Virgin call charges -too high

Wig

http://www.virgin.net/allyours/phone/anytime.shtml

I think the call charges given are not including VAT, is this right?
So connection fee for all calls 7.82p plus VAT = 9p per call :eek:

I think they should say clearly there is VAT to be added but they don't
someone should complain about that.

<snipped out incorrect bit>

Also Virgin do not honour the price structure of the cheap rate phone calls to UK and overseas. Another reason to leave Virgin..

curly_cabbage

I have have nothing but trouble with them since we started using them in Sept 08, as soon as my contract runs out i'll be changing, very expensive unclear billing, wont use my e-mail address for bills only their own virgin one. I wouldn't recommend them to anybody.

CC

derrick

Wig wrote: »

http://www.virgin.net/allyours/phone/anytime.shtml

I think the call charges given are not including VAT, is this right?
So connection fee for all calls 7.82p plus VAT = 9p per call :eek:

On the subject of connection fees, as BT has a minimum call charge, not a connection fee, .

I am pretty sure Virgin's prices include VAT, but stand to be corrected.

They do,( BT, near the bottom of the page), but choose to call it a "set up fee"; - † When making a chargeable call, an 8p call set-up fee applies. This is in addition to their ppm, which I believe is charged in full minutes.


Calls to 0871 numbers will cost no more than 10ppm plus 8p set up fee

Heinz

Wig wrote: »

On the subject of connection fees, as BT has a minimum call charge, not a connection fee, and the virgin connection fee has risen to such a high level, I will be closing my Virgin landline account this year.

That hasn't been the case for over 2 years. BT scrapped its minimum call charge and simulatneously introduced a Call Set-Up Fee on 1 October 2006. At the time, it was 3p incl. VAT but it's now 8p incl. VAT.

Unfortunately, most of the other providers follow BT's lead (so much for competition).

Virgin obviously prefer to take the chance that, as their network is separate, inertia will allow them to retain their customers whatever they do.

Wig

Thanks to you two for pointing that (BT connection fee) out to me. The reason I thought it was still the case was that only a couple of weeks ago I was looking at the difference between BT and Virgin for a cheap international 0844 200 call.

I looked at this from BT
http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=25502
Special number price list
On that pdf file I noted on page 51 (53 of 64) -
(don't blame me for the page number confusion, I think there is an error on the pdf file but that is what the page number is called)
I noted it said "minimum call charge does not apply to business use", I took that (wrongly) to mean that the minimum call charge was still the way BT did things for residential customers. Had I been a little more thorough I would have read the page before that which says

BT wrote:

Call Set-Up Fee - All Residential Customers
(except for, Light User Scheme, BT Basic and
BT Standard Rate Customers)
A Call Set-Up Fee of 6.956 pence (exc VAT), 8.00 pence
(inc VAT) will apply to the following Call Types:

(Call Set-up Fee - Light User Scheme,
BT Basic and BT Standard Rate Customers)
A call Set-Up Fee of 2.55 pence (ex VAT), 2.94 pence (Inc VAT)
will apply to the Call Types listed below.

Applicable Set-Up Fee call types (for all Residential
customers).
• Inland geographic Calls (including g21 rate and ISDN64k calls)
• Calls from Northern Ireland to the Irish Republic
• Calls to Channel Islands
• 08xx and 09xx numbers (excluding fixed fee premium rate
numbers)
• Fixed-to-mobile calls (excluding ISDN 64k)
• International Calls (including calls to international mobiles but
excluding ISDN 64k and satellite calls e.g Inmarsat)
• The above call types from Private Payphones
• The above Call types via Operator Assistance (specially assisted)
Except in the following cases or unless otherwise stated in
the relevant section of the Price List:-
• Freefone calls
• UK Day, Evening and Weekend geographic, Local NTS and
National NTS calls where the pence per minute (ppm) rate
has been set to zero for the first hour of each call (or to such
calls which start within the uncharged period but end after
the uncharged period)
• Fixed rate UK calls on Unlimited Weekend Plan.
• Fixed fee calls Calls charged by Time duration which start
with a Fixed fee
• Calls charged by Time duration which start with a Fixed fee.
• Personal Numbering, Paging, Multimedia and Fixed to WiFi
Services, for which a minimum call charge of 4.6 pence exc
VAT, 5.3 pence inc VAT applies

So it appears that if I do go to BT it would be better to be on one of the following to get a 3p connection fee. (I don't use the phone very much)
BT Light User Scheme,
BT Basic
BT Standard Rate Customers

But this is exactly the reason I left BT 11 years ago, they really annoyed me having all their stupid calling plans - friends and family nominated numbers for a little discount, and everyone being charged different rates for the same calls. At that time Cabletel had a simple "all users - same rate" structure, now of course NTL/Virgin have gone the same way as BT and have multiple different calling plans. Although I don't think Virgin are yet quite as complicated as BT appear to be, from these links I can see that BT charges for international calls vary apparently quite randomly for calling plan customers for calls to the same international charge band, and non calling plan customers are charged a fixed rate for each int charge band but the rate can be above or below the rate charged to the calling plan customers so as to make any calculation of the difference between the two services as difficult and as confusing as possible.

Now that I know all of this, I am going to have to think long and hard on what to do.

Heinz

AIUI, Light User Scheme is closed to new customers.

You need to be on specific benefits to qualify for BT Basic.

I have no idea what Standard Rate means.

BTW, nobody uses BT for International calls any more. Their prices are just used for comparison purposes.

jhp

If you want to cut your Virgin Media Phone Bill you can use http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php via their 0808 freephone number for cheaper geographical, mobile,intl ,and ngn calls. Connection charge of just 4p per call.

littlewren

jhp wrote: »

If you want to cut your Virgin Media Phone Bill you can use http://www.18185.co.uk/mobilerates.php via their 0808 freephone number for cheaper geographical, mobile,intl ,and ngn calls. Connection charge of just 4p per call.

I'm being charged 5p connection by 18185.co.uk and I'm with Virgin Media.

Wig

littlewren wrote: »

I'm being charged 5p connection by 18185.co.uk and I'm with Virgin Media.

Yep, that's right, and they have -until today- been overcharging you, from their advertised prices. Request a refund from them of all the overcharged calls.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1652423

littlewren

Wig wrote: »

Yep, that's right, and they have -until today- been overcharging you, from their advertised prices. Request a refund from them of all the overcharged calls.
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1652423

No, I only joined yesterday so that's when they changed the connection charge to 5p Wig.