Virgin Media Insider Retentions Tips
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aduffell
Posts: 19 Forumite
Insiders tips on Virgin Media Retentions.....
* If you're on a new customer deal, you likely already have the best price... but when your welcome offer comes to an end, call up, and you can go onto a new "retentions" deal early.... You don't need to see out the contract at full price
* Advisors often have a £3 off for 6 months discount available that can be applied onto most accounts in addition to other discounts.
* Activation fees (for a new Hub3.0 / V6 box) can be waived, or given half price.... but it comes out the advisors credit spend, so they don't like to do this.
* Advisors have £20, £30, and £50 closer credits available on EVERY call.
* On most packages advisors can provide a monthly "Loyalty" discount.... The maximum available does NOT depend on loyalty, but on the package you are on.... Some packages allow up to £1.... others up to £10 (in increments of £1)
* Advisors can add a second Loyalty discount that lasts 6 months if you take an 18 month contract instead of a 12 month contract.
* "Freeview" (Player TV) is not free.... Advisors will try to tell you it is, as disconnecting it affects their commission, but they DO have the discounts available to make it cheaper to have a Broadband and Phone package over a triple package.
HOW TO GET AN OUTBOUND RETENTIONS CALL!
* Virgin Media have an Outbound Port Callback team..... If you have an open port request on your account from another provider when you speak to retentions, and you are only unhappy with the price, the advisor will do their "best" for you to save you as a customer. If you still say you wish to disconnect then they can offer you a "Port Call Back" from the outbound ports team. It's in the agent's interest to do this, as they don't have to log your call as a disconnection if they do (protecting their commission!!). When the ports team call you, they will often offer £10 loyalty discount, and give you free line rental for a full year among other offers.... If you play it right you can get the port put on from the likes of Sky, and then get your port call back from Virgin, then cancel with sky in your 14 day right to cancel.
* When Virgin increase prices you have a right to cancel with NO early disconnection fees. This also applies to them increasing the phone call costs. (although they are not obliged to advertise this). Most advisors are not aware of this, so you may have to escalate to a team manager or an operations manager. Call cost increases are usually mentioned on bills (I think).
* If you want to remove TV from your package with no early disconnection fees, downgrade it to Player TV (this will recontract your entire package), then after you have done this, call up to disconnect the TV.... You will pay EDFs to do this, but the EDFs for Player TV are £0.00/month for each month left on the contract. (some advisors will not know this - refer them to the "Legal Stuff" section on their website )
* If you're on a new customer deal, you likely already have the best price... but when your welcome offer comes to an end, call up, and you can go onto a new "retentions" deal early.... You don't need to see out the contract at full price
* Advisors often have a £3 off for 6 months discount available that can be applied onto most accounts in addition to other discounts.
* Activation fees (for a new Hub3.0 / V6 box) can be waived, or given half price.... but it comes out the advisors credit spend, so they don't like to do this.
* Advisors have £20, £30, and £50 closer credits available on EVERY call.
* On most packages advisors can provide a monthly "Loyalty" discount.... The maximum available does NOT depend on loyalty, but on the package you are on.... Some packages allow up to £1.... others up to £10 (in increments of £1)
* Advisors can add a second Loyalty discount that lasts 6 months if you take an 18 month contract instead of a 12 month contract.
* "Freeview" (Player TV) is not free.... Advisors will try to tell you it is, as disconnecting it affects their commission, but they DO have the discounts available to make it cheaper to have a Broadband and Phone package over a triple package.
HOW TO GET AN OUTBOUND RETENTIONS CALL!
* Virgin Media have an Outbound Port Callback team..... If you have an open port request on your account from another provider when you speak to retentions, and you are only unhappy with the price, the advisor will do their "best" for you to save you as a customer. If you still say you wish to disconnect then they can offer you a "Port Call Back" from the outbound ports team. It's in the agent's interest to do this, as they don't have to log your call as a disconnection if they do (protecting their commission!!). When the ports team call you, they will often offer £10 loyalty discount, and give you free line rental for a full year among other offers.... If you play it right you can get the port put on from the likes of Sky, and then get your port call back from Virgin, then cancel with sky in your 14 day right to cancel.
* When Virgin increase prices you have a right to cancel with NO early disconnection fees. This also applies to them increasing the phone call costs. (although they are not obliged to advertise this). Most advisors are not aware of this, so you may have to escalate to a team manager or an operations manager. Call cost increases are usually mentioned on bills (I think).
