Virgin Media Retention thread

SirMimic

Virgin Media tried to double my package price without telling me...
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This April I used this forum advice to get my package down to £39.45

TV: XL
BB: XL
Phone: XL

Their price its around £85 but my price £39.45
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It was fine and dandy till an hour ago when I checked my online bill for this month (October).

The bill was £76! I was shocked. I phoned them up and they said that "It was a mistake giving me the package at £39.45, It should be £53. And the £76 that we have charged you this month is including the difference for last month too."

I said that this is stealth pricing, I never got a letter about this 'mistake'. At least you should have sent a letter rather than suddenly charge me.

The argument went on and first I argued that they shouldn't charge me for last month at least, I said I was not going to pay for this month if they tried to charge me for the previous month. Then I asked to speak to someone in charge. He tried to get my price to £39.45 but by lowering my package. I said no, then after persisting, he said that he is going to keep it at £39.45 and the £76 will be taken back down to that.

After 40 minutes the price is back to what we agreed more than 4 months ago until Aprill 2008 when he said the price WILL go up to normal costs.

Are they breaching contract? Can they do this? I don't want to be phoning them up in January with a bill of £100 and they say to me that this guy made a mistake keeping my price at £39.45!

AP

airtrack12000

SirMimic wrote: »

Virgin Media tried to double my package price without telling me...
--
This April I used this forum advice to get my package down to £39.45

TV: XL
BB: XL
Phone: XL

Their price its around £85 but my price £39.45
--
It was fine and dandy till an hour ago when I checked my online bill for this month (October).

The bill was £76! I was shocked. I phoned them up and they said that "It was a mistake giving me the package at £39.45, It should be £53. And the £76 that we have charged you this month is including the difference for last month too."

I said that this is stealth pricing, I never got a letter about this 'mistake'. At least you should have sent a letter rather than suddenly charge me.

The argument went on and first I argued that they shouldn't charge me for last month at least, I said I was not going to pay for this month if they tried to charge me for the previous month. Then I asked to speak to someone in charge. He tried to get my price to £39.45 but by lowering my package. I said no, then after persisting, he said that he is going to keep it at £39.45 and the £76 will be taken back down to that.

After 40 minutes the price is back to what we agreed more than 4 months ago until Aprill 2008 when he said the price WILL go up to normal costs.

Are they breaching contract? Can they do this? I don't want to be phoning them up in January with a bill of £100 and they say to me that this guy made a mistake keeping my price at £39.45!

AP

That is a good deal as that is what i am paying without the tv (£39), and that is a loyalty discount too!:cool:

Think you have done well but I would be tempted to ring 1 month before price due to go back up, and negotiate the £53 deal or threaten to cancel. pretty sure they will agree to that:D

keep us informed!

reddwarf2002

VirginMedia are seriously in breach of law! They are definately upto something, as they try to keep their profit margins up.

I was offered 4Mb broadband back in May 2006 for £10 p/m for as long as I stayed with them (lifetime offer). It was fine until Virgin took over and I started to get billed higher. I phoned to tell them what I had been offered but the person I spoke to kept saying that they would never offer something like that. I insisted that I had been offered that and to check the recordings. The person that offered this deal did not write down the length of the offer so they are saying they are not going to honour it. I argued that they didn't write down length cos it was for an indefinite period. Frankly, I got no-where so I decided to write in.

When I sent a letter of complaint, Virginmedia acknowledged my letter but did not reply back with any sort of resolutions. 9 months down the line I am seriously fed as I phoned a few days ago and argued again to no avail so have decided to give them 30 days notice.

Is anyone else having problems with life-time offers from last year? Is there anything I can do to make them honour the contract they agreed to?
.

peter999

SirMimic wrote: »

After 40 minutes the price is back to what we agreed more than 4 months ago until Aprill 2008 when he said the price WILL go up to normal costs.

Are they breaching contract? Can they do this? I don't want to be phoning them up in January with a bill of £100 and they say to me that this guy made a mistake keeping my price at £39.45!

They should do whatever you agreed on the phone.

Soon after Virgin/NTL merger, Virgin were offering Permanent Lifetime Retention Deals. Later in this thread, lifetime deals & the really good deals seemed to dry up & they went back to fixed period & agreeing to stay for another year.

Here are my permanent deals earlier this year:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=4729874&postcount=1226
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=4617027&postcount=1167

I see I replied to your post in April:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=4978529&postcount=1330
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.html?p=4716246&postcount=1211

peter999

wombat4life

I'm on the 3 for £30 deal (BB/TV/Phone) - the TV package is L.

Has anyone got this deal but with XL TV? From the site, it looks quite a jump to go from this to XL (I'm not so bothered about upgrading BB or phone)

malarky

I've just moved house and on the 2 for £20 deal with Virgin. I phoned them up to inform them that I was moving address and to keep the service as it was and to transfer the contract across.

She said that the contract will have to start from scratch from the new address, so I will be tied in to another 12 month deal. Is this the norm in this case? My own fault really as I should have checked the T&Cs before signing up.

I explained that I would need to discuss this with my partner before the transfer takes place but now that I am/may sign up for a new 12 month contract with them does this put me in a position of power? As I could turn around to them and say I'l pay the remainder of my contract up and move to Sky then.

In this case would they really want to keep me or would they just be happy to take the payment of the remainder of the contract? Or could they give me a better deal than the one ive got? Sorry if these are obvious questions but this is the first 12 month deal Ive personally had to deal with and not sure as to the tactics for haggling to get a better deal from the provider etc.

Any help/suggestions would be really useful.

Cheers, M

hampshirebabe

Does anyone have a phone no. for virgin broadband dept. For some reason I've never had a bill from them for BB, just one for the phone. Are they still doing discounts for BB and phone, no tv.

CharleneUK

So I guess at this stage of them game it isn't worth trying to renegotiate deals?

I noticed my bill increased by £5 per month out of nowhere, and they decided it was another discount offer that had expired.

I've now added on Sky movies and sports, but am paying £66, when Sky are offering around the £50 mark.

Are Sky any better, though? I was going to wait a month and renegotiate, any thoughts?

hampshirebabe

Just to let you know, I phoned them on 150 and asked when my deal was running out, I knew it was soon. He said its just run out, shall I put you through to try and get another one. I got straight through, and without asking for anything she gave me another year at £10 instead of £18.
Well pleased
Mary

System

Hampshirebabe what package do you get for 10 quid a month?