Beat the Virgin Media home phone and broadband price hikes

colin_tomlinson

Does this mean those of us who signed up for paperless billing a while ago and got 50p discount, then £1 discount, won't be getting that any more? Doesn't that mean it's just a sneaky way of increasing their line rental by £1.25? The nickels and dimes with this company (absolutely everything is extra!)

pennyinmypocket

Did they actually let anyone know the prices were going up. I only found out today when I got my bill. I called them right away for an answer and got a very nice lady who said that the prices had gone up on 1st May and that I should have had a letter or email. Needless to say I got neither! I tried haggling with her (ie signing up for another 12 months) but they can't - or won't - drop the price.

I'll be shopping around I think!

denis_martindale

When I checked the moneysavingexpert newsletter, I noticed this price increase info. I checked on 150 for an official update. While there are price changes, the free upgrade up 10 MB rather than 2 MB still isn't free but is much cheaper than I had to pay when I downgraded from the 10 MB speed.

I was told that Google would be dealing with my emails and would increase my website from 55 MB to 200 MB.

I will therefore hope all goes well with these, too.

The customer database takes time updating to the 10 MB speed but I was told to visit and fill in my email address and password here to get the upgrade faster:

Go to the www

---

virginmedia

---

com/myvirginmedia/gofaster


Notice the Upgrade Timetable link as this webpage will be updated as more details are made available:

As above: gofaster/timetable.php


Great news! You don't need a new modem so you're all set for superfast up to 10Mb broadband!
We'll be upgrading your area to our faster up to 10Mb service within the next couple of months. To find out when you'll be going faster, check out our upgrade timetable. We'll also drop you an email to let you know how things are going and we'll confirm when your service has been upgraded.


continued...

Those who aren't Virgin Media customers, could check further with Customer Services on 0845 454 1111. The other number won't deal with customer service related queries: 0800 052 6060.

While the saynoto0870 website may offer an alternative Head Office contact number, this isn't proving helpful if we simply get told to ring the 0845 number instead.

I'm on the lowest pricing for their phone service and paperless billing and the 2 MB speed at about £15.50 a month going up to £17.50 a month yet offering superior speed so I hope that more Broadband speed savings will be introduced each year, even if I'm paying slightly extra each month. I'll be saving time dealing with adverts all over the web that kept delaying me.

I don't have the free-to-use on-loan VM set top box to get their TV channels as I already use Sky and Freeview. The VM TV service is available to their phone customers free. If people want to upgrade to different VM channel bundles they can use the 150 number as existing VM customers.

Sky charges money on their 0844 customer services numbers and haven't had favourable feedback for their delays, yet a Sky spokesman was telling us on the BBC 1 Watchdog programme that millions of callers were getting through quickly. There was a telephony glitch when the BBC were phoning through hundreds of times in their own survey research... It wasn't a fair test for Sky, but I'm not complaining as I got £100 as a Return to Sky discount in March 2009...

jd87

How do I get rid of the £1.25 paper bill charge? I have just been on the VM website and have registered with the ebill thing and can now view my bills online. Does this mean I will automatically stop receiving paper bills now, or do I need to specifically request this?

denis_martindale

Paperless billing means you get an email confirming the charges for the various services. You can therefore check your account number for when you phone Virgin Media on 150. After they check who you are and your password, they can discuss what your bill states and confirm whether you will receive future mailed bills due to a recent change taking effect or whether it's automatic. I've not received any mailed bills. I check online. Depending on where you get your email bills sent to, the bills have to go to the Inbox to be readily available or using filters, get them directed to a separate folder instead.

If you need to confirm your email notifications on their website, they should tell you this just in case it's necessary for any updates that have to be verified.

You might have a Virgin Media TV set top box that also has a HELP section and FAQs on various topics.

Check if the paperless billing discount has been itemised on your statement.

donnac2558

I still get the paperless bill £1 discount, my ebill came on the 10th May.

Since I have been with them since they where CableTel I get my £19.50 loyality discount. I never phoned retensions and asked for it or threatened to leave when Sky went.

Gambo5000

As a committed environmentalist I signed up for paperless Broadband bills from Virgin Media (previously NTL) 4 years ago and have been getting regular E.mails bills each month until recently when I started to get paper bills without any notice. I now find I have to pay £1.25 for this unwanted waste. This is outrageous poor service and goes against the strong environmental commitment by the company to “Reduce Waste Generation” (I suspect millions of unwanted paper bills have been sent out in the last few months). I was interested to see Sir Richard Branson campaigning to save the rainforests a couple of days ago. Quite a noble act, but he should get his own house in order before preaching to others.

It took me 30 minutes to find all the information needed to re-instate my paperless billing so I have requested one months free service in compensation for my wasted time. Given Virgin's previous history of treating customers fairly I don't hold out much hope.

7Spring

As of now 19th Aug 2009 on their Web you can get broadband XL for £10 for 3 months and £20 afterwards. I am paying £37 less a bundle discount of £9.50 = £27.50 which is £7.50 more per month than a new customer!! I tephoned them and the girl said there was nothing she could do about it. If I cancelled I would not get the new bundle for a further 3 months

bek1980

7Spring wrote: »

As of now 19th Aug 2009 on their Web you can get broadband XL for £10 for 3 months and £20 afterwards. I am paying £37 less a bundle discount of £9.50 = £27.50 which is £7.50 more per month than a new customer!! I tephoned them and the girl said there was nothing she could do about it. If I cancelled I would not get the new bundle for a further 3 months

Try ringing them again, it depends who u talk to. Teeside call centre seem helpful ask if the person you are talking to is based there, also double check you are talking to retentions. Customer services will not help you !!

I know this as i have phoned twice today got told they could not reduce my bill first time (customer services) 2nd time i phoned i got my bill reduced from £38.50 a month to £30 a month for the next 12 months without taking out a new contract with them so i can cancel anytime as im out of contract
It really does depend who u talk to. Keep phoning, you will eventually get a nice person who will help you

denis_martindale

I've now got 10 MB Broadband access when I tested my connection.

When I've phoned Virgin Media about their website new customer offers, I was told that any customer can phone up and request the same deal.

Anyone who gets refused... well, I questioned their policy in this way.

If I cancel, can I sign up as a new customer? I was told yes.

I then asked, if I do that, you have to take all your equipment out of my house. I also lose my email account and my website as well.

Why can't you just let me keep my email account with all my emails in it and my website up and running and you don't have to visit my house and remove all the equipment and then return the next week or fortnight and install it all again?

I was granted the same deal as a new customer. AND WHY NOT!?

It's the same service, isn't it? And don't we come on forums like this promoting all the good help they provide us, like this incredible upgrade to 10 MB? I waited since May 2009 before I got it in August 2009. Now I've got it, I want to keep it and remain a good customer.

Others prefer Sky Digital's Broadband service, but I want to continue with various computers including the Windows 98 SE PC which Virgin Media still supports unless I cancel the contract with them, or them with me.

Please check on 150, to question why anyone should pay more than a new customer? Especially when they showed goodwill to freely upgrade to the 10 MB service to help us go faster!?