Virgin Media retention deals (post your haggling successes)

AndyPK

Much better to research what the price will be at new supplier to be able to quote them.

Or just leave anyway

olgadapolga

AndyPK wrote: »

sign up elsewhere (e.g nowtv gets my vote), and requesting your phone number is transferred over, makes virgin believe you are serious.

I cancelled with Virgin Media. They refused to give me a price anywhere near what I had been paying and even when they "looked" at their prices they still wanted to charge me more than double for half of the services I had been receiving. Gave them 30 days' notice, after a long, excruciating call. I rang to cancel and they were determined to make it difficult!

Asked my new provider to port my number to them, I then received a call from Virgin telling me that my cancellation date was XYZ and that my number would be transferred over to the new provider. They suggested that I stay but again, wanted to charge me double for less than half of the services (BB, TV, phone). I declined and as far as I can tell, they won't be calling again.

Completely different story to last year when they fell over themselves to retain me as a customer, stating that it was cheaper to keep a customer at more or less any price than it was to recruit a new customer.

I've been with Virgin for a long, long time. They don't seem to rate loyalty anymore so I'll go elsewhere. Simples.

donnac2558

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

Virgin Media???

I was just saying the days of companies trying to hold on to customers seems to be over. Sky were known to contact and offer a deal, but recent posts people saying they are not doing this. So Virgin might be the same?

[Deleted User]

STORY TO NEWS TEAM SENT.

Dear sir/madam SAVE EVERYONE ON CABLE £480 A YEAR.

Virgin media holding people to ransom because they are cable and might take up to 4 weeks to transfer telephone number, plus the house must have a bt socket. I paid £70 a month for TV and 100mb broadband NO TV BOX , I was sick of share holders.so last night I went to virgin media special offer £29 a month for telephone and broadband ,for new customers only ,to hell with that I said I'm not under contract and I don't have to pay exit fee or give 30 days notice. PLEASE NOTE PEOPLE ARE ONLY UNDER CONTRACT WHEN THEY FIRST JOIN FOR 1 YEAR OR 18 MONTHS MAX.

So I filled in the form bank details etc through MSE as a NEW CUSTOMER it all went through nice at the end it said our engineer will install the new superhub 3 on may 3rd 2019.then I phoned virgin media disconnect team and told them I'm leaving on the 2nd of may ,I was honest and told them what I have done the guy says but you cant your a existing customer , I TOLD HIM LISTEN I DONT HAVE A CONTRACT I DONT HAVE TO GIVE YOU 30 DAYS NOTICE I INCUR NO PENALTY FEE FOR LEAVING. Oh he said hang on to I speak to supervisor 3 mins later oh sorry you are right you can also keep YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL ADDRESS.

I NOW SAVE 40 POUNDS A MONTH " £480 " A YEAR YEHAAAAAAAAAAAA and next year ill do it again.people with tv packages will save even more.to check your contracted just log into virgin media your account.

Please TELL EVERY ONE MY STORY AND SAVE THEM £480 A YEAR ,GONE ARE VIRGIN RIPOFFS. CALCULATE - 480 X 4 MILLION CUSTOMERS MY GOD BILLIONS.
people watch out the might say oh you got a new superhub thats free but renews your contract rubbish.
UPDATE TOP MANAGER PHONED ME SAID THIS CALL IS BEING RECORDED " SCARE TACTIC "I CAN GIVE YOU THE DEAL WITHOUT YOU LEAVING AND REJOINING , I SAID NO YOU HAVE RIPPED ME AND OTHERS OFF FOR YEARS IM DOING A FRANK SINATRA IM DOING IT MY WAY. IM NEW HERE SO I HOPE THIS IS BEST PLACE TO POST, SO THE HOLE SITE CAN SEE THIS.IF IM WRONG CAN SOMEONE PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THIS TO THE HIGHEST LEVAL IN MY NAME.LONNYBOY1.

[Deleted User]

Update. Forgot bonus when you rejoin you get £50 pounds back to hehe they will be sick.

mije1983

Yes, it's always worth haggling with all firms, not just Virgin. There are lengthy threads on it in the forums. For example a lot of posters here who are with Sky are on at least a 50% discount from the advertised price.

However I do need to pick up on a point. You keep saying you are not in contract, but that is completely incorrect. Of course you still have a contract, even though it is a rolling 30 day one. Otherwise your services would have stopped after the 12/18 months were up. What you don't have is a lengthy minimum term anymore, or an early termination charge to pay. If you read the contract you agreed to it will most likely say you need to give 30 days notice to terminate.

Also, telling you the call is being recorded is not a 'scare tactic'. If the call is being recorded, they legally have to make you aware. Most call centres record calls, both incoming and outgoing.

I hope I'm wrong, but you could find they they will either charge you the difference between the notice you have given and the contractual agreed period, or fail to honour your new order as you are not a new customer. Don't forget to return your old equipment either if they ask for it, as it belongs to Virgin and they could well charge you for it if you don't.

It would be good if you can come back on 4th May and update the forum so others who search for the same thing can see the outcome.


Edit:

Virgin retention thread here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5480640/virgin-media-retention-deals-post-your-haggling-successes&page=74

[Deleted User]

yes i know mije i told supervisor i am not on a rolling contract he agreed.they cannot fail to houner new contract i have it all recorded and on paper as below.if so small court ask for £6000 for loss of services as im disabled .and strain and duress etc etc. my cousin is a top barrister hehe god loves a tryer.thx for reply but your reply puts people of ??????. AS MARTIN SAYS FIGHT BACK KEEP TRYING.BELOW.
Online order reference:



Hi there,



You're in! We're sending one of our technicians round on 03/05/2019 between 1PM-6PM to install your Virgin Media services.