* If you want to remove TV from your package with no early disconnection fees, downgrade it to Player TV (this will recontract your entire package), then after you have done this, call up to disconnect the TV.... You will pay EDFs to do this, but the EDFs for Player TV are £0.00/month for each month left on the contract. (some advisors will not know this - refer them to the "Legal Stuff" section on their website )
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Comments
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Very interesting.
This should manage customer expectations (to not expect too much).
I recently got the £3 off very easily.
The discount for an 18 month contract sounds good.
Could you explain what "Advisors have £20, £30, and £50 closer credits available on EVERY call." are please ?
This is a lesson to me, I really need to port my number when its time to move next.0 -
I've seen lots of complaints about BT failing to import numbers from the VM system.I really need to port my number when its time to move next.
When I was with VM I took Vonage VOIP and went broadband only with VM and had no problem porting my number to them.
For me using Vonage produced a saving over the VM phone + options Iike callerid which is included in the Vonage pricing.0 -
I don't use my phone, but porting the number does seam to trigger retention's into action.
I just use my mobile.
I really hope I don't move to BT! Just depends what offers are about at the time0 -
All ISPs have issues.
I was with VM for several years after a phone line fault didn't get fixed after 5 visits.
I got sick of VM's constant game of increase/negotiate/reduction but lock in again so when they sent an email increasing the price two months after I'd renegotiated I just booked an FTTC installed and called them to cancel. They then came up with a !!!! and bull story about the email being an error so I couldn't leave penalty free. I had to go through the CEO office and they let me leave not only penalty free but instantly saving me the notice period,
I swore to never go back to cable - especially as I'd suffered a couple of periods of abysmal performance due to oversubscription which took an age to fix but now I'm reading that Plusnet are playing hardball on discounts on renewal and it seems VM may work out substantially cheaper. I may well just hold my nose and go back to them for a while.0 -
Can someone help with this issue I am facing.
My father in law has been a customer for 20 plus years and has finally entered the 21st century and wants TiVo and broadband. To add them online it's £70 a month to the £50 he is already paying or over the phone with retentions it's an extra £7 for broadband but no box change though if he was a new customer he could get a deal for £29 a month or £39 for a better package.
Surely it's madness to be losing loyal customers like this with him now looking at bt and sky rather than them matching a new customer deal and sticking him in a new contract!
Any advice?0 -
shauniebabe wrote: »Can someone help with this issue I am facing.
My father in law has been a customer for 20 plus years and has finally entered the 21st century and wants TiVo and broadband. To add them online it's £70 a month to the £50 he is already paying or over the phone with retentions it's an extra £7 for broadband but no box change though if he was a new customer he could get a deal for £29 a month or £39 for a better package.
Surely it's madness to be losing loyal customers like this with him now looking at bt and sky rather than them matching a new customer deal and sticking him in a new contract!
Any advice?
Has he tried phoning VM and seeing what they can do re a price ?0 -
Are you certain he spoke to retentions? More likely this was an offer from the standard customer support people. Only retentions offer decent deals and if you don't get to them by selecting the correct option when phoning you need to make clear to the CS rep that what they are offering isn't going to stop you looking for a better deal elsewhere.shauniebabe wrote: »...or over the phone with retentions it's an extra £7 for broadband but no box change...0 -
I was recently offered a deal from retentions for £30 p/m for 100MB Broadband plus Fun TV (no phone). Due to some problems with my phone line not being disconnected they could't implement this at the time but promised to phone me back the next day and do the deal. That didn't happen.
Several calls and emails from someone who was 'taking personal ownership' of my case later and they are now saying that deal expired and there is nothing in their notes to say the actual deal I was offered, therefore they will not give me the deal - and the equivalent service now is £50! I spent an hour on the phone tonight and am peeved as basically they are saying they don't believe me and will not give me the deal.
As far as I'm concerned a verbal contract is binding and they are breaking that contract, but getting them to see beyond their blanket policy is farcical. They are looking into my case (and the emails I have sent and received from them) and will call me back apparently tomorrow (although they have said this twice before and failed to call me back!).
Am I being stitched up as this deal doesn't even sound that great anyway - why are they making such a fuss about it?! Any advice?0 -
It has come up on the main Virgin Retentions thread but I thought I would ask here too. Is there a cooling off period when signing up to a Retentions deal? It results in a new 12 month contract. Is there a difference if inbound or outbound arrange the deal?
A poster on the other thread says you have no cancellation rights and you are tied in for 12/18 months but that sounds contrary to consumer regulations.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5480640&page=11
Thank you0 -
I had the £3 discount for the past 5 months (to offset the rise late last year). When I phone up I hear a message offering me a renewal of this £3 discount.
I am just finalising my deal and will then see if I can access this too to take another £3 off my price - it would be rude not to
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