you may only get 9mbps for 90% of the day. Some networks really do throttle you down by 70% for up-to 90% of the day.

Anyway, like I say, it depends on the speeds in your area.

[DJCeeJay]

Hi.

I thought I share my experience.

I had been with Sky for 9 years, most recently with the following package:
- Entertainment Extra
- ESPN
- HD, with Sky+ HD box
- Unlimited Telephone

I paid 44.50 (including 12.00 for ESPN), plus 5.00 for unlimited telephone.

As we moved into an area which has more competition - Virgin, BT Fibre etc - I wanted to make sure I get the best deal and save some money.

I was comparing to Virgin which offers their maximum XL TV (which includes ESPN), and HD, for 35.50 per month. Plus 60 cash back making it 30.00 per month.

So I called Sky to say I am moving where Virgin is, and I am looking to save money.
- Sky: "Sky is always cheaper than Virgin, because they own all the TV channels"
- Me: "Not true, Virgin is 35.50 which is 10.00 cheaper. Plus I get cash back."
- Sky: "OK I give you ESPN for free, making a saving of 12.00, bringing it down to 32.50."
- Me: "Not good enough as Virgin is cheaper with cash back."
- Sky "I could offer discounts on broadband, and telephone"
- Me: "Not interested, already signed with BT for 18 months"
- Sky "Sorry, I thought I could do more after 9 years of custom"
- Me "I will cancel".

So I wanted to see whether they make a better offer as reported in this forum. The result ?
- Sky sent a survey asking why i left, and I told them the truth that I it is too expensive.
- Then Sky called my mobile 2 weeks after cancelling
-- Sky: "Why did you leave Sky ? Is there anything we could have done to keep you ?"
-- Me: "It is too expensive, I moved into an area with Virgin and they are cheaper".
-- Sky "Did we offer anything ?"
-- Me "Yes, ESPN for free, but it was still more expensive"
-- Sky "OK. yes, there are really good offers around at the moment"

So then 2 weeks later, no further calls or letters, and we were cut off a week ago.

I have now signed on with Virgin, this will be installed 9 June. The deal I got with Virgin is:
- TV XL Package + Tivo, for 35.50
- less 62 cash back from topcashback
- less 20 pounds off installation (online ordering ... not promoted on the site !)
- I also ordered the 1TB Tivo box and paid upfront, but they sent an email that I will get it for free, saving 49.95

Not bad !

Conclusion for me ?

If you want to save money, ask for it, then be ready to leave and go through with it. There are better deals out there. And if I don't like Virgin, I can go back to Sky as a new customer with great offers in a year !

Hope this helps.

[skyinsider]

Originally Posted by DJCeeJay

Hi.

I thought I share my experience.

I had been with Sky for 9 years, most recently with the following package:
- Entertainment Extra
- ESPN
- HD, with Sky+ HD box
- Unlimited Telephone

I paid 44.50 (including 12.00 for ESPN), plus 5.00 for unlimited telephone.

As we moved into an area which has more competition - Virgin, BT Fibre etc - I wanted to make sure I get the best deal and save some money.

I was comparing to Virgin which offers their maximum XL TV (which includes ESPN), and HD, for 35.50 per month. Plus 60 cash back making it 30.00 per month.

So I called Sky to say I am moving where Virgin is, and I am looking to save money.
- Sky: "Sky is always cheaper than Virgin, because they own all the TV channels"
- Me: "Not true, Virgin is 35.50 which is 10.00 cheaper. Plus I get cash back."
- Sky: "OK I give you ESPN for free, making a saving of 12.00, bringing it down to 32.50."
- Me: "Not good enough as Virgin is cheaper with cash back."
- Sky "I could offer discounts on broadband, and telephone"
- Me: "Not interested, already signed with BT for 18 months"
- Sky "Sorry, I thought I could do more after 9 years of custom"
- Me "I will cancel".

So I wanted to see whether they make a better offer as reported in this forum. The result ?
- Sky sent a survey asking why i left, and I told them the truth that I it is too expensive.
- Then Sky called my mobile 2 weeks after cancelling
-- Sky: "Why did you leave Sky ? Is there anything we could have done to keep you ?"
-- Me: "It is too expensive, I moved into an area with Virgin and they are cheaper".
-- Sky "Did we offer anything ?"
-- Me "Yes, ESPN for free, but it was still more expensive"
-- Sky "OK. yes, there are really good offers around at the moment"

So then 2 weeks later, no further calls or letters, and we were cut off a week ago.

I have now signed on with Virgin, this will be installed 9 June. The deal I got with Virgin is:
- TV XL Package + Tivo, for 35.50
- less 62 cash back from topcashback
- less 20 pounds off installation (online ordering ... not promoted on the site !)
- I also ordered the 1TB Tivo box and paid upfront, but they sent an email that I will get it for free, saving 49.95

Not bad !

Conclusion for me ?

If you want to save money, ask for it, then be ready to leave and go through with it. There are better deals out there. And if I don't like Virgin, I can go back to Sky as a new customer with great offers in a year !

Hope this helps.

I assume that the prices that virgin have given you are the 6 months half price deal. This is something to be aware of (the same with sky's new customer offers). Remember that these prices do go up and you will be tied into a contract - 18 months for virgin, 12 months for sky.

I always recommend that after purchase (no matter the provider) you call up and ask the price you will pay month-by-month and note this down for the entire contract period. The reason for this is that during the minimum term you pretty much have no come-back and must pay what they ask.

When is your installation date? Why not try calling sky and tell them your Virgin intalation date and ask them again what they can do - It may be nothing, but it might be something.

In my new job I am doing some consultancy work for an industry publication. It is focusing on price reductions at the start of minimum terms. All I will say is 'be aware. Companies are very good at making a price sound like 'the' price and it turns out to be an offer that quickly disappears.

