virgin/ntl takeover price increases .

icequeen55uk

OK, another post! (That makes 4 now, watch me go!)

As an NTL customer of over 7 years, (In fact, when I joined they were still Cable & Wireless), I was genuinely looking forward to the Virgin re-branding. I used to work for Virgin and know that Customer Service was always their first priority, in fact, I emailed Virgin Media as soon as their website was up and running, telling them what I was hoping they would do, mainly sort out the apalling service they pffer their customers. Of course, I never got a reply.

Does anyone else think that they completely underestimated the effect the Sky debacle would have on their customers? Irrespective of what was lost or gained, the point that makes me fume is that they NEVER contacted their customers to:

A) ASK if we would prefer to pay a little more for the Sky package. or
INFORM us directly what was going on. (C'mon, it's not as if they don't know where we live or what our phone numbers are, is it?)

I had to find out about the channel change from the Internet! Now, as far as I'm concerned, that is an apalling display of customer dis-service. I was going to change to Sky immediately (The saving would have been about £8 per month) but have decided to give them a months grace. I am hoping that they will reward those customers who didn't immediately change suppliers. I fear this is a vain hope, but I can still change to Sky later.

They've had, (by THEIR figures, so in reality it's probably double what they claim) over 20000 complaints about this issue, and the Sky man who was installing Sky at a neighbours house on Friday said that his workload had gone through the roof. I am terribly disappointed, but feel this is an example of Virgin spreading itself far too thinly. Does anyone else on here feel the same?

utilitybroker

Theirs a seperate thread about the withdrawal of channels here.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=389565

the_barretts

I was on the Virgin 3 for £35 deal - as a long term customer incredibly peed off with losing Sky One I had Sky installed Saturday and then rang BT to switch from Virgin to them and then spent 59 minutes on hold to speak to VM to cancel all my services.

However, Virgin are quite desperate to keep customers and they offered me a much better deal rather than lose my custom altogether - £19.95 gives me broadband and telephone but with free daily, evening and weekend NATIONAL calls and a discount on International and mobile calls and they let me keep the TV for free and are installing it next week in my bedroom free of charge.

So I am staying with VM and tv (M) phone and 2mb broadband and the free calls cost just £19.95 so even with my £15 a month Sky subscription I am quids in as I am saving approx £10 a month on calls (dont use the phone a lot) and I get more channels Sky One, Two and Three as well as the kiddie channels that are on the VM XL package which I could not afford.

So ring 150 tell them you want to leave and renegotiate your deal - my sister, her best friend and my parents have all done the same!

They dont want to lose you so give it a try!!!!!

You can still have Sky as well - they want you to connect your box to a landline as the box occasionally calls Sky. But VM assure me you can connect it to your VM line and Sky wont know the difference unless Sky can find out from BT which is unlikely as its against the data protection act.

If you dont connect your Sky box to a phone line within 8 weeks then Sky charge you a one off payment of £25 which is basically the installation fee that they waived but VM have said that if I do get charged this they will pay half of it!

northshore_2

The-barrets, thats interesting, did not know that Virgin phone could be on SKY.
Bit late now cause I was so peed off with NTL I phoned to cancel. They offered me the large TV package and to get rid of that disgusting £5 charge for nondirect debit payment.
Basically phone up their cancellation line and they will spend ages offering you deals. They will keep calling you all month to persuade you. (28 days notice to canx.) Just keep saying no not good enough, thanks, and eventually you will get to their bottom line. I could have saved over £20 month, but I have gone to SKY.
£15/month +£5 for free calls to 10 countries and National/local, + basic BB and two packages of TV, which give me what I want without the crappy shopping channels. Big BBand users might be better off on Cable, though.
In one years time Virgin will be offering good deals to come back. Maybe then I will.
Tel 'em you will leave and wait for best offer to stay, don't accept the first one. Good hunting!

northshore_2

PS, to last comment.
Is there an expert that could tell me if the charges are legal under OFFCOM rules?
I remember years ago, NTL charged £2 for "Telco" services, when I added BBand they added another £2, =£4. Virgin took over and without warning charged £5.
Are these charges legal under the contract, if changes were not notified? I wonder.

Saeed

please can people summarize at the end of their post which package they are on and how much it is costing them it would make it sooo easy to see what the deals people have got are instead of having to read long posts and decipher. Also can people put what they are actually paying rather than quoting "I have got 66% reduction which does not mean anything!.

I am on 3 for £29 (2mb bb, phone free wkend calls and starter tv) and have been offered either 2mb bb for 9.99/month or 2mb bb, talk 24, xl package for 19.95!

On 3 for 29 Offered 2mb bb 9.99/month or TV XL, phone XL, BB M 19.95