MSE News: How to beat Virgin Media broadband, home phone and TV price hikes

Humm. It's that time of year again :rolleyes:

I had only just made my mind up to stay with them yesterday.

This is just annoying.

Funny how the prices always go up...never down for existing customers.

Think it's time to join sky for 12 months then when their package goes up switch back to Virgin as a "new customer" then back to Sky under my wife's name, then back to Virgin....

All this free upgrade your speed from the current lowest to the new lowest is rubbish, they will just raise the price instead.

This is what I really do no understand:
Broadband on it's own £30.25 month for 18 months
http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband/compare-broadband/index.html

Broadband and Phone: £21.98 month for 12 months, £34.49 month after that for remaining 6 months (18 month contract)
http://store.virginmedia.com/broadband/compare-broadband/index.html

Total over 18 months:
Broadband - £544.50
Broadband and Phone - £470.70

Once again the virginmedia rip-off machine getting into full swing.

1. The general UK inflation rate is close to zero. How can VM possibly justify an average increase of 5.4%?
2. If you are already following MSE advice, your increase will be substantially higher due to the £20 (12.2%) increase in the advance line payment rate. For me it woarks out as at least 9.5%.
3. VM's promotional material about increased broadband speeds 'for free' is a complete con - we are obviously having to pay for it through higher charges. In effect, they are transferring us onto a more expensive package and not giving us any choice in the matter.
4. The option to get out within 30 days isn't really much benefit. If you've paid your line rental up-front you'll lose the balance. And it's not as simple as that, switching from VM means that you are going to have to switch to a BT line so you are probably going to have to pay a connection/installation fee. At least once you're there, you have got the option of several providers (TalkTalk etc). With VM, you've got a choice of one. The other problem is that you are likely to suffer a significant drop in broadband speed - when I looked around recently I was told that with a BT line I would be lucky to get an 8Mb service against the current 50Mb from VM.
VM are taking advantage of their near-monopoly position on cable broadband.

Seriously hacked off with VM ...

Hmm I love the service but only want unlimited phone and fastest broadband, I was lied to at the time and told the cheapest they can do it is £55 a month as it was dearer to get without tv to find my neighbour got the same deal without tv for £30.

What I was worried about is even if they give me a discount would that mean I am tied in to the remainder of the contract? I say that because years ago I got out of my Three contract by changes but agreed to stay once they gave me the £35 a month tariff for £15 inc a new phone and I had written proof it said 30 days notice after that but a few years later got a letter saying I owed line rental (at the £35 a month rate) for the remainder of the contract as I cancelled it 2 months later and they had no record of the cancellation and just said I had only paid 10 months of a 18 month contract.

I have freesat for tv and never watched Virgin since I got it at all if anything its taking up space in my cabinet.