Virgin Media Sky Channels Chopped.

hurrah

"Virgin Media customers say they have lost access to BSkyB channels after the deadline passed for the two companies to resolve a row over TV rights.
The broadcasters had until midnight on Wednesday to reach a deal which would have allowed cable company Virgin Media to continue showing basic Sky channels.

Virgin Media has accused BSkyB of raising its prices too much, but BSkyB has said the higher fees are justified.

Talks between the two broadcasters broke down last week.

A Virgin Media customer told News 24 she had lost access to BSkyB channels shortly before midnight. "

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6405549.stm

reelcrazy

I wonder if I could cancel my Virgin Media TV package because of this? Sky one is the only channel I consistantly watch.

ajaxgeezer

reelcrazy wrote:

I wonder if I could cancel my Virgin Media TV package because of this? Sky one is the only channel I consistantly watch.

..... I mentioned this already on the phone to Virgin when I was asking how they were going to compensate me for having channels taken away. They reckoned that I entered the contract knowing that channels were subject to change, and so tough luck for me. I suggested that there was nothing I could do then if they cut every channel and charged me the same amount? They just told me that wasn't going to happen, and refused to discuss hypotheticals.

I have a huge problem with this whole contract-buying thing. So Telewest sell their contracts to Virgin, I understand that, but shouldn't there be the right of the end user not to wish to be sold? Does that mean I can sell my contract to the nutter over the road if he wants to give me a tin of beans for it (I exaggerate the point in order to make it). What if I don't WANT to be with Virgin? I have signed no contract with Virgin.

Any legal minds know?

cheers,
Martin

normanmark

Fair play to Branson for sticking to his guns

ajaxgeezer

.... sticking to his guns meaning that he refuses to supply something that people have pre-paid for?

Since Virgin took over, the broadband is much slower (no idea why as the infrastructure would be the same, but it is!!), the menus on the TV are a dog to use, channels have been taken away and the Customer Unservice department takes twice as long to reach, even before the news of the channel deduction was out. And I'm stuck with it even though I have never signed a contract with Virgin, and that's a conscious decision after one run in with the brand. It stinks!

normanmark

Well im sure every channel is subject to availability surely. But i guess if you like biased news reporting & repeats of the simpsons then you should get back to Sky for their own channels asap.

But i think Branson was stuck in catch 22, if he was asked to pay more for the channels then the cost would only go back to the customers in increased prices. He cant win either way. Murdoch just seems to want to push customers to their tv service.

Now imagine if BT did that with their broadband services, they'd be uproar

Wouldnt be suprised if the monopolies commission are watching this story very closely!

and with regards to the broadband, im a virgin customer. I've noticed some slow speeds this week, apparantly they've been rolling out tests for the new 20/50mb services. I recall the last time when NTL were trialling some new traffic shaping systems in the north west a couple of months back that there was a few days of slow service. Irrespective i cant tell much difference on 10mb

tentickles666

is this the only thread on here about this? thought it would the talk of tha day!

you should have seen my boyfriends face when i told him sky sports news is now called sky sports snooze and has teleshopping on it!

we only just signed up to telewest about 6 months ago so we cant break our contract and go back to sky can we?

grrrrr

tentickles666

just want to add our bb has been fine and i use it virtually every day!

ajaxgeezer

Normanmark,

Yeah, subject to availability... it *is* available to Virgin, but they have chosen not to make it available to me even though I have pre-paid for it. I had a contract with Telewest to supply it to me - a seperate (lack of) contract between Virgin and Sky shouldn't affect me IMO. If he chooses not to take Sky channels, then that's totally his prerogative... but he should, out of decency, let people out of their contract on the basis that:

a) TV has fundamentally changed. We're not talking the God Channel or Discovery Nuts, Bolts and Parsnips here, it's Sky One... a massive pull for the contracts

b) the contracts weren't opened with frikkin' Virgin anyway.

To have it both ways is to "pick up the ball and take it home" (now where have I heard that before )

Disgruntled, Dudley!

TBeckett100

sky wanted 3p per person per day. Give me the choice of a quid a month more to keep the channels and i would have

normanmark

ajaxgeezer wrote:

Normanmark,

Yeah, subject to availability... it *is* available to Virgin, but they have chosen not to make it available to me even though I have pre-paid for it. I had a contract with Telewest to supply it to me - a seperate (lack of) contract between Virgin and Sky shouldn't affect me IMO. If he chooses not to take Sky channels, then that's totally his prerogative... but he should, out of decency, let people out of their contract on the basis that:

a) TV has fundamentally changed. We're not talking the God Channel or Discovery Nuts, Bolts and Parsnips here, it's Sky One... a massive pull for the contracts

b) the contracts weren't opened with frikkin' Virgin anyway.

To have it both ways is to "pick up the ball and take it home" (now where have I heard that before )

Disgruntled, Dudley!

Totally understand your concerns, but if people are pulling out of contracts because of no sky channels on Virgin media, then why on earth did they not sign with Sky in the first place? :rolleyes: