Re: TV price rises
 

I agree that would be helpful for people who may not be able to afford their new bundle.

If you change your bundle, because you can't afford the price increase, will Virgin re-contract you for a further 12 to 18 months? So say your current contract expires in July 2013 but you don't want to be tied to the new bundle price between February and then, will Virgin allow you to make changes and your package and it will still expire in July as originally scheduled?

Re: TV price rises
 

It should be from this Friday that the new prices are the ones advertised, and quoted when making changes

---------- Post added at 14:23 ---------- Previous post was at 14:22 ----------

You can make changes, however some new bundles may recontract and some won't

Obviously you should be advised of those that do, before you make a change

Re: TV price rises
 

"You can make changes, however some new bundles may recontract and some won't"

I really cannot understand why VM pricing has to be so difficult. Surely it cannot be difficult to have say: -

Broadband M = £x
Broadband L = £y
Broadband XL = £z

Phone & TV priced similarly with a discount for 2 services and a bigger discount for 3 services. Add additional loyalty discount for time you have been a customer and/or length of contract etc but clearly displayed.

I know there will be additional charges I.E. Tivo, call display etc but again surely in the digital age it can't be that difficult to let customers know exactly what they are paying for and how much it is to add or subtract from their package without recourse to a phone call to India?

I do think that a lack of transparency in pricing is a real disincentive for many.

Re: TV price rises
 

Spot on.

Re: TV price rises
 

I'm getting that Dave Ja Vu again :D

Re: TV price rises
 

Well if we got clear pricing from these companies then l am sure many customers would be much much happier but the trouble is many of these companies on purpose make their pricing structure as difficult as possible to baffle and confuse us and transparency is the last thing they are interested in l am afraid.

Re: TV price rises
 

Very true im still waiting for my letter with baited breath what are we getting in return? like where are the itv hd channels?the darts are back on friday itv 4 in fuzzy vision again.:D

Re: TV price rises
 

You mean the ones ITV say are Sky exclusive?

Re: TV price rises
 

Yea which i don't believe for a minute.:D

Re: TV price rises
 

[QUOTE=denphone;35502517]Well if we got clear pricing from these companies then l am sure many customers would be much much happier...[/
We used to have (IMO) clearer bills but they changed them due to customer pressure. What makes you think they're going to change them back*? :confused:

* Though if you're getting a petition together I'll happily sign it; for all the good it will do :)

Re: TV price rises
 

Given that Virgin are yet again pushing costs up I have been looking at Web sites of both Sky & Virgin for prices. To get what I want via Sky cost £43.50 or Virgin £58.90 per month. Thats NOT taking any offers into account :shocked:

Ok it`s not like for like, but it makes Virgins “Its free with us� look somewhat weak as the difference seems to be:-
“free� HD ( don’t want or care about that) & free ESPN ( never watch it) added back into Sky & you get to £66.75.( including Atlantic and other good/rubbish channels)

So the free channel/HD service via Virgin cost£15.40 per month !! ( Sky what I require v Virgin with plus`s I don`t) Not saying if you want them it`s not better value with Virgin but they come at a cost all be it a “hidden� one. :erm: Some how that is not a great surprise everything has a cost attached if "shown" or not .;)

Re: TV price rises
 

I understand your point, but are you comparing like for like?

For instance, for that price I am on the Premiere Collection, which gives me TiVo and 60Mb BB - Sky may give me more channels for the price, but I want the BB speed.

Horses for courses....

Re: TV price rises
 

Please see second paragraph. :D

As I repeat its what I want, as to what Virgin offer. Again faster BB I was happy when I got 2meg which was put up to 10 for free - followed by a price rise which was nothing to do with it . Soon to go to 20 - with two price rises !

Do not think I will move - but never say never.

Re: TV price rises
 

Got my confirmed today a massive 50p
:D:D

Re: TV price rises
 

Bah HUMBUG! :(

Re: TV price rises
 

Itshim's point, I think, is that Virgin are continuing to improve their services, which is resulting in price rises, but some of us were happy with the service we had to begin with. I'm still awaiting my price increase, but I've had my broadband speed doubled to 60, I get free multiroom and have a fair few hd channels as part of my basic subscription. Which is fine, except I keep being told I'm getting those things either free, or at no extra cost (which is different, Btw) and yet I'm also seeing my bill go up. I haven't asked for these service improvements, and I could quite happily do without them, but I don't appear to have that option.

