Another moving from Virgin query

claire07

I've been reading all the recent posts about people moving away from virgin or having the price reduced and would appreciate any advice.

We are in our 70s and due to recent ill health have taken our eye off the ball.  We have virgin broadband and home phone costing £65 per month.  We have now been told by virgin that from the end of April we need to have the phone coming out of the hub which is in a bedroom upstairs which we don't want.

 So we would need the hub bringing downstairs but would we be best getting this sorted before trying to renegotiate the price or is this the perfect opportunity to give notice to cancel and go elsewhere?  I'm not looking forward to phoning them but having seen what they offer new customers compared with what we are paying I feel foolish.

HaroldWren5

claire07 said:

I've been reading all the recent posts about people moving away from virgin or having the price reduced and would appreciate any advice.

We are in our 70s and due to recent ill health have taken our eye off the ball.  We have virgin broadband and home phone costing £65 per month.  We have now been told by virgin that from the end of April we need to have the phone coming out of the hub which is in a bedroom upstairs which we don't want.

 So we would need the hub bringing downstairs but would we be best getting this sorted before trying to renegotiate the price or is this the perfect opportunity to give notice to cancel and go elsewhere?  I'm not looking forward to phoning them but having seen what they offer new customers compared with what we are paying I feel foolish.

Hopefully you can get a better deal yes!

Firstly, it might be worth checking first and foremost what your options are so you know all the facts and can make an informed decision. More often than not, it seems that it pays to change these days.

For instance, is your property able to get "Full Fibre" (FTTP) Broadband (sometimes marketed as Ultrafast) from a Broadband provider via Openreach? Or even from any alternative network builder. If so, there are often better deals for Internet broadband AND you will have a far more reliable line/connection as it is Fibre all the way to your home. 

Secondly, do you definitely need a Landline? Or would you be all right with a Mobile. Mobiles often have better deals for Unlimited Minutes and (as their name) are mobile so can be taken anywhere in the house, or out and about. Some broadband providers offer copper based landline phones still (though these are apparently being phased out in a few years time), whilst others offer something called "Digital voice" via your Broadband Hub, whilst some also offer Broadband Only (best for those who would rather use a Mobile instead). 

When it comes to broadband, you also get varying contracts from "Fixed price" without the March/April increase to those that include this increase as well as varying length from 30 days, to 12 months, to 18 months to 2 years. 

Best thing is to check first if you can get FTTP broadband. If you can, then you know what is on offer and the price as a new customer. Then you can either just switch, or make beating that price the condition to Virgin Media for keeping your custom in any negotiation!

claire07

That's great.  Thanks so much for your suggestions.  I will go through them and sort out the options before I contact Virgin.  Unfortunately we still need a landline as OH has many health problems and has problems using the mobile.

[Deleted User]

You can swerve the phone coming out of the hub issue with a wireless phone handset, doesn't matter where the base station is then, you can still use your landline in any room of the house.

claire07

I thought I would update my earlier thread rather than start a new one.

Following the helpful advice I did a price comparison and the best options seem Now Broadband and landline or Vodafone (probably Now as it is a 12 month contract).  Either one of them would be £20 to £22 a month with free setup (which presumably would mean the hub moving downstairs).  It says we would also be able to keep our landline number.

However, the final straw was that Virgin have increased the price to £69.92 for the next month onwards and would charge £25 for the engineer to come out and move the hub downstairs so I am finally after about 30 years (via Cable, Telewest, Blue Yonder, Virgin Media) going to cancel. 

It seems a no brainer but I just wanted to check I'm not forgetting something relevant to ask before I go ahead.