Virgin media Phone rip off

[tridens]

Virgin media price in crease 1 August phone line rental £13.90 just joined sky 1/2 price for 6 months 5.50 free evening /weekend calls and 0870 free caller display virgin want to force every one to take the phone-line because they make so much money out of it

[joglynne]

Sound good until you consider the need to pay BT as well. Or am I mistaken ?

Here's the legal bit

Our prices and packaging will be changing from 1 September.
¹12 months BT line rental offer available for £120 with upfront payment in advance. Line rental from BT costs £13.90 a month for customers who pay by direct debit and receive paper billing. Sky Talk customers can request paper billing at no extra cost. Discounted line rental available from BT for single upfront payment per annum.

http://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/talk-options/

[Charliedontsurf]

Sound good until you consider the need to pay BT as well. Or am I mistaken ?



http://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/talk-options/

no need to pay BT line rental just get a sky phoneline pay line rental to sky.

[Stephen]

So essentially VM will be charging the same as BT. Not that big an issue surely?

[richard1960]

So essentially VM will be charging the same as BT. Not that big an issue surely?

Bt though do give you an option if you pay for a years line rental in advance at £120 it works out at £10 a month (saves £43.20 a year) perhaps vm will be doing this,but on second thoughts probably not.;)

[Charliedontsurf]

So essentially VM will be charging the same as BT. Not that big an issue surely?

BT include free free 0854/0870 which are 10p minute on VM
BT charge 1p a minute for evening calls which are 8.63p a minute on VM

[darren.b]

I remember waaaay back when United Artists were hawking their services, door to door back in 1994. "Much cheaper than BT" was their cry. Well now they simply do whatever BT do. If BT introduce a charge for late payment, VM, follow. If BT increase their charges, VM are right behind them, matching them penny for penny. In some cases they are unbelievably more expensive.

Once upon a time we were supposed to have competition in the telecoms market. Now it's all "well such and such do it, so we will too". Those that piggyback off BT ...that's hardly REAL competition because you're still stuck on BT's ancient tech.

Once my contract is up, my landline is junked and I'm staying with my mobile provider and skype for overseas. Cheaper per month and boatloads of extras.

If I got rid of it, I'd be £3p/m better off. It used to save me cash, now it doesn't.

I'd call that a FAIL :D

[Chrysalis]

VM for whatever reason are quite expensive for phone use compared to the competition.

[BenMcr]

BT include free free 0854/0870 which are 10p minute on VM
BT charge 1p a minute for evening calls which are 8.63p a minute on VMI would have a look at the 1st August price list then

http://shop.virginmedia.com/content/dam/allyours/pdf/005369%20010811_Residential_Cable_august_V6.pdf (Page 5)

Call rates to 0870 (UKN)

Talk Weekends
Connection Fee (ppc)
Daytime
11.24
Evening
11.24
Weekend
Included1

Standard Call Rate (ppm)
Daytime
10.22
Evening
10.22
Weekend
Included1

1 Call connection fee does not apply. 0870 calls are free for the first 60 minutes, 10.22ppm therafter. Re-dial before 60 minutes to avoid call charges.

This applies to all the Talk plans

[savvychels]

Thanks for that bit of info Ben

That's good news re 0870 numbers from August. But why the charge still for 0845?? That makes no sense to make one free and still pay for the other.

[nodrogd]

I would have a look at the 1st August price list then

http://shop.virginmedia.com/content/dam/allyours/pdf/005369%20010811_Residential_Cable_august_V6.pdf (Page 5)

Call rates to 0870 (UKN)

Talk Weekends
Connection Fee (ppc)
Daytime
11.24
Evening
11.24
Weekend
Included1

Standard Call Rate (ppm)
Daytime
10.22
Evening
10.22
Weekend
Included1

1 Call connection fee does not apply. 0870 calls are free for the first 60 minutes, 10.22ppm therafter. Re-dial before 60 minutes to avoid call charges.

This applies to all the Talk plans

Think its obvious the inclusion of the 0870 numbers is to match Sky's offering rather than BT's.

[bamav]

Sky also give you free caller display. Putting both VM and BT to shame charging for it.

[thunderlips]

do you have to have a new phone number when transfering from VM to sky, BT or Talk Talk or can you keep the same phone number ?

[trickytree]

Sky also give you free caller display. Putting both VM and BT to shame charging for it.

When I was with BT Caller ID was free and couldn't believe Virgin charged for it. No matter how much I tried they wouldn't budge with the charge so left it.
My folks still have BT and I am sure it's still for them.
They rolled it out as some sort of security perk or something mking you safe at home or whatever.

It's not something I would pay for but the sooner they sort out these last rememaining exchanges and potentially get back to it being free as they announced some time back before immediately backing off.
The amount of nusiance marketing calls etc I get now is ridiculous and they are all we do not have the callers number so guessing they are International.

Even had one the other day saying they were some nuisnace call firm who were going to add my nuber to the TPS. When I said it already was but it didn't stop foreigners like him ringing me up as TPS only applied to the UK he hung up.

[Pauls9]

As Trickytree says, if you sign up to BT's security package (whatever it's called) you get caller ID free.

[tridens]

Sky at the moment are doing Free line install for Virgin customers taking line rental and calls Normally £40 i just got my line rental with sky for £9.25 pm if you pay for 12 months free evening and weekend calls