Virgin Media retention deals (post your haggling successes)

ADChick

Has anyone had any joy getting the new customer deals? My current package is pretty much identical to the big kahuna one but about 15 a month more, and will be even more when my loyalty discount ends.

I briefly chatted to someone on the live chat who offered a rubbish deal. What's the best way to deal with them? Do I go in quoting one of there own deals, or say I'm leaving completely?

liviboy

ADChick wrote: »

Has anyone had any joy getting the new customer deals? My current package is pretty much identical to the big kahuna one but about 15 a month more, and will be even more when my loyalty discount ends.

I briefly chatted to someone on the live chat who offered a rubbish deal. What's the best way to deal with them? Do I go in quoting one of there own deals, or say I'm leaving completely?

There was absolutely no way Virgin were going to do that for me.

Live chat have less access to deals and eventually will tell you to call 150 which is what I did...

I was in the same position except that my BB had been given the free speed boost to 150.

The guy eventually said to me the only way was to cancel, wait 3 full months and then sign up again.

He got to around £8 above the new customer cost but that's still nearly £100 extra over the year so I declined and gave my notice.

Now looking at taking out the MSE Sky offer for a year to be honest.

c_smith

It seems Virgin Media aren't interested in retaining customer anymore, I haven't heard of any good retention deals lately. If existing customers want to enter into another new contract to obtain new customer deals they should be allowed to do so. And these twice yearly price rises at levels far exceeding inflation have to stop. It's bloody greed.

liviboy

c_smith wrote: »

It seems Virgin Media aren't interested in retaining customer anymore, I haven't heard of any good retention deals lately. If existing customers want to enter into another new contract to obtain new customer deals they should be allowed to do so. And these twice yearly price rises at levels far exceeding inflation have to stop. It's bloody greed.

They're too full of themselves to care. They go on and on and on about how superior their broadband is compared to every other company.

The guy I dealt with stated the figures for a cancelled customer returning within a few months of leaving was somewhere in the region of 92%.

Because they truly believe their product is so far superior to anyone else they do not need to compete on cost.

The difference is - I'm currently running at 150Mbps - on Wifi it's closer to 90Mbps. I honestly don't feel the difference between my home connection and that at my work which is around 11Mbps.

If I did a lot of online gaming/downloading/etc. then I could perhaps appreciate it more but for general day-to-day and browsing MSE I don't think I really feel it.

Their TiVo boxes are so slow (especially since the summer update!!!!) and the signal quality isn't exactly brilliant (pixilation, freezing, etc. especially in the rain (the boxes outside aren't completely watertight and if water gets in then everything just dies!).

SO I'm not calling their bluff with my cancellation. I'm going to give Sky another go through the MSE offer and who knows I might be back to VM in a year's time. If VM had offered me the package I wanted (available online to new customers, not exactly a unique special promotion...) then I would still be paying £10 more a month than I will with SKy but I would have been prepared to pay it. VM simply weren't interested. There's no loyalty, end of!

csgohan4

liviboy wrote: »

They're too full of themselves to care. They go on and on and on about how superior their broadband is compared to every other company.

The guy I dealt with stated the figures for a cancelled customer returning within a few months of leaving was somewhere in the region of 92%.

Because they truly believe their product is so far superior to anyone else they do not need to compete on cost.

The difference is - I'm currently running at 150Mbps - on Wifi it's closer to 90Mbps. I honestly don't feel the difference between my home connection and that at my work which is around 11Mbps.

If I did a lot of online gaming/downloading/etc. then I could perhaps appreciate it more but for general day-to-day and browsing MSE I don't think I really feel it.

Their TiVo boxes are so slow (especially since the summer update!!!!) and the signal quality isn't exactly brilliant (pixilation, freezing, etc. especially in the rain (the boxes outside aren't completely watertight and if water gets in then everything just dies!).