Re: TV price rises
 

"By 'eck" you are a lucky bugger.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

I'm sorry but that's clearly bad grammar.

It should be "by 'eck" with a silent 'H' :D (You could also add the name 'Ethel' on the end for even more authenticity ;))

Today's lesson in "How t' speak Yorkshire" was brought to you by... erm... me :)

Re: TV price rises
 

You forgot about the capital B at the start of the sentence.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

Meh :p:

Re: TV price rises
 

Ethel moved to Sky, so not interested in VM price rises, hence Den leaving her name out.;)

Re: TV price rises
 

Ah. Okay. She was a bit.... not a nice person anyway :)

Re: TV price rises
 

Re: TV price rises
 

Just a slight diversion. Sorry :o:

Re: TV price rises
 

Is there a way I can find out how much I will increase by?

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes, you will get a letter or email that will tell you

Re: TV price rises
 

As l have said before, l would have NO objections to paying an increase in subs IF they increased the channels, and they are NOT doing that.

I think that the majority of VM have this objections to the price increases. IF Sky only increase there price ONCE a year, then why can't VM, and the big trouble is that VM say that increases are down to Sky, its NOT, Surely when VM sign a contract for a certain channel/s, then that price stays for the length of the contract.

Re: TV price rises
 

But everything is the same. Gas prices go up so less gas more money. Yorkie bars are 2 chunks less then a few years ago and increased in price.

Costs rise, it happens. Doesn't mean you get extra for the extra you pay.

Re: TV price rises
 

And you know this, how exactly? There is a couple of months or so before the price increases come into effect. Plenty of time for some new channels.

It's a valid opinion, if a little mis-guided. Even 100 people on this forum would be a minority of VM's customer base.

Of course any price increase on anything is not nice, but that's the way of things at the moment.

---------- Post added at 22:47 ---------- Previous post was at 22:46 ----------

And in one local shop, my favourite margarine (ICBINB) is now £1.95 for 500g :eek:

Re: TV price rises
 

Arthur, I know you and facts are, at best, ships that pass in the night, but as the Guardian reported last month, Sky have put their prices up twice in three months recently....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012...ditch-contract

Re: TV price rises
 

Is a raise in telephone call costs counted as a price increase? Obviously it is an increase but its an optional one, in that you can choose to make those calls and not, so not an automatic cost.

Line rental has increased for all companies. Harder to tell with the broadband tv bundles when they get thrown in together.

Re: TV price rises
 

I have just skim read this thread and all i have to say is this...

£4 more pounds for nothing is really getting on my nerves. I know it is not much in the great scheme of things but it seems a bit harsh. Already paying about £85.

Re: TV price rises
 

How do you know the majority of vm customers object its a question if all the cable forum posters cover 5% of vm customer base.

Re: TV price rises
 

From Thisismoney

Re: TV price rises
 

£5.59 rise here just got the email :(

Re: TV price rises
 

Thats quite shocking Dave.:td:

Re: TV price rises
 

Same as me bud,I rang cs tonight to ask them to justify such a high increase.was firstly told because I was on top package and the increases was to invest in virgin tv anywhere,could not give me a answer on new channels.the one bit of good news was that I am not tied to a contract due to a error on there side,so gonna watch to see what appear prior to the increase and the view my options

Re: TV price rises
 

it looks more likely I be leaving mate and just keep bb

Re: TV price rises
 

Well Dave l can totally understand that 100%.

Re: TV price rises
 

Still waiting here. I think I will be doing the same as you and see what materialises between now and February.

Re: TV price rises
 

£4.59 increase from February for me on VIP with an additional V box. Checked the Sky web site and this kind of bundle is still £10 more so I'm sticking with VM. Love the TiVo and the broadband we get. Wife loves VM so doesn't want to leave and go to Sky.

Re: TV price rises
 

If you enjoy your current service, and can't get a better price anywhere else, best to stick with Virgin.

