Virgin Media Price Increase from 1/8/2011

jhp

"August 2011 telephone price changes


Our Virgin Media Phone Line prices are changing.
Line rental

With the first change, from 1st August 2011 you’ll pay £13.90 a month for your Virgin Phone line. But don’t forget, unlimited calls to UK landlines and Virgin Mobile phones are still included at no extra cost as part of the inclusive calls in your call package.

Connection fee

The second change we need to let you know about is to do with our 12.24p call connection fee. This only applies to calls made outside of your current call package. From 1st August, this will increase to 13.24p. Enjoy Virgin Broadband or Virgin TV too? Don’t worry, those prices are staying exactly as they are.

Free 0870 calls

If you make lots of calls to numbers beginning 0870, you’ll know they can quickly bump up your phone bill. So to cut your costs, we’ve now made these free, as part of your call package. So from 1st August, calls to banks, businesses and helplines that begin 0870 won’t cost you a penny when you make them during the inclusive period in your call package. "




See http://help.virginmedia.com/system/selfservice.controller?CMD=VIEW_ARTICLE&ARTICLE_ID=387040&CURRENT_CMD=SEARCH&CONFIGURATION=1002&PARTITION_ID=1&USERTYPE=1&LANGUAGE=en&COUNTY=us&VM_CUSTOMER_TYPE=


2nd line rental increase in 4 months.:eek: and only weekend unlimited calls to UK landlines and Virgin Mobile phones are included at no extra cost .

Jeffff_2

As a subsrcriber that has virgin internet+line rental - is there anything I can do to avoid this? Can I demand to end my contract even though I'm within the initial 24 month term?

Thanks

OldGreyFox

Jeffff wrote: »

As a subsrcriber that has virgin internet+line rental - is there anything I can do to avoid this? Can I demand to end my contract even though I'm within the initial 24 month term?

Thanks

"If Virgin Media Ltd, Virgin Media Entertainment and/or Virgin Media Payments:
a. increase their respective charges under these agreements;
b. make significant changes to the services so the services you are entitled to receive in return for the charges you pay are significantly altered or reduced; or
c. make significant changes to the terms and conditions of these agreements (including the other legal stuff),

you may cancel those services affected without penalty by giving Virgin Media Ltd, Virgin Media Entertainment and/or Virgin Media Payments (as applicable) at least 30 days' notice. Such notice must be given within 30 days of the increase in charges or changes to the services or this agreement being notified to you. If you were not notified of these changes in advance, you must give notice of cancellation of the services affected to Virgin Media Ltd, Virgin Media Entertainment and/or Virgin Media Payments (as applicable) within 30 days of receipt of your first bill following such increase in charges. If you do not give notice of cancellation within the specified period, you will be deemed to have accepted the increase in charges and/or the changes to the services and these agreements. You will no longer be able to cancel your services under this paragraph. If you cancel any services in these circumstances, the increased charges will not apply to those services during the 30-day notice period and paragraph J2 will not apply if you cancel before the end of the minimum period."


http://shop.virginmedia.com/the-legal-stuff/terms-and-conditions-for-cable-services.html#ending

macman

Ending your contract with VM will of course leave you with no service at all unless you stump up for a BT line install or reconnection.
VM is easy to join but much harder to leave...

victor2

At last they are including 0870 numbers in the incuded calls packages, but not 0845, for which they'll shaft you 11.24p connection plus 10.22p per minute rounded up to the next minute of course and plus VAT.
So it will make sense to look for 0870 numbers in preference to 0845. Sort of defeats the purpose behind these numbers, but as macman says, Virgin make it even more expensive to leave once they've got you. If only their cable broadband didn't deliver the rated speed....!

kwikbreaks

Call 150 "I'm thinking of leaving" option and ask if you can cancel the phone at no penalty and what impact it will have on your package price.