When we install your Virgin Media services, it should only take about two hours to get all the equipment up and running. Please make sure that there's somebody over the age of 18 present when our installer visits.



You'll shortly be getting a letter through the post. It contains a copy of your contract - we'd be grateful if you could sign and return a copy to us. Tucked away in the letter, you'll also find a guide to everything you need to know about Virgin Media.




If you have any questions at all, just call our team 0345 454 1111*.




Kind regards,




The Virgin Media team



*For details on how much it costs to call our team from a Virgin Media home phone, visit virginmedia.com/callcosts. Call costs from other networks and mobiles vary.

Hello,

We're really sorry that you've decided to go and when it comes to your services, we understand that there are lots of companies to choose from. If things don't work out, you're always welcome to come straight back to us.

In the meantime, we'll do all we can to make sure your disconnection goes smoothly.

Your disconnection date

Your services will stop on the date you were advised.

Returning your equipment
It's quick and easy to return your Virgin Media bits and pieces - and it won't even cost you a penny. Once your services are disconnected, we'll send you a free postal returns kit.

Just pop the equipment into the packaging provided - including any cables, remotes and smartcards - and drop it off at your local Collect+ store. You can find your nearest store at collectplus.co.uk.

The reason we ask you to return your equipment is that, while you're with us, you rent your equipment, rather than own it. So if you don't return your equipment, within 30 days of your service disconnection, we'll have to charge you for it.



Your final bill

If you pay by Direct Debit, this will be drawn after your disconnection on your normal date from the bank. The Direct Debit will be cancelled once you have paid your final bill in full
If you don't pay by Direct Debit, the quickest way to make a payment is with a credit or debit card - simply sign in to your account at virginmedia.com/myvirginmedia
If your account is in credit, this will appear on your final bill and we'll send a cheque to your registered address - this can take up to 45 days from your disconnection completing
If you've been charged an early disconnection fee, this will appear on your final bill.
If your next bill looks the same as usual, don't worry - your final bill from us will arrive after your disconnection date
As we bill in advance, your next bill will show charges billed beyond your disconnection date
You can watch a short video on how your final bill will work here. It's a good idea to keep hold of this email until your final bill arrives to help with any questions.


Your telephone number
If you've arranged to take your telephone number to a new provider, they'll be able to answer any queries you have about the switch.

Your email account
If you're disconnecting your Virgin Broadband, your email account with us will close 90 days after your disconnection date. When this happens, you won't be able to use that email address to sign into your My Virgin Media account and you won't be able to access your email folders anymore. If you've got anything important stored there, don't forget to save it on your computer !

Your Netflix account

If you're disconnecting your Virgin TV service and you subscribe to Netflix, you won't be able to watch it through your TiVo® box anymore. You'll still be able to watch it on your other devices and you'll continue to be charged by Netflix directly.


F-Secure SAFE - You'll continue to enjoy your F-Secure SAFE free trial and benefit from Virgin Media's discounted rate (£25 per year). If you're already paying for the service you'll continue to be billed directly through F-Secure.



If you have any other questions, just head to virginmedia.com/help



Kind regards,



The Virgin Media team

[Deleted User]

mije why has my views etc went to zero on page ???????????.

mije1983

lonny1 wrote: »

yes i know mije i told supervisor i am not on a rolling contract he agreed

If you are currently still receiving VM services, then he was sadly mistaken. It's not unheard of for call centre staff to not understand the difference between the contract and the initial minimum term.

lonny1 wrote: »

they cannot fail to houner new contract i have it all recorded and on paper

They could quite easily. If the offer you have taken up stated 'new customers only', and you are not a new customer, then any contract is void. An easy get out for VM if they so wish.

lonny1 wrote: »

if so small court ask for £6000 for loss of services as im disabled .and strain and duress etc etc. my cousin is a top barrister

Your cousin will no doubt be able to talk you through the intricacies of that path. Like the fact you need to be able to quantify your losses. So you would need to be able to show how you came up with that £6k figure etc. I also think that should VM have a clause about what a 'new customer' is, then you would have no claim for loss of services anyway.

lonny1 wrote: »

your reply puts people of ??????. AS MARTIN SAYS FIGHT BACK KEEP TRYING.BELOW.

It's not about putting people off. As I said originally, you should ALWAYS haggle with companies to get a better price, not just VM. However, it is important people have realistic and accurate views on what the situation is. Retention deals are often better than new customer offers if you work it well, so it's often far more beneficial to try that route first before attempting any new customer offers that they may decide you are not eligible for.

Just to reiterate, I hope this all goes smoothly for you and that your post on the 4th May is a successful one. A lot of times people register, make one post, but then never come back to update with the outcome. If VM have indeed changed their policy about what is a new customer, then a great many people could benefit from your post-installation update.

lonny1 wrote: »

mije why has my views etc went to zero on page ???????????.

You post has been merged into the ongoing Virgin thread I linked to in my reply.

[Deleted User]

last word mije.
but on paper i leave and im not a customer on the 2nd of may even if they pull the 30 day notice rule.say i phoned today and said cut me off now i have no money for bill,just send me bill for what i need to pay you up till today ,they cant say oh we cant you will have to pay 30 days notice for a service you will not use or require thats against the law, i could be moving home tomorrow or flooded out of home.im ready for fight back its been a week now no letter or email NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS HEHE.MY BANK ACCOUNT IS READY FOR COURT IF IT COMES I DONT CARE IF I LOOSE,ATLEAST I TRIED.
THANKYOU MIJE YOUR ADVICE IS GOOD IM MORE PRE PAIRED.