Must admit, one you've got used to TiVo other PVR's just seem a little primitive. I mainly use the 3 tuners but wishlist searches are great too. I also mess about with the Youtube app more than I'd like to admit :D

Re: TV price rises
 

You tube app is a big hit with all the family and friends and looks great on the plasma TV on the wall. I love the TiVo for wishlists and the storage is huge. And I love how the suggestions are spot on. The wife and I hammer Sky Movies on demand and love catching a movie in our own time at no extra charge.

Re: TV price rises
 

Despite the price rises which we are not happy about l think at the end of the day VM has many pluses and a couple of smaller minuses wherever Sky have one plus and far more minuses.

Re: TV price rises
 

Any chance of expanding on the pros/cons? I'll be switching to Sky so interesting in hearing the bad parts and the comparison to VM :)

Re: TV price rises
 

Sky Broadband - My experiences have been very poor with Sky's broadband
Sky's STB - Clunky and quite ancient compared to the TiVo STB
Sky's VOD - Not bad but second rate still compared to VM's huge libriary
Sky TV - More channels but their only advantage is SA in my opinion

Overall Virgin beats Sky both on price and the better all round quality of its package but with Sky dangling those offers for some l suspect it will be very tempting.

Re: TV price rises
 

Cheers for spending the time to explain that for me.

Those might be good reasons for some to stick with VM, but not for me. 2 Years of on and off poor broadband experience with VM is my main reason for leaving. The nice little VM STB I had was replaced with a big one due to the small one not having enough memory to show the tv guide after midnight and AV sync issues.

I can see the Tivo/VOD is a big attraction for many customers. Never went for Tivo and with my network media streamer and tv having iPlayer/youtube etc VOD built in, not missed it.

Guess it comes down to what an individual wants/needs and sometimes budget. That and some people don't want the hassle of switching :juggle:

Re: TV price rises
 

If you have an andoid device with an up to date youtube app you can control the TiVO's youtube without the remote.

My 3 year old loves being able to scroll and pick all by himself.

Re: TV price rises
 

That sounds fantastic. My 6 year old daughter has an android tablet so we'll give that a go tomorrow.

Re: TV price rises
 

only advantage on channels I see with sky is ss3+4 HD and ssn HD

Re: TV price rises
 

It is. You just go to My Youtube on the Tivo app and select the Pair option. You'll then be asked to enter a pair code and then you can control the TiVo app via the tablet. Even better is you can search without interrupting what is playing and add multiple videos to a queue.

I think andoid 2.3 and above is supported but they may have updated the app for 2.2. It really is the best thing Google have done all year.

Re: TV price rises
 

Here's a thought, why not pay less and get them? I had with virgin the following and paid £103 p/m

TiVo box and v+ box with all the channels (sports movies etc)
Phone (evening and weekend)
60mb broadband

Moved back to sky and now pay £83p/m for 6 mnts then £95p/m and I get the following

Sky plus HD and extra box - with shed loads more hd channels, a 3d channel, sky Atlantic and a sky go app that blows virgin tv anywhere out of the water. Also as I now have had experience of the two the VOD content is not that much different. Also other than the three tuners I will not be convinced by anyone that the TiVo is good as everyone on here seems to think.

Phone - anytime calls so again an improvement on what I had before

Broadband - this is the only thing that's not as good but I've been getting 15mb which I can live with to be honest and sky's fibre is due in my area in the next 3 months. Now get cloud wifi and won't get traffic management on my broadband that VM did after only three months and not even excessive usage(VM cs agreed with me) as my BB speed was dropped to 0.5mb. So have I lost out?

No brainer for me and as one of the few that's seen both sides of the VM/Sky coin I think I'm in a good position to comment, unlike some on this forum who will defend VM without actually seeing what the so called opposition has to offer.