If it is entertainment and ESPN you are after why not look at BT vision? If you have an existing contract with BT you may get a great deal.

Remember that you have a 30 day cooling off period, and it is very easy to change your mind if you are firm.

[DJCeeJay]

Appreciate your thoughts, skyinsinder, but I am happy with the choice I made.

Originally Posted by skyinsider

I assume that the prices that virgin have given you are the 6 months half price deal. This is something to be aware of (the same with sky's new customer offers). Remember that these prices do go up and you will be tied into a contract - 18 months for virgin, 12 months for sky.

The 35.50 per month is the monthly price, not just for 6 months half price. As I did not need a bundle with phone or broadband, I did not qualify for half price offer. Also, the contract is only 12 months with Virgin with TV only, it is 18 months if you take a bundle.

Originally Posted by skyinsider

When is your installation date? Why not try calling sky and tell them your Virgin intalation date and ask them again what they can do - It may be nothing, but it might be something.

I am happy with the deal I got. Sky had ample chances to better the offer. They might have tempted me to stay with their ominous 50% off deal but it was not forthcoming.

Originally Posted by skyinsider

If it is entertainment and ESPN you are after why not look at BT vision? If you have an existing contract with BT you may get a great deal.

Remember that you have a 30 day cooling off period, and it is very easy to change your mind if you are firm.

I know I have got 30 days trial period, so if I don't like it I can go back to Freeview. I just want to give Sky a rest, as they just kept increasing prices, but did not reward 9 years loyalty - which they admitted themselves ! ("I thought we could do more for you after 9 years"). And it is galling to read super low offers plus 200 cash back or so if you sign on as a new customer.

[DragonQ]

Not really haggling but I can get the following for £29.50 per month as a new customer:

Sky Entertainment
Sky Sports
Sky Movies
ESPN
HD Pack
Sky+ HD Box



I could upgrade Entertainment to Entertainment Extra (and get Sky 3D but I don't have a 3D TV), which'd make it £32 per month, but I need to see if Eurosport is worth it or not!

[southcoast]

Phoned Sky to say wanted to cancel sky sports as football season over
Offered 2 months £10 off as have to give 1 month notice to cancel Sports
Rejected offer,was then offered £7.95 off for 6 months which i accepted

[KTF]

Lots of missed calls from SKY retentions on my land line. Just need to be in when they call.

9 days to the cut off date.

[grj84]

Just recently haggled, said I was thinking of leaving to go to virgin as they had a deal for free multi room equivalent. Ended up getting HD and multi room for £3 less than what I was paying for 12 months. Bargain!

[nephilim]

Phoned up sky as I wanted to upgrade online but it wouldn't let me...

Phoned up and got the following

Free Multiroom for 12 months
£6 Sky HD for 12 months
2x Free Sky HD box (and installation in front room and bedroom)
Discounted Sky Movies (£3 a month for them instead of the usual cost)
Discounted Entertainment extra package (£8 a month for full entertainment bundle)
Free Unlimited Telephone for 12 months
Half price Unlimited Internet for 12 months.
Plus £75 M&S vouchers also

Total cost normally would be £121 a month
Current cost (for 12 months) is now £35 a month.

Haggling with the right people = winning

[minjara]

Not the biggest subscription in the world but we were paying £75.75pm for

Sky tv Entertainment Extra
Unlimited BB
Phone
Sport and HD

Phoned up as needed to cancel Sport and HD anyway and asked to go through everything else as was thinking of just cancelling tv and going back to freeview.

Went through what we were paying and after changes and discount from everything, getting tv, BB and phone for £28.50pm
Will put sport back on eventually which will take it to 48.50 but I'm happy at the saving.

[KTF]

Originally Posted by KTF

Lots of missed calls from SKY retentions on my land line. Just need to be in when they call.

9 days to the cut off date.

Finally spoke to SKY. They couldn't do the 12 months half price offer on the TV and the HD this time only the TV which was fine with me as we normally only watch the BBC HD, etc. anyway which we can still see with no subscription.

So another 12 months of any non-HD package at 12 months on a 30 day rolling contract. I already have the broadband 12 months half price and line rental paid up front so they couldnt offer me any more deals on that and I have no interest in multiroom, etc.

[wayne77]

Can I get an HD box from Sky without a subscription? Also can I cancel my Sports and ESPN package during the summer months,then renew when football restarts?

[DragonQ]

ESPN is actually a rolling 30-day contract anyway so you can cancel and re-add that whenever you want. I think you can cancel Sky Sports during the summer as long as you're not in contract but I don't know if adding it again starts a new contract or not.

[wayne77]

Cheers Dragon, think I'll give them a call today.

[INT1]

Member of the family had sky. Someone told her about this website I tho an she called to cancel.

They didn't offer her anything and said will be cancelled in 30days

She's pyong circa £80 as as 3 multi rooms on the go.

Is it likely shell get a call from retentions team?

[skyinsider]

Originally Posted by INT1

Member of the family had sky. Someone told her about this website I tho an she called to cancel.

They didn't offer her anything and said will be cancelled in 30days

She's pyong circa £80 as as 3 multi rooms on the go.

Is it likely shell get a call from retentions team?

It depends on her account and what she said. For example, if she has missed a couple of payments over the year, or she was insist ant that she waswas leaving for a specific reason she won't get anything. It also depends how the sales advisor processed her cancellation.

[skyinsider]

Originally Posted by wayne77

Can I get an HD box from Sky without a subscription? Also can I cancel my Sports and ESPN package during the summer months,then renew when football restarts?

Yes, sky will sell you a hey sky+ hd box. I think the most without subscriptions is £199