Virgin Media: Haggle down your costs.

scrimpandsave

I've been a cable customer just over a year or so. Sky didn't phase my reps in the slightest, they leave notes on your account so there's no fooling any one in to believing you were offered a 'better' deal by the last bloke you spoke to, as he'll have wrote down what he offered you in the account notes

I got an offer of,
XL tv and V+
BB L
Phone M
For 37.50

They said that was their best deal for me, so I assume any deal is calculated by how good a customer you've been and how much money you've made them, etc.

Didn't take it as I uhmed and aaahed because I was moving, I'm grateful I didn't now as I'd be locked in for 12 months and will be moving very soon.
More haggling, as 5 houses on the road I'll be living (mine included) don't have cable... (people refused to have their gardens dug up when diamond called in to fit cable at the start) so have had to go on national service. The relevance to haggling comes with my call to talk talk, who I'd told virgin were a better deal, they said ok and left it at that...I was wrong, the customer service guy at talk talk was rude, and said as I'd need a new line my min contract was 2 years and £65 connection going live in OCTOBER...didn't inspire me to sign up... Have family on tiscali, and they have a nightmare when anything goes wrong and have to call up, still a £99 line connection.

So rang virgin for national services...they immediately jumped up £4 a month because I'm on a locked exchange or something. I said I'd leave it and added I was so upset I'd have to go to BT (they conned me years ago with a first 3 months cheaper deal, then when the bill came they denied they'd offered it) Then nice virgin lady offered me £30 credit if I'd stay. No connection fee because I was already a customer, all be it on cable. So 3 months cheaper like a new customer, £30 credit. Paying a bit more but it's dwarfed by the price of a 24 months contract or a £99 connection charge. Virgin offer 12 month contracts, about the only people I could find that do. Have always had nice staff at virgin, but I do hear of people who have problems when ringing. Think they're pretty good at finding ways to keep customers

JOHNSTON24

My uncle still has virgin media analogue tv and he wants me to call up on his behalf to get him digital installed.

Does anyone know if virgin charge to change the boxes over from analogue to digital?

Also can anyone tell me what sort of price he is likely to pay for basic phone and tv package, he doesn't have a computer so doesn't need broadband.

Any help would be appreciated so that I am prepared when I call them later.

Saeed

JOHNSTON24 wrote: »

My uncle still has virgin media analogue tv and he wants me to call up on his behalf to get him digital installed.

Does anyone know if virgin charge to change the boxes over from analogue to digital?

Not 100% but think it should be free.

Also can anyone tell me what sort of price he is likely to pay for basic phone and tv package, he doesn't have a computer so doesn't need broadband.

Any help would be appreciated so that I am prepared when I call them later.

their standard price for basic phone is £11 and they chuck in basic tv for free. if existing customer, he may be able to haggle a bit of a discount off this price or something like free install of phone line.

daleuk_3

Hey guys,

I currently pay the following, do you reckon I can haggle it down further?

£23.74 is the total for:

Phone £11
Talk International £1.50 + Talk Unlimited £7.95 + Talk Mobile £1.50
Loyalty Pack : BB / Phone -£19.46
Broadband M £20
Paper bill £1.50
TV Size M

mrscb

at present ive got 2 meg bb (increasing to 10)
xl phone and basic tv
paying £22.49
is this the best im going to get!!!?
:beer:

smcg2212

Just checked the prices of Virgin calls. It will soon be a whopping 9.97p connection fee for every call we make with our virgin landlines!! Startng on the 1st Oct 2009.

The current connection fee of 8.80p started on 1st Aug 2009!! Maybe I should change to Tiscali or just use skype for all my calls.

hansi

Just as well i've got free anytime calls then!

DealChaser_2

Thanks to those who have posted and given me ammunition. I've just negotiated the following for £57 per month from VM.

Line rental
Broadband (L) - up to 10 Mbps which I thought was M but they are calling L
Telephone (M)
Caller display
TV (M)
Sky Sports
ESPN

This includes the E-billing £1 off, but there is no V+ box here. I thought this is comparable with what Sky is currently offering (£55 per month, to include Sky+ box but only 2 GB broadband) so think it's an OK deal.

Again, speaking with Sales was useless. You need to talk with Retentions.

Brightonfan

DealChaser wrote: »

Thanks to those who have posted and given me ammunition. I've just negotiated the following for £57 per month from VM.

Line rental
Broadband (L) - up to 10 Mbps which I thought was M but they are calling L
Telephone (M)
Caller display
TV (M)
Sky Sports
ESPN

This includes the E-billing £1 off, but there is no V+ box here. I thought this is comparable with what Sky is currently offering (£55 per month, to include Sky+ box but only 2 GB broadband) so think it's an OK deal.

Again, speaking with Sales was useless. You need to talk with Retentions.

Just got my sister a new deal with sky as she was being ripped off for 3 years paying £40 just for All the channels except for sports.No phone or broad band.She had a seperate virgin phone line package which she was paying £18 just for that.Altogether £58 per month

Now she has

Free sky+ box
10 mb broadband
All channels again(including movies like before) except for sports
phone with 24/7 calls
£15 to install

She now pays £43 per month.She can add sports for another £9 making it £52 per month.


I was offered your deal at £32 without sports on Virgin but with bigger phone package and M+ tv.If i did add sports then it wouldn't be no where near £57 per month.I couldn't get a v+ box free either though.Did try.

shaz2806

skonz wrote: »

I am currently on ;

XL Phone
M Tv
L Broadband

All for £32.25 a month.

Rung retentions and said I was going to go to 02 broadband and have a BT line and anytime calls for £23.54 a month. I asked for a better price or a upgraded service on the TV. Would not offer me anything decent. I was offered XL at a total price of £44.00, In my opinion not really worth it. I have been a loyal customer for 2 years and have always paid my bill on time. Might just join 02. Not to bothered about internet speed.

Hi, Im also on a similar package and thinking of moving to O2 for broadband.I was offered similar deals spoke to three different people at Virgin and got three different prices, but im definitely going to sort it out, im going to bt for my calls and O2 for broadband no point in thinking about it we should go for it, the sooner done the more money saved. What do you think???