Virgin media contact ending
Discussion
A few years ago when I switched I called up told them I was leaving, they put me through to their retention team, they couldn't offer me a competetive price so told them I still wanted to leave, they then had an oh s
t he's definitely leaving team call me & try t convince me to stay with even better prices
Do they still do this, I switched back to them and have been happy with everything but now my contract is ending they want to charge me £113 a month, I dont really want to switch but will call their bulff if I can bring their prices down considerably
t he's definitely leaving team call me & try t convince me to stay with even better pricesDo they still do this, I switched back to them and have been happy with everything but now my contract is ending they want to charge me £113 a month, I dont really want to switch but will call their bulff if I can bring their prices down considerably
Lengthy post alert, but I was in a similar position very recently.
My VM contract started in November 2022: broadband, landline and TV. They made it all mysterious about what cable they used. All the ceilings were down and I wanted to buy and run/chase cables into walls/voids. Apparently you couldn't get the same cable 'off the shelf'.
They said it would require an engineer to come to run the cables, but for that to happen I'd need to activate all services, so the direct debit commenced for a new customer price £43 per month (for 18 months).
It was my own fault, but after the contract ended my monthly direct debit eventually ballooned to £96 per month. I had been working abroad and the house had become a slow burner renovation, so I was paying for services I never used, other than broadband whenever I was at home - network reception is shockingly bad in my area.
I found a deal for new customers on U-Switch last summer, and I would recommend U-Switch for ease of navigation when doing price comparisons. It was for landline and broadband only, but for around £30 per month, with a supposedly slower broadband speed. I don't watch TV and I anticipated that when I eventually WFH, I'd need the landline, so I wanted to keep that. Otherwise, I had been paying over £60 per month for a TV service I didn't need. Again, my fault.
Over the summer I was in the UK and had a bit more time (which I found was definitely needed), and after scouring the Internet for a telephone number, I did the whole merry-go-round of various options, being on hold for ages, waiting for calls back, attempting to call their bluff about non-existent deals with other providers, threatening to leave them and, like reaching the final level on an old video game, the inevitable crisis talks.
They still kept on trying to flog me the same package I was on for a reduced 60 odd then 50 odd pounds per month, supposedly to reward my accumulated loyalty (!), even though I explained more than once how I didn't need the TV service.
Eventually they agreed to give me the U-Switch package (landline and broadband) for something like £32 per month and a still slightly slower internet speed.
It isn't really a lesson learned because we all know what to do: shop around, stand your ground about getting a better deal, don't leave it until the last minute and do not stay on a rolling contract or trust the provider to look after you and get you the best value for money. Also, the loyalty doesn't really exist and it's not rewarded in a way most consumers would prefer.
My VM contract started in November 2022: broadband, landline and TV. They made it all mysterious about what cable they used. All the ceilings were down and I wanted to buy and run/chase cables into walls/voids. Apparently you couldn't get the same cable 'off the shelf'.
They said it would require an engineer to come to run the cables, but for that to happen I'd need to activate all services, so the direct debit commenced for a new customer price £43 per month (for 18 months).
It was my own fault, but after the contract ended my monthly direct debit eventually ballooned to £96 per month. I had been working abroad and the house had become a slow burner renovation, so I was paying for services I never used, other than broadband whenever I was at home - network reception is shockingly bad in my area.
I found a deal for new customers on U-Switch last summer, and I would recommend U-Switch for ease of navigation when doing price comparisons. It was for landline and broadband only, but for around £30 per month, with a supposedly slower broadband speed. I don't watch TV and I anticipated that when I eventually WFH, I'd need the landline, so I wanted to keep that. Otherwise, I had been paying over £60 per month for a TV service I didn't need. Again, my fault.
Over the summer I was in the UK and had a bit more time (which I found was definitely needed), and after scouring the Internet for a telephone number, I did the whole merry-go-round of various options, being on hold for ages, waiting for calls back, attempting to call their bluff about non-existent deals with other providers, threatening to leave them and, like reaching the final level on an old video game, the inevitable crisis talks.
