Virgin Media retention deals (post your haggling successes)

victor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81940850#Comment_81940850

You can contact them now and say you are looking at renewal or giving notice.

I did that (by calling 150) as my current contract ends in May. After declining the first offer, they offered me £20/month for continuing my 250M broadband and call anytime landline, effective immediately with no April increase until 2027. 24 month contract, so I don't have to think about it for 2 years...

katies_mum

Thank you victor2 for your reply, sounds like it was a fairly easy process for you. Did you get both offers on the same call or did you have to ring back and speak to another advisor?

victor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81940865#Comment_81940865

All on one call. In the past, I have given notice and got a deal with a call from retentions, but I didn't want the hassle this time, and would happily have gone elsewhere if they couldn't offer me something worthwhile.

katies_mum

Thank you, will give them a call over the next couple of days, don`t have the time to do it today in case it turns out to be a lengthy process.

katies_mum

Good morning, sorry maybe silly question, but when you first contact Virgin and start discussions for hopefully a new deal, at what stage would you say you wish to leave/cancel. I`m a bit scared to do this. Thank you

victor2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81941772#Comment_81941772

Look on a comparison site, or something like uSwitch, and get an idea of what's available in your area, just make sure you don't commit to anything, but make a note of prices for something comparable to what you want.

Then contact Virgin and say you're looking at the cost of renewing your contract and want to know what they can offer. Whatever they come back with, just say, well xxx can do something similar for £nn/month. Don't be afraid to name the company, it shows you've looked around. The £nn amount will almost certainly be less than Virgin, but quote the cheapest, even if you wouldn't seriously consider it.

Then they'll probably put you on hold briefly while they "check if they can do anything better". Hopefully they will come back with a reasonable deal. May not be less than the one you quoted at them, but close enough for you to say something along the lines of that would save you switching. If it's still an unacceptably high price, that's when you have to say that you'd like to give your notice to cancel at the end of your contract. That bit is important so that you won't get an early termination charge. They'll probably put you through to "cancellations", so repeat and confirm that bit. That's when you have to wait for the callback. Make sure your account settings have a valid contact number on it. People say, you should turn on marketing preferences, but mine are all off, and have been for a long time, and they have called me, but it's a few years since I've done that dance.

digannio

My deal was due to end in early June and I've just agreed a 24 month renewal by calling the 020 number above. I was immediately offered a cheaper deal than I was already on with no April increase this year and a small increase in 2027 (but still cheaper than I was previously on). It was very painless and I've always found the best approach is with a friendly tone in seeking out the best deal possible. I'm on a basic package with m125 broadband, essentially Freeview TV, V6 Box and Weekend Chatter Phone.

A bit of rapport goes a long way and just do a bit of homework on what's out there. Good luck.

katies_mum

Thank you both so much for your help.
I have just rung the 150 number, tried 3 times and didn`t get off the menu, so rang 02037436970, thought it had to be worth a try.

Spoke to a lovely lady, explained contract coming to an end and was looking to see what they could offer.
She went through my existing details which is 350M BB (increased to 500 due to Volt but we left O2 months ago) Mega TV and weekend calls. Contract had just increased to £46.28 (£118 in 34 days) and we are also paying for Netflix. She offered 500M, same calls, Mega TV and Netflix Standard for £38 / or 350M for £34 increasing to £38 in April 2027.

I have signed up for 24 months for 350M BB, Mega TV, Weekend Calls and Netflix Standard for £34 and am very happy. I have had my email and she says it will all go through tomorrow. First payment will be £21.76 due to the adjustments with my bill. Just need to work out how I cancel Netflix now and if it automatically links to my Virgin account.

Thank you again.

victor2

Well done @katies_mum!

They do seem to be recognising now that the competition is getting more serious, and come up with decent offers without forcing customers to do the "cancellation dance".

Anyone who wants to push them harder for a good offer just has to point out that VM's upload speeds are way slower than similar FTTP services. Just look at the upload/download ratios.

katies_mum

Thank you victor2. If everything goes through ok it was so much easier than I had expected. I have the pre-contract documents with all prices etc, hope my account is updated when I log on tomorrow (I did expect it to change after she had input the information)

We originally signed up for 350M 18m ago which was a huge increase from our previous contract with Sky then it was increased to 500M with O2 Volt. Hopefully we won`t notice much of a difference