The great line rental scam

AndyPK

Assuming you are in a normal virgin area, you don't need to pay both BT or Virgin line rental.

Virgin will supply you BB and TV without having to pay LR. It used to be cheaper to just have a phone (3 services) but I think times are changing.

Try and ditch whichever phone you don't use.

iniltous

Although you can have stand alone broadband from VM ( that isn't much cheaper than phone and broadband ) and I suspect you can have a stand alone phone line,without broadband or TV, I'm not sure you can have stand alone TV, without taking something else, so if the OP only wants to take TV and broadband from VM , they may feel 'forced' to take a phone service they don't want or need, but given that to remove the 'phone' from the phone and broadband bundle doesn't really save any £'s, then the chances are removing the phone from a phone, broadband and TV bundle wouldn't save any £'s either, even if it were possible, but I think if you want TV and broadband from VM you have no choice , you have to take a phone line, in fact this is what the OP states, or it actually costs more to have no phone line.
Getting rid of the BT line may get around paying for two line rentals , but perhaps there is a reason for keeping it, perhaps the OP is 'on call' and their employer pays for the BT line,
An alternative is to get rid of VM completely, now is a good time, I've just got my 'Your price I is going up' letter from VM, ( up 14% in 15 months) perhaps the OP has had a similar letter, so perfect opportunity to leave penalty free, get a TV service from someone else (Sky) and phone and broadband from Sky or phone,TV and broadband from the likes of BT, TT or Plusnet, or mix and match from separate prviders, that way they only 'pay' for one line

[Deleted User]

iniltous wrote: »

ve no
Getting rid of the BT line may get around paying for two line rentals , but perhaps there is a reason for keeping it, perhaps the OP is 'on call' and their employer pays for the BT line,

Why would the Op be complaining about paying twice, if their employer pays for BT?

unforeseen wrote: »

It all comes down the same co-ax / fibre line as the phone would use from their distribution point so you still need to pay rental for that line

That's simply not true. You can select to pay only for Virgin BB without phone and vice versa.

redux

imi1ahmed wrote: »

In the insurance industry there is a concept called "Dual insurance" where one provider can not charge you for cover for something which you are already covered against.

In the Comms sector, It seems this does not apply and I deem that to be unfair. I want to gauge if I'm completely off track here or if people agree

I have a BT phone line for which I pay Line Rental.
I also have a Virgin bundle (TV, Phone, Broadband) which ...

The services are completely separate and the providers will be technically unaware of each other.

You've chosen a wrong comparison. Your situation is more like someone who owns two cars.

lee111s

Naf wrote: »

It seems that you and a number of other commenters haven't understood OP's situation and complaint.

They're not happy that VM charge them line rental when they already have a line from BT. What I understood from that is that they are using the BT line and want to keep it, but also want the other bundled services from VM. To do that, VM force you to have a line and pay line rental on it.

I'm well aware of the situation here thanks


I think it's the OP has misunderstood. They seem to think that you need a BT line to have services with virgin, which most people know is not required. They're two completely different networks utilising different technologies.

Virging do offer broadband without line rental, but the cost is much the same. The line still has to be maintained and repaired whether you use it for phone calls or data, which is why line rental is charged.

[Deleted User]

imi1ahmed wrote: »

This means I am paying TWICE for Phone-line rental when no doubt the same system of wires is being "rented" from BT.

You need to quickly understand that Virgin do NOT use the same lines as BT. If you are paying for a BT line in the mistaken belief that you can't have Virgin without it, then you should cancel BT pronto. You may even be able to port your BT telephone number to Virgin.

Care to explain how it is that you continue to pay for landlines from both providers?

Naf

littleboo wrote: »

Why would they keep a BT line when they already have one from Virgin ?

I can think of a couple of possible reasons, or it may be a misunderstanding.

lee111s wrote: »

I'm well aware of the situation here thanks


I think it's the OP has misunderstood. They seem to think that you need a BT line to have services with virgin, which most people know is not required.

Fair, thats also a reasonable reading of the OP. Unless they come back and clarify, we'll never know.

littlerock

I have a BT line and a Virgin bundle. At the time i needed both -I already had BT for home and used Virgin for handling affairs for a club of which I was secretary. I stopped being secretary and phoned VM to ask if i could reduce cost of bundle by dropping their telephone rental (My BT one predates the Virgin and is how family and friends contact me.)

I was told i could drop the phone but the rest of the bundle would then increase by more than the cost of the phone line. I think what OP is saying is why should Virgin be able to effectively force you to take up a deal which obliges you to have a redundant phone line to benefit from competitive pricing on the tv and broadband elements. Pricing elements should be separate.

mije1983

littlerock wrote: »

I have a BT line and a Virgin bundle. I phoned VM a while back to ask if i could reduce cost of bundle by not having telephone. i was told i could drop the phone but the rest of the bundle would then increase by more than the cost of the phone line. I think what OP is saying is why should Virgin be able to effectively force you to take up a deal which obliges you to have a redundant phone line to benefit from competitive pricing on the tv and broadband elements. Pricing elements should be separate.

Don't Virgin services all come down the same cable? It's hardly 'redundant' if it carries your TV and broadband services as well.

It's the same with ADSL lines. Vodafone have made a big song and dance about their 'no line rental' offer, but effectively it's no cheaper than line rental + broadband from another supplier. They just increase the price of the broadband. The line needs to be paid for somehow.

AndyPK

If you want to get technical about it, the VM BB and TV comes down a coax cable. The phone comes down twin copper.

VM have their network to maintain and expand.

As someone had said before, VM like you to have a phone, as you might use it and make money for them by making calls. This is why they try to price it, to encourage you to take a phone.


If you actually look at the prices on their website now:

If you want to stay with VM after the introductary period/contract ends.

BB + Phone
21 + 19 = £40

BB only £32.25

So BB is cheaper.

In the introductory period it's only £1.25 pm more.

I notice they have also increased the activation to £15