I know I posted this on another thread but I think it applies to both

Re: TV price rises
 

Would be useful if you could look at this thread: http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/63...customers.html

Re: TV price rises
 

If I knew it existed at the time of writing I would have

Re: TV price rises
 

I have wrote yet again a email to the ceo`s office in the hope of some justification regarding these heavy price increases,Below is my email--

Dear June,
I am contacting you in the hope that someone in your office can justify the recent absorbent price increase that is going to hit my account in feb 2013 of £5.59,I appreciate that price increases are a part of life but the magnitude of this increase i consider to be totally appalling.considering the very disappointing year i personally think vm have had and previous promises from Cindy rose have failed to be delivered,I feel i have legitimate grievances which i enclose below.
1. The complete lack of new channels in particular HD channels,Whilst i understand the situation with sky as i have put in previous emails to your office the lack of other providers channels is both puzzling and very concerning eg Disney,Universal and itv channels.
2.TV Anywhere the current crop of channels available to stream to my ipad is both embarrassing and appalling,Whilst i appreciate its a new product i find it totally laughable that a product you have been talking/planning for over 12 months that contact with providers were not changed/altered with channel provider pre launch
3.TiVo streaming,Yet again another product you have been talking/planning for over 12 months again is unbelievably worse than the poor choice available on the ipad.
I would have thought in a year that we have seen you view appear and now bt are pushing forward into joining the channel market,That a increase in charges would be the last thing you would do.BT are openly targeting vm customers to join then thru there website and with constant offers ranging from 25%-75% off sky for 12 months this moves is a very dangerous one.
I have been a very loyal customer of cable tv for over 10 years but i cant help but feel that vm`s goal is at the moment to squeeze as much out of us customer and give us nothing,If when sending letters out about increases we were seeing or you was announcing new channels then they would certainly be at least some justification.
May i suggest that you resend letters out to us all itemising what is actually going up,In particular the xl package(as i am still awaiting new channels from the previous increase),
Very disappointed customer.

If get a reply-will post email,I urge other people to do the same

Re: TV price rises
 

I would respectfully suggest that this is not a good idea as I am sure that any public statements that VM wants to make would come via the Press Office and that this would constitute private communication.

If I had intended to make any reply public I would at least have had the courtesy to ask if he minded.

And this applies to any company, not just VM.

Re: TV price rises
 

I think if Virgin put something in an email to a customer then it would only be what they'd already be prepared to allow the public at large to know. I understand what you're saying, Carl, but I don't think we need to be too concerned - Virgin won't say anything that they won't want to get out, and besides, the contents of their email is already entirely predictable.

Re: TV price rises
 

It was a great idea. We know that the reply will probably be a next to useless regarding real information, but it informs head office about what people are disgruntled about, and points out to them that there is serious competition on the horizon, waiting to take their customers.

Re: TV price rises
 

And people say I quote them out of context sometimes :(

The "not a good idea" comment, as Andy seemed to easily work out, was referring to the publishing of a private email on a public forum without express permission of the author.

Re: TV price rises
 

Well, anything VM say to one particular customer, re the questions in that particular email, should be information that VM have no problem being made available to all customers. Which is why the reply will probably be generic and devoid of substance. But the email was good, because it will have made valid points that head office really need to hear.

Re: TV price rises
 

cheers mate,not expect much of a reply.but felt they needed to know how some customers feel,prob nothing will come of it but worth a try

Re: TV price rises
 

be interesting to see if they reply

Re: TV price rises
 

Howard its always good to express how you feel to VM . You never know someone who really matters may take notice and it gets it off your chest;)

Re: TV price rises
 

Good luck Howard, doubt you will get much of a response, but at least you tried.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

Sorry to jump back to this, but I have had the 'honour' of having both full packages for a short period while I transition to Sky, and I don't necessarily agree with most of these points.

Sky Broadband - The ADSL offering isn't really a match for cable broadband unless you live in a horrifically over utilised area, but the Sky Fibre/Fibre Pro offerings are far superior.
Skys STB - I thought I would hate it, but in all honesty its not that different to TiVO. Its a bit annoying having one less tuner, and the layout of the TV guide/EPG in particular isn't as comfortable as the Tivo for me, but the rest of it is fantastic, especially since the upgrade to replace the horrible looking sky blue/white EPG with the swish looking new one. Very nice to navigate, and more responsive than the Tivo, which is still sluggish even after the UI performance improvements. Haven't had chance to compare the tablet/smartphone integration yet so I can't comment on that.
Skys VOD - Anytime stuff is decent, although not quite as good as available on VM.
Skys TV - This was the swinger for me - I get SS3 HD, SS4 HD, SSF1 HD, Sky