SO I'm not calling their bluff with my cancellation. I'm going to give Sky another go through the MSE offer and who knows I might be back to VM in a year's time. If VM had offered me the package I wanted (available online to new customers, not exactly a unique special promotion...) then I would still be paying £10 more a month than I will with SKy but I would have been prepared to pay it. VM simply weren't interested. There's no loyalty, end of!

They have traffic management, so whether you have 11 or 1000mbs it won't matter, they will throttle your behind when you really need it. It's a gimmick tbh their high bandwidth

Kenzer

Currently with VM at £64/month plus £3.49 increase.

TV m+
Fibre 150Mbps
Phone XL.

Gave 30 days notice on Saturday as plan to take up the Sky moneysavingexpert deal.

Phone call today from Virgin retentions this evening saying they want to retain my custom and asked reasons why was I leaving.

They offered me:
TV m+ and sports(not really interested in sports).
Fibre 100Mbps
Phone XL plus free calls to mobiles 0870 and 0845

Offered this lot for £50 after I had mentioned the Sky deal. Said that's the best he can do.
I also mentioned that the 7 day catch up on the TiVo you could no longer go direct to watch now and you have to do a manual search for a program which to me is a major downside compared to Sky and Freeview.

katies_mum

After being a loyal customer of virgin for 18 years I have just rung to see to see if I can reduce my monthly costs (over the past few years one phone call has given me a good deal from them), I also mentioned the Sky offer I could get, she could not offer me anything so I have given 30 days notice. The Sky offer from MSE - £37.80 for Box sets, Sky Cinema, Unlimited BB, Talk Anytime and line rental. She said the closest Virgin could get was £70! If Virgin had offered me what I have now for that price I would have stayed with them (currently have Tivo, M+ TV, BB 70mbps, Talk unlimited and have to pay for line rental £51 which includes an £8 loyalty bonus that ends 13 Nov but then there is the price increase to add in) but am happy with what I have just not the increasing price.

She said she would put disconnection through and hopefully I might come back to Virgin in the future and get a `new customer offer`!! and did i want to export my phone number?

I have never gone this far before and am not really sure what to do next. The offer with Sky from MSE is until 2nd September, but I haven`t pressed the button to sign up yet. I`m quite nervous and really don`t want the hassle of changing suppliers if I can help it as I really like the Tivo box and also the Virgin Fibre broadband, but its such a massive saving.

Could I please ask? does anyone know if I signed up with Sky and I was one of the lucky ones who get a call from Virgin retentions with an offer (but I`m not holding my breath) can you cancel the Sky contract within a certain number of days, or once you sign up are you tied in for 12 months?

Thank you

c_smith

I signed up with Sky yesterday after 13 years with Virgin (previously Telewest). I was told by the customer services representative that I could cancel the installation at any time up until the day it was due to take place. And any upfront fees will be refunded to you.

Likewise, I'm disappointed with Virgin. I get sick of their twice yearly price rises, but any time I've called previously they've offered me a good deal to stay with them. From what others have been saying on this forum, they're obviously intent on committing corporate suicide because if you're not competitive you can't survive in business.

katies_mum

Thank you c_smith, I was also with Telewest. Have Virgin bothered to contact you? Did you take up the Sky offer over the phone, thought I would have to sign up online. Could I please ask, how long do you have to wait for installation?

Like you I have been offered a good deal to stay with Virgin in the past, but there was absolutely nothing offered earlier this morning.

hec2308

katies_mum wrote: »

Thank you c_smith, I was also with Telewest. Have Virgin bothered to contact you? Did you take up the Sky offer over the phone, thought I would have to sign up online. Could I please ask, how long do you have to wait for installation?

Like you I have been offered a good deal to stay with Virgin in the past, but there was absolutely nothing offered earlier this morning.

I ended up calling Sky and doing it over the phone. Thank god I did, got a much much better offer than what I would have been able to get online. Haggled a package worth over £60 down to £48.