So many choices.

whattochoose

I'm currently with Virgin Media. My current contract comes to an end at the end of December 2025, and I'll be putting in my cancellation soon, and once again playing that cat and mouse game hoping they offer me an attractive deal so I remain a customer.
Currently I'm paying £57.52 for V6, 250 Mbps, landline (weekend calls). I've put out a few feelers and they're presently quoting £81 for the same package.
Obviously, if it stays like this, I'm off. Fortunately, I live in a property where there are loads of full fibre options via Open Reach, too many to be listed here.
If I bite the bullet, and leave VM, I can probably save at least £30 a month on my broadband, although I would miss my V6 box. But, once it's gone, It's gone I suppose.
At the moment it's a toss up between EE or Vodafone, with Plusnet and Zen also considered.
Which would you consider?
Thank you.

ButterCheese

In our experience, VM will offer you a not-so-great deal when you ask not to renew.  They then seem to wait until you've signed up with someone esle before the retentions team phone you and offer you a much better deal.  We never went back with them just out of principle, and now we have moved we are forced to go with them again due to open reach not suppliying our area at the time.  In hindsight this is why they were desperate for me to take my contract with me, so I can't benefit from new customer deals at my new address.

In summary, I would have a look at customer service ratings for each one and then decide.  There are loads of better deals than what VM offer their "loyal" customers. You'll see that VM, BT come out very low on ratings

whattochoose

ButterCheese said:

In our experience, VM will offer you a not-so-great deal when you ask not to renew.  They then seem to wait until you've signed up with someone esle before the retentions team phone you and offer you a much better deal.  We never went back with them just out of principle, and now we have moved we are forced to go with them again due to open reach not suppliying our area at the time.  In hindsight this is why they were desperate for me to take my contract with me, so I can't benefit from new customer deals at my new address.

In summary, I would have a look at customer service ratings for each one and then decide.  There are loads of better deals than what VM offer their "loyal" customers. You'll see that VM, BT come out very low on ratings

Thank you. No loyalty or sentimentality in business eh? 
Just one question, how do they know if you've signed up with somebody else? I've never actually done that, I've just cancelled, and a week or two down the line, retentions have got in touch.
Well, that is what normally has happened, but times change, and I'm taking nothing for granted.

IOWJJBTM2025

I would suggest to look at exactly what you want.
Do you need a landline?
Do you need 250 Mbps?
Do you need a TV Package?
Are you happy with what you have?
Have a look at what speeds other people are achieving with other suppliers in your area. 
We moved from BT a year ago, got rid of landline / TV package and now only have a Superfast Fibre broadband connection for less than half the cost.

If you are happy with what you have and your your contract finishes at the end of December I would suggest writing to them early December to notify your intention to disconnect at the end of contract. Then wait for your phone to ring when retentions call who can offer a very special deals. It will be very quick as well because they do not want you to sign up to the competition.

I did similar with my mobile phone contract last month. I called them up to see what they could offer to keep me and it they just listed me the prices advertised on the internet. I sent a message requesting my PAC code and within an hour I was getting messages and phone calls with very different offers to stay with them. It seems you have to request to disconnect before the retentions special deals are offered.

whattochoose

IOWJJBTM2025 said:

I would suggest to look at exactly what you want.
Do you need a landline?
Do you need 250 Mbps?
Do you need a TV Package?
Are you happy with what you have?
Have a look at what speeds other people are achieving with other suppliers in your area. 
We moved from BT a year ago, got rid of landline / TV package and now only have a Superfast Fibre broadband connection for less than half the cost.

If you are happy with what you have and your your contract finishes at the end of December I would suggest writing to them early December to notify your intention to disconnect at the end of contract. Then wait for your phone to ring when retentions call who can offer a very special deals. It will be very quick as well because they do not want you to sign up to the competition.

I did similar with my mobile phone contract last month. I called them up to see what they could offer to keep me and it they just listed me the prices advertised on the internet. I sent a message requesting my PAC code and within an hour I was getting messages and phone calls with very different offers to stay with them. It seems you have to request to disconnect before the retentions special deals are offered.

Thank you. I'll be putting in my cancellation at the beginning of next week, by phone. Why do you suggest writing please?
At a pinch I could lose my landline and tv package, which then means deciding on a decent broadband service, if nothing is forthcoming from Virgin. 
PS. I'm retired now, so no business needs, also not a gamer, just use the internet for streaming and downloading the occasional bill. 
The 250 Mbps I currently have seems far more than I need, something like 125 Mbps will be more than sufficient.

iniltous

Putting in a cancellation yourself with Virgin may mess up any migration to an ISP on a different network , so if your current telephone number is important and you want that number on the new network , having a separate cease you raised yourself on the VM service will impact the porting of the phone number to the new provider…obviously this isn’t really an issue if the VM cancellation is just a negotiation tactic and you don’t really expect to leave , but if you do leave that cease order make mess up the new provider’s ability to give you a seamless switchover to the new provider’s network.
 …usually when you sign up  to a new provider on a different network, they use the OTS (one touch switching) process to advise the losing company that you are leaving, you don’t serve notice yourself, you may have inadvertently made this process unavailable.

If the  phone number isn’t important or you are thinking of not having any ‘landline’ type telephone service anyway , then you serving notice yourself to Virgin won’t really affect anything apart from , if the new provider can install your service quickly ( as a brand new customer ) therefore not needing a switching service , you may have both services for a period of time , that’s useful to ensure no break in service but you would be paying twice during this overlapping period while both are ‘live’