View Full Version : [Merged]Rounding up from seconds to minutes!
Has anyone else got a letter recently about VirginMedia changing the way they charge you for your calls.
Instead of charging to the nearest second, it will now be rounded up to the nearest minute.
So if I am on the phone for 3 minutes and 1 second, I will be charged for 4 minutes of call time instead !
Unless I've got it wrong, I find that very bad ! :td:
What do you all think ?
Yep on our latest bill it mentioned that the calls would be rounded up.
Got the letter too. A pretty disgraceful way of forcing a price increase. Of course it says that it will not affect calls in your bundle (which most are on I guess) but as far as I know there are no bundles which include calls to mobiles, 0845s, 0870s etc etc. Mobiles are the biggest part of our bill so it will hit us hard.
Will seriously consider moving my phone services now, unless of course VM know that other providers are about to do the same, or dare I say it they have all agreed to do it. No, that would be price fixing....something a Virgin company would never get involved in!!!!!!
APS
Call retentions, ask them to match talk talk (talk unlimited). This company stinks.
Got the letter too. A pretty disgraceful way of forcing a price increase. Of course it says that it will not affect calls in your bundle (which most are on I guess) but as far as I know there are no bundles which include calls to mobiles, 0845s, 0870s etc etc. Mobiles are the biggest part of our bill so it will hit us hard.
Will seriously consider moving my phone services now, unless of course VM know that other providers are about to do the same, or dare I say it they have all agreed to do it. No, that would be price fixing....something a Virgin company would never get involved in!!!!!!
APS
If you normally ring mobiles ring and ask about the Talk Anywhere packages. They include calls to mobiles, 0854, 0870 and international numbers.
CountZer0
15-09-2007, 12:28
Virgin obviously know something we don't as they claim on the phone they are doing this because the other phone companies are about to.
It has nothing to do with ripping of the customers. No, not at all.
Rapid Dr3am
15-09-2007, 12:49
Please switch to BT as they round up also.
I wouldn't touch talktalk, really you'll regret it.
weesteev
15-09-2007, 14:26
Got the letter too. A pretty disgraceful way of forcing a price increase. Of course it says that it will not affect calls in your bundle (which most are on I guess) but as far as I know there are no bundles which include calls to mobiles, 0845s, 0870s etc etc. Mobiles are the biggest part of our bill so it will hit us hard.
Will seriously consider moving my phone services now, unless of course VM know that other providers are about to do the same, or dare I say it they have all agreed to do it. No, that would be price fixing....something a Virgin company would never get involved in!!!!!!
APS
You do realise that BT, Sky Talk and Talk Talk alrealy round up to the nearest minute on all calls?
Virgin Media will be the last major provider to switch to this way of billing (to be honest I cant think of any fixed line provider that doesnt already charge up to the minute).
Virgin provide Talk Anywhere services that provide 200,400 or 800 minutes which you can use towards all calls (mobiles, non geographic etc).
Your best option is give Virgin and call to review your account, check their website as well and have a look at their services, especially talk anywhere if your mobile usage is very high (why not think about Virgin Mobile, £10 per month 300 mins and 300 texts!)
Rounding up isn't so terrible in itself - but combined with the 6p (soon to be 7p) connection charge and the high per minute rates it means calls will be very expensive indeed.
Even more reason to use saynoto0870.
Florence
16-09-2007, 03:36
At least BT use an 0800 number for fault reporting.. I left BT some 14 yrs give or take a year as I wasnt happy.. Virgin has now hit bottom with me I am totally fed up with the way thye are heading as a company with regards to the service or lack they give customers..
Graham M
16-09-2007, 09:54
At least BT use an 0800 number for fault reporting.. I left BT some 14 yrs give or take a year as I wasnt happy.. Virgin has now hit bottom with me I am totally fed up with the way thye are heading as a company with regards to the service or lack they give customers..
Virginmedia use a Freephone number for fault reporting anything but Broadband, and even then if it's their fault they will refund it.
I disagree with call rounding, but as has been said above, all companies now do it. :(
Florence
17-09-2007, 10:37
Virginmedia use a Freephone number for fault reporting anything but Broadband, and even then if it's their fault they will refund it.
