Sky, Virgin & BT TV Haggle down prices and get serious discounts Article Discussion

blossom30

Hi Im in a contract with virgin
TV LX 12mths contract ends Aug 2013 with sky sports1 1V+box and 1V box in bedroom
BB L 12mths
Tel M 18 mths contract ends Feb 2014 (I only recently noticed this was 6 mths more than tv and broadband)
I got a discount on package half price line rental for 6 mths (I dont even use the phone) and £8 on tv broadband for 12 mths
The cost started out at £54 per month now this has crept up to £69 and I believe there is another rise in the phone rental in Feb.
I would be grateful for any tips on how to bring down the cost .If I do cancel package does anyone know the penalties due. Id appreciate your help .cheers shrewdalx

Mr_Tea

Having had (yet another) letter from Virgin offering me cheap TV, Broadband and Phone I figured that (armed with this) I could haggle a better deal from Sky.
I've been with Sky forever (10-15 years?) so was hopeful of some satisfaction. However I was massively disappointed with what they could offer.
I currently don't have Sky HD so am paying £22/month for SD TV, £7.50/month for Broadband nad £14.50/month for phone. This totals £44/month.
Virgin seem to be offering the equivalent with HD TV ("Classic Collection") for £32.99/month (£22.99/m for the first six months).

All the Sky customer service woman could offer me when I threatened to leave was the addition of a Sky HD box ("upgrade to HD") for an extra £5/month instead of an extra £10.25/month + a one off payment of £64.
So instead of a reduction in what I am currently paying I have effectively been offered an increase.

I regarded this with contempt and said I would go and have a think about it.

Please can anybody offer any advice on how I might get a better offer, because this one is rubbish?

Cheers,
Tea

Anon

shrewdal wrote: »

Hi Im in a contract with virgin
TV LX 12mths contract ends Aug 2013 with sky sports1 1V+box and 1V box in bedroom
BB L 12mths
Tel M 18 mths contract ends Feb 2014 (I only recently noticed this was 6 mths more than tv and broadband)
I got a discount on package half price line rental for 6 mths (I dont even use the phone) and £8 on tv broadband for 12 mths
The cost started out at £54 per month now this has crept up to £69 and I believe there is another rise in the phone rental in Feb.
I would be grateful for any tips on how to bring down the cost .If I do cancel package does anyone know the penalties due. Id appreciate your help .cheers shrewdalx

Worth checking when you got your price rise letter as you have the option to reject the rise and leave without penalty as a result of this price rise?

Phone up Virgin from our landline and use the options for moving/leaving (think it is 5 then another option). Tell them you are phoning up due to the price rise and you wish to leave as a result without penalty - they will soon tell you if this is not possible. Assuming it is possible, ask if they can look at your package as you are not happy about the above inflation price rise and are therefore reviewing your services and whether another provider may be cheaper/better. They may come up with a better offer, or you may give your 30 days notice at that point as that may then prompt outbound retentions to call and they normally have the better offers to stay (don't worry, if you change your mind you can always call back within the 30 days and say you have decided to stay for now!).

Anon

Anon

Mr_Tea wrote: »

Please can anybody offer any advice on how I might get a better offer, because this one is rubbish?

Cheers,
Tea

Yes, phone back and actually give your 30 days notice - you will then either get a call back from outbound retentions or may indeed leave (though people report getting better offers to stay through the post, sometimes these are after your contract has ended, which you may be prepared to do to make your point as you can always go back later or cancel your cancellation towards the end of the 30 day notice period).

Anon

Geordie_bear

I've just put my 30 days notice in at VM and begin a game of brinkmanship. Cancelling due to price increase and being told lies off the VM operator telling me last deal would end Feb 14. So when will I likely get a call from retentions and how long should I play the game of bluff? Don't want to lose VM but sick of the constant price increases!

stephenliverpool1

Just been on the phone to Sky to give them my 30 days cancellation notice for Sky Entertainment, Sky Talk and B/band unlimited.

Advised that I was either taking my TV to Sky's Freesat or back to V/media and I was either going to move my phone/bband to VM or to Talk/Talk depending who offered me the best deal.

I was very polite with the Sky operator. Suddenly he advised me that he could offer me a deal, where I only pay £25 for the above services (including line rental) for the next 3 months and I won't be on any contract. I intend to email this to customer services to ensure I have this in writing.

Trouble is I need to cancel again during March otherwise the bill will rise to over £40 during April.

Geordie_bear

thor wrote: »

Anyone recently requested cancellation from Virginmedia by giving them 30 days notice only to be offered a decent deal before the notice is up?
I know this is a common tactic but it seems the sentiment at the moment is that VM like Sky are starting to tighten up now.

Trying this now, hopefully they'll give me a deal I'm going to wait right up to the day before disconnection so I'm in for the long haul. :T

1HANNAH

Hi all,

We rang sky to cancel our Sky package (£39 which inc movies) on the 28/12/12.
They have just rung and offered us 1/2 price for a year (£19.50), no contract, can be down graded if needed with 31 days notice. (btw we have been with Sky since 2004)

Hope that helps someone else.

shortchanged_2

1HANNAH wrote: »

Hi all,

We rang sky to cancel our Sky package (£39 which inc movies) on the 28/12/12.
They have just rung and offered us 1/2 price for a year (£19.50), no contract, can be down graded if needed with 31 days notice. (btw we have been with Sky since 2004)

Hope that helps someone else.

Did you complete the why are you leaving email survey?

1HANNAH

shortchanged wrote: »

Did you complete the why are you leaving email survey?

No we didn't get an email....