Assuming they say you can leave without penalty then typically you'll lose about £10 discount making the saving ~ £3. Don't cancel yet. Sign up to Vonage UK through Quidco or TopCashBack (this just about cancels out the upfront equipment cost and gives a profit if they have any refurb ATAs). Once you have the Vonage VOIP service up and running arrange with them to port your Virgin number. After it is ported call VM to cancel the phone line. You'll end up paying both VM and Vonage for a month (your cancellation period) - you could aviod that by judicious juggling of exactly when things are done but if you screw up and cancel the VM line before the number is ported you have lost it. I just put up with the excess payment.

Vonage UK costs £6 you'll save about £3 by cancelling the VM line or £5 if you were paying for caller id. For the £6 you pay Vonage you get free anytime geographic number calls + callerid + a few other goodies. 0845 etc are billed by the minute but the price isn't outrageous and I don't think there is any connect charge (check rates etc on Vonage site)

I swapped over about 3 months ago and it has worked well for me. Obviously if your broadband goes down you lose your landline but I'm guessing you have a mobile anyway.

It's a lot simpler if you don't use the landline - just see if you can cancel it without penalty.

Geoff_W

It'll only be 3 months since the last increase when the line rental went up from £12.49 to £12.99. Now it's going to jump to £13.90! These people really know how to screw their customers, don't they? If it wasn't for the good broadband speed, I'd be off like a shot, but unfortunately I can only get around 2Mbs via a BT line where I live.

victor2

Geoff_W wrote: »

It'll only be 3 months since the last increase when the line rental went up from £12.49 to £12.99. Now it's going to jump to £13.90! These people really know how to screw their customers, don't they? If it wasn't for the good broadband speed, I'd be off like a shot, but unfortunately I can only get around 2Mbs via a BT line where I live.

I feel the same. If BT were rolling out Infinity down my street, I'd pay a bit extra just to get that - unfortunately they're not though. VM's customer service has gone downhill lately, although I must admit I haven't had much cause to use it. I've already started switching my emails over to my own domain so it wouldn't be too painful to lose my ntlworld address.

Shefflass

Hi

I've just posted my problem on the Virgin Retention thread then I've just seen this which is exactly my problem. I do seem have been a little better off though than some of you on here as I haven't been paying line rental at all!

I am already unhappy with the service from VM but have stayed with them purely for the broadband, but it annoys me that there is no package available that DOESN'T include the phone option. I don't want, need or use the phone but I've put up with this as it wasn't specifically costing me anything but I have now received a mail today to say from 1 August I will now have to pay £13.90 for the line rental - whether I want it or not.

I'd love to know my best options with any other company but reading reviews on the net, it seems that all the providers are as bad as each other? I'm going to try the 'I'm leaving' option so I will come back and leave a post if I can get out of this phone line malarky.

sameerpawar

I have got some deal where I pay approx 12 for first 6 months and approx 25 for rest 6 months - for broadband and landline. But person who cam for installation said he can't lay landline since it is difficult. I didn't bother. But with these price rises I called them again and someone will come on 28th to install landline. That is story part.

what is this call package in "unlimited calls to UK landlines and Virgin Mobile phones are still included at no extra cost as part of the inclusive calls in your call package" , "...12.24p call connection fee. This only applies to calls made outside of your current call package"

"If you make lots of calls to numbers beginning 0870, you’ll know they can quickly bump up your phone bill. So to cut your costs, we’ve now made these free, as part of your call package"

I really don't know what call package I bought since I was interested in broadband only. Someone who has similar package can guide whether I am entitled for all these freebies.
If I refuse to pay price increase , can I refuse complete bundle - broadband+landline or just landline rental. just refusing landline doesn't make sense since broadband alone package costs more than landline+broadband.

kwikbreaks

The VM cable based phone line rental includes weekend calls so that is your "call package".

IMO it is not competetive but it doesn't make sense to take a BT based phone instead as dropping the VM phone line only results in a few pounds worth of savings so the only viable alternative is VOIP as I mentioned further back. Anybody still in contract who actually used their landline much may want to consider it in addition. I use Vonage but there a cheaper but messier alternatives.