Out of contract with Virgin media can I cancel and start again

usignuolo

We have a very unsatisfactory Virgin Media TV phone and internet package - around £71 month for XL tv (175 channels excluding Sky) and L cable broadband (10mbs). We are long out of contract and have been thinking of cancelling and starting again.

Separately we had a sales call from "john" at VM this morning suggesting we change to the VM Premiere Collections package which would mean keeping tvpackage (no Sky) and phone line, and upgrading BB to 30mb (60mb when exchange is upgraded in July). In addition we would get free TIVo box, new superhub and old V+ box relocated. This would work out at £57.50 month before VAT.

We asked about 100mb bb and were told this would be around an extra £10 per month. (These prices are the same as those offered to new customers). So we said we would sign up to the 100mb deal. Unfortunately the line dropped while we were waiting for John to confirm engineers appointment to install it.

When he had not phoned back three hours later, we phoned VM sales line and got Virgin Indian call centre (:(). The woman on the other end said she could not trace or reconnect us to John in UK sales but would look up our account. She said there was no sign of any orders being processed against it. She said we could indeed sign up to Premiere collections for £57.50month as john told us, but we could not increase the bandwidth to 100mb for £67.50 - to that we would have to add the phone rental.

I pointed out it £67.50 all-in is the price John confirmed and exactly the price offered to new customers for our package with 100mb bb but she insisted we could only have 100mb if we paid an extra £22.50 for the sky channels, which we do not want, making it around £90 month. She said the deal was not divisible in the way John had agreed it with us, or as shown on the Virgin website for new customers .

I assume she is just misinformed but rather than go round the houses again, would it just be easier to cancel and start from scratch, given we are out of contract at present.

marleyboy

You could go one better. Inform them of your intention to cancel service (28 day notice). VM will put you through to retentions, who's job it is to try and offer a better deal. Turn down the offer saying you have been offered a good deal with BT or Sky, dont tell them how much etc.

Within your 28 day period, you will be constantly phoned up by VM cancellation dept. (over and above retentions) who will offer you an even better deal, and then an even better deal than that.

I got my VM upgraded to Tivo, 20 Meg BB, V+ in bedroom (free installation of both v+ and Tivo), on top of which I had my £62 a month fee for V+ package, reduced to £34 a Month.

My brother is currently being offered a likewise deal whilst he is on his 28 day notice period, uto now they have offered him an upgrade to Tivo with a price redution similar to my own, except he is still standing his ground over the installation fee for Tivo, once they waiver that (which they will) he is ready to agree. You have nothing to lose, as you can always cancel your notice up until the last date of cancellation.