Virgin Media retention deals (post your haggling successes)

BigBlueSky

I'm currently on the following package:

Television - Maxit TV with TiVo V6 Box
Broadband - M200 Fibre Broadband
Telephone - Talk Weekends
Mobile - 5GB Mobile Sim Card

Monthly Bill - £52.00

fondue

BigBlueSky said:

I'm currently on the following package:

Television - Maxit TV with TiVo V6 Box
Broadband - M200 Fibre Broadband
Telephone - Talk Weekends
Mobile - 5GB Mobile Sim Card

Monthly Bill - £52.00

Thats pretty much similar to mine. Thanks

_gav_

Was paying £30 for M200 and Phone Talk Weekends, contract due to finish within next few days and going backup to £54!    Just rang through to retentions who immediately offered me £34 for 18months for the same M200 and Phone Talk Weekends.  That's a first that I didn't have to push through to a cancellation and then wait for a call back.  Happy enough to take a £4 increase, I couldn't get 200mb broadband with any other supplier.

It's shame we have to jump through these hoops every 12-18months, why can't they just keep the prices the same!?

fondue

Just offered same package with a £12 increase per month and that was best offer they could do in retentions. Have put in cancellation. Daft we have to do this year on year...........

fondue

Just had a call back from retentions the next day......£44 per month for 18 months on Maxit TV, 200MB BB, Weekend calls. 
Happy with that as its cheaper than paying now and was £17 less per month what I was offered yesterday before I put in cancellation.

[Deleted User]

I'm paying £41 for 350 broadband only.   Now going up to £46 as my discount expires.   Have just switched to direct debit which should take it back down to £41.   But should I be able to haggle for anything better?   The first woman I spoke to on the phone said it wasn't possible, system wouldn't allow it, but she wasn't in retentions.   

The giga service is now available where I am, in London, for £62/m, and on some visceral level it appeals but I don't think I need it as I don't play games.

fondue

Poster_586329 said:

I'm paying £41 for 350 broadband only.   Now going up to £46 as my discount expires.   Have just switched to direct debit which should take it back down to £41.   But should I be able to haggle for anything better?   The first woman I spoke to on the phone said it wasn't possible, system wouldn't allow it, but she wasn't in retentions.   

The giga service is now available where I am, in London, for £62/m, and on some visceral level it appeals but I don't think I need it as I don't play games.

Only way to get better deals is to leave...then they call you with a better offer. 

[Deleted User]

fondue said:

Poster_586329 said:

I'm paying £41 for 350 broadband only.   Now going up to £46 as my discount expires.   Have just switched to direct debit which should take it back down to £41.   But should I be able to haggle for anything better?   The first woman I spoke to on the phone said it wasn't possible, system wouldn't allow it, but she wasn't in retentions.   

The giga service is now available where I am, in London, for £62/m, and on some visceral level it appeals but I don't think I need it as I don't play games.

Only way to get better deals is to leave...then they call you with a better offer. 

Okay, thanks for letting me know!  I see that there's a BT Black Friday deal of their 900mbs service free for three months then £59.99 for the remaining 21 months of the two-year contract.   Which would work out better than £62/m for Virgin's 1 giga.   But as I said I'm not a gamer, so don't really need the speed.

When you say "leave"... Does leave mean leave?    Or do you just go down the route of setting up with another company, then cancel on the new company when Virgin give you a better offer?   A spot of brinkmanship, like some people do with their jobs!  I couldn't risk any interruption of service when I'd have no broadband.

fondue

Poster_586329 said:

fondue said:

Poster_586329 said:

I'm paying £41 for 350 broadband only.   Now going up to £46 as my discount expires.   Have just switched to direct debit which should take it back down to £41.   But should I be able to haggle for anything better?   The first woman I spoke to on the phone said it wasn't possible, system wouldn't allow it, but she wasn't in retentions.   

The giga service is now available where I am, in London, for £62/m, and on some visceral level it appeals but I don't think I need it as I don't play games.

Only way to get better deals is to leave...then they call you with a better offer. 

Okay, thanks for letting me know!  I see that there's a BT Black Friday deal of their 900mbs service free for three months then £59.99 for the remaining 21 months of the two-year contract.   Which would work out better than £62/m for Virgin's 1 giga.   But as I said I'm not a gamer, so don't really need the speed.

When you say "leave"... Does leave mean leave?    Or do you just go down the route of setting up with another company, then cancel on the new company when Virgin give you a better offer?   A spot of brinkmanship, like some people do with their jobs!  I couldn't risk any interruption of service when I'd have no broadband.

From experience dealing with Virgin for over 20 years, in recent years you get the best deals only when you ask to be disconnected. Then you will get a call from the retentions/sales team after offering a better deal.

Basically the ridiculous process is.....you call Customer Services....they can't offer you a great deal. Go to retentions department who used to be able to offer you better deals but recently I have found they cant. Tell them you want to leave and get confirmation of termination (30 days contactually). Then you will get a call to offer you a better deal.

[Deleted User]

Thanks, Fondue, that's useful to know.    I've just realized that BT's 900mps service is available to houses at the beginning of my road, but not to my house.   So they've not laid all the cables yet.   

Which reminds me of something I read: The reason that Virgin and other companies are digging their heels in & making it much harder to get discounts is that they need to invest a lot of money to upgrade the country's broadband network.   Therefore the customers have got to pay their bit towards it.

Looks like I'll be sticking with my 350mps deal, which is already better than the Black Friday deals they're offering when considered over the course of the next 18 months.