Only joined Virgin Media for Sky? Blag some extra channels for the loss

NSHEP

I just wanted to let you guys know that changing your package with Virgin may bot be as simple as it sounds........

I was with Sky and had the tv package with movies and a sky plus box.

we were with NTL (virgin) and had 4mb broadband connection and phone.

we were paying £37 to sky and £36 plus calls to virgin (averagr cost £47)

We spoke to both - and decided to stay with Virgin, i was offered a good deal:

10mb broadband
Xl phone (line rental, all calls and cheap international calls)

= £36 - so for a faster speed and calls over £10 month cheaper.

We also organised a small (only freeview equivalent) tv package, but with v+ box and additional box for upstairs - so have the on demand tv etc, for a total of £52.

Deal done, set and the date set for installation. Phoned Thurs 26th to see what time they are coming, for them to tell me Sorry, we don't have tv in your area....... No one told me, I organised the deal over 3 weeks ago. I have cancelled sky!!!

I am so angry and upset I cant believe what they have done. I managed to speak to a manager, who apologised, over and over, promised to investigate, muttered some deal and may get faster 20mb broadband, but promised to call back. He never called back. I spoke again on the Fri to cardiff call centre, he told me we could get tv, and someone would call me back from retentions. Again no call. I called retentions saturday and spoke to a horrible lady, who told me that the man in the cardiff call centre had no right to promise they would call me back and she would be emailing his boss to that affect! WHAT! I was a little frustrated by this point as you can imagine, raised my voice about their incompetency, then she had the cheek to say 'do not talk to me in that manner!' I never shouted or swore, she was awful. DON'T DISCUSS DEALS WITH DENISE IN RETENTIONS - YOU WILL GET NO WHERE. :mad:

The point is, they are incompetent, blame each other for not meeting their obligstions to me and NO ONE has offered me an apology, or taken the time to cal me back. They have landed my in the SH*T. She told me that it could take a while to ascertain whether I can get tv, why do they let you book an appt to fit the TV, if there is a chance tyou cannot receive it? DOH!

Still waiting, and fuming. We will have no tv soon.

I chose Virgin over sky, what a mess.

Help!

I have written a letter and will send a copy to richard branson - does anyone have any contact details for him?!

ally_g_2

Sorry to hear Virgin promised you things they will not provide too!

I wrote to:

NCLC
PO BOX 333
Virgin Media Ltd
Matrix Court
Swansea
SA7 9BB

but unfortunately I don't have Mr Branson's address!!

This was on the 14th of April, same day as I emailed and no reply yet!! Hope you get a better response than me!!

Anyone had any replies to complaints they've made by email or post?

BrunoM

V+ box - now only available for a one-off £150 up front (then no monthly charge)? Anyone else been told this? Website still showing a monthly option.

Edit: over the last couple hrs site has in fact been updated - it's £150 payment, then 5/month, or free if you are XL

SaverSarah_2

I was told yesterday direct line to retentions team is 0800 073 0591. Open 8am to 8pm. Pretty long queues when I called yesterday, but at least it's a freephone number, and it seems to bypass all the other options.

I didn't get far yesterday with customer relations, will try retentions when I can get through! Their new pricing structure (including the upfront £150 for the V+ box) started today.

lynsiloo

stressedoutmum wrote: »

Can someone help me get my mum a better deal. She's in Scotland and Ive just been checking her Virgin Media Package. I changed mine after reading this thread (I live in England) and she pays the following

£15 per month for Satana (scottish football channels I think)
£9 per month for XL TV Package
£22.50 per month for L TV Package and Phone
Doesn't have internet or mobile.

Total = £46.50 per month just in charges.

I think she is being overcharged because she is paying for a Large TV Package and an XL TV Package. She watches Hallmark Channel a lot and she had to change her package so she could continue to get it but reading from her bill she's paying 2.

Once she has sorted her bill out what sort of deal could she get - she wants
XL TV Package
XL Phone Package
Satana sports (she would rather have sky sports but you have to pay for this in addition to Satana). Does anyone else have a similar package and what sort of price should she haggle for.

Yeah, we thought we were being overcharged same £22.50 per month for L TV Package and Phone and £9.00, we were told the other day that the £9 is included in the £22.50, it is just they way the bill is done it looks like two charges (aparently!). Our bill for tv large, 2mb broadband and phone was aroung £65, we bargained with them and are now getting a new virgin box the plus version all the usual stuff for £39 a month. Will see how long this lasts then phone up again!!

airtrack12000

Just recieved letter from Virgin today advising they are changing all Direct Debits from July so every one has the same billing and collection date. whats the betting they bill us all wrong!

papacool

I've been with NTL Virgin for years. In March this year, I contacted them to see what deal they could give me to stay. I was offered what I thought was GREAT for a year at a time.:beer: However, today I got my latest bill. Increased by nearly £30.:eek: I contacted them, [customer service], only to be told that the deal I got in March is too good, so... they have increased the price. I said I had it in writing as a contract. Too bad, if I don't like it they will disconnect me. They will however offer me a new, altered deal in their favour, and costing me £15 more a month. I said I was going to get legal advice in this, I have a contract, Virgin are terminating/altering it without consultation with me. Their response... thats fine... so, do you want to terminate our service or not.:mad:
Surely this can't be right... do it our way or else Perhaps this is why Richard and Rupert don't see eye to eye, doing business this way... AND... we still don't get SKY 1.
:rolleyes:

the_barretts wrote: »

You can have both Virgin and Sky!

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!

rogerthelodger

Not much to add to the general thread - except that I followed Martin's advice (and everyone else's...thanks).

Loss of the Sky channels and generally not using the Virgin box pushed me to a Freeview box (for not a lot - see similar thread) to get some of them back.

Rang Virgin and they could either supply Freeview channels without charge or move me from the TV M pack to XL for one year at no charge. The operator claimed that everyone on the three for £30 pack would pay the £49 after one year (but I can't find that on the Ts & Cs on Virgin's website). Said I was happy to accept offer and see whether I was in favour or would go to the no charge TV channels

So, where are we now?

• More channels for the same money.

• Chance to go back and negotiate again.

• Brush up on my negotiating skills and ask for more?

Additional note. I have a meter for measuring the consumption of electricity on pretty much any "applicance". It shows the Freeview box takes about 1/10th of the Virgin box (3W versus 30W - standby and on seem pretty similar).

rogerthelodger

Check your broadband speed
Perusing another web site, there was a suggestion about checking the speed using yet another web site.
Found I had been upgraded from the old 512 Kb service to the "up to 2Mb" and paying the new rate of £18 pcm but the modem was throttled to only operate at the old speed of 512 Kb.
Needed a call to their technical broadband helpline who confirmed the throttling. Call transferred back to customer services who immediately upgraded the modem and offered £10 pcm refund for six months (the time when I was not upgraded).
Others might pursue the same investigation.
Roger

rabialiones

Originally Posted by the_barretts View Post
You can have both Virgin and Sky!



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.

hi there, please can someone tell me how to connect sky box to virgin
at the moment i keep having to change the scart sockets on tv to change one to the other.
many thanks