I have never had a refund when calling tech support even when it was the lower price and everytime it was NTLs network.. I have no trust in the fact they will refund the money.
It should be the other way around the clause should read that if it is only for advice on seting up you will be charged..
With how they seem to be with money it is just another bean counters way to print money can you see them refunding it :rolleyes:
Infact i find it is cheaper to use my pay as you go mobile now most nights and call friend on their mobiles so once mobile phone compnaies get their act together on wireless BB maybe these will see the error of thier ways.
At least BT use an 0800 number for fault reporting.. I left BT some 14 yrs give or take a year as I wasnt happy.. Virgin has now hit bottom with me I am totally fed up with the way thye are heading as a company with regards to the service or lack they give customers..
Have you even tried contacting BT? They are worse then NTL were in their worst days. I tried calling them last week to set up a DD. I was on hold for nearly 50 minutes. They're a joke. :td:
Florence
17-09-2007, 10:52
I have called them and wasn't on hold for 50 mins itis the cost of returning that at present holding me here... If we move house though I no longer have "the has to be cabled area" top of requiremnents.
Web-Junkie
19-09-2007, 11:47
That means they automatically get a minimum of 10p for every call made in the day, 7p connect + 3p per minute if you're not on XL Phone.
It's good to know Virgin aren't the only company doing the call rounding up.
Still doesn't make it right though.
I recently received a letter from VM saying that in future telephone charges will be taken to the next minute ie 4 min 50 sec will be charged as 5 minutes.
So subscribers will be paying for what we haven't had. Great idea. Put it on to the petrol pumps. Take 22.3 litres and pay for 23.
The technology exists to charge by the second , in fact that's what they did previously.
I object to this idea and of course will be looking for another provider ( and this will include TV and broadband) because it is frankly dishonest.
The letter had no reply address on it of course. I sent an e mail but strangely haven't had a reply.Has anyone an address? Next stop Ofcom.
IronMaiden
08-10-2007, 19:05
I recently received a letter from VM saying that in future telephone charges will be taken to the next minute ie 4 min 50 sec will be charged as 5 minutes.
So subscribers will be paying for what we haven't had. Great idea. Put it on to the petrol pumps. Take 22.3 litres and pay for 23.
The technology exists to charge by the second , in fact that's what they did previously.
I object to this idea and of course will be looking for another provider ( and this will include TV and broadband) because it is frankly dishonest.
The letter had no reply address on it of course. I sent an e mail but strangely haven't had a reply.Has anyone an address? Next stop Ofcom.
It's not ideal but VM are basically following other major telephone providers, as as far as I'm aware BT already round calls up to the nearest minute?
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
I can understand it if the technology was a little less advanced so at the end of every minute it tripped into the next charging band.
But VM have already been charging by the second. If they have this ability then not to use it is cheating their subscribers.
take a call at 3p/m, talk for 30seconds, cost is 1.5p, what happens to that .5p?
MovedGoalPosts
08-10-2007, 19:44
The call becomes 3p, plus the connection charge.
Rounding up isn't so terrible in itself - but combined with the 6p (soon to be 7p) connection charge and the high per minute rates it means calls will be very expensive indeed.
Even more reason to use saynoto0870.
Yes it is. It is cheating your customers by making them pay for what they haven't had.
Would you go to a garage and pay for 25 litres if you've only put 24.3 litres in your tank?
The point is that they have the technology for charging fairly and choose not to use it.
Not sure if this is an explanation (but it may be),
If (as stated earlier in this thread) all the other Telephony providers have rounded up their charges, the Interconnect Charges (if the call leaves the VM network to terminate in another network, such as BT, C&W, etc) may also be rounded up to next minute - if that is the case, VM may have been losing money on the calls out of network.
Not sure if this is an explanation (but it may be),
If (as stated earlier in this thread) all the other Telephony providers have rounded up their charges, the Interconnect Charges (if the call leaves the VM network to terminate in another network, such as BT, C&W, etc) may also be rounded up to next minute - if that is the case, VM may have been losing money on the calls out of network.
This looks like something for Ofcom to look at then.
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