They still kept on trying to flog me the same package I was on for a reduced 60 odd then 50 odd pounds per month, supposedly to reward my accumulated loyalty (!), even though I explained more than once how I didn't need the TV service.
Eventually they agreed to give me the U-Switch package (landline and broadband) for something like £32 per month and a still slightly slower internet speed.
It isn't really a lesson learned because we all know what to do: shop around, stand your ground about getting a better deal, don't leave it until the last minute and do not stay on a rolling contract or trust the provider to look after you and get you the best value for money. Also, the loyalty doesn't really exist and it's not rewarded in a way most consumers would prefer.
I renewed my contract earlier this year. Ultimately like you I didnt want to leave cause a) VM broadband is pretty good and b) VM is fully installed in my block, and I cant fix a dish to the building under the lease.
Long story short. Same price as before (plus the usual annual increases) but got Netflix (with Ads - though I've not seen any yet) and all the movie package as well. (which I wasnt fussed about but there you go)
I did it on the online chat thingy
Long story short. Same price as before (plus the usual annual increases) but got Netflix (with Ads - though I've not seen any yet) and all the movie package as well. (which I wasnt fussed about but there you go)
I did it on the online chat thingy
Just cll their bluff and insist on the 'new customer' deal. I played hardball and still with 4-weeks before I was to be cut off, rather than dealing with the Indian call centre an rather nice Scottish chap called me and gave me what I wanted. Plus I got all new equipment with the 360 box and it's rather good as all the Apps (Netflix etc) are available with up to date firmware for lightening access if you're signed up to them.
My fallback was to get the mother in law to sign up as a 'new' customer at my house and I pay her. Then when this contract ends I'll sign up as a new customer. Rinse and repeat. You can't cancel and then re-sign as a new customer immediately (I think there's got to be a few months gap according to their rules), plus they didn't like my proposal of having my wife (same surname) take on a new contract
I'll be going through this in March.
My fallback was to get the mother in law to sign up as a 'new' customer at my house and I pay her. Then when this contract ends I'll sign up as a new customer. Rinse and repeat. You can't cancel and then re-sign as a new customer immediately (I think there's got to be a few months gap according to their rules), plus they didn't like my proposal of having my wife (same surname) take on a new contract
I'll be going through this in March.
Good luck with getting a decent deal. We'd be keen to know what they are able to give you.
I had a quick read of some of the posts on the other thread, as well as the results above on this one.
It is interesting how some have managed to get some pretty good identical new customer deals or reductions around the 50% mark.
It appears that not buckling under pressure and standing one's ground are key, to state the obvious, alongside (potentially) happening to have the right retention team member deal with your customer file sympathetically.
In my case, I was pretty fed up and tired of the merry-go-round, so I just went with the slightly worse deal of an extra pound or two to the monthly charge with a slightly reduced broadband speed than the equivalent new customer offer. They said that was as good as they could do for me. I'm still saving over £60 per month, which is nice. Again, lesson that must be learned in dealing with it sooner and in advance of the initial term lapsing, and never entering into a rolling contract.
I had a quick read of some of the posts on the other thread, as well as the results above on this one.
It is interesting how some have managed to get some pretty good identical new customer deals or reductions around the 50% mark.
It appears that not buckling under pressure and standing one's ground are key, to state the obvious, alongside (potentially) happening to have the right retention team member deal with your customer file sympathetically.
In my case, I was pretty fed up and tired of the merry-go-round, so I just went with the slightly worse deal of an extra pound or two to the monthly charge with a slightly reduced broadband speed than the equivalent new customer offer. They said that was as good as they could do for me. I'm still saving over £60 per month, which is nice. Again, lesson that must be learned in dealing with it sooner and in advance of the initial term lapsing, and never entering into a rolling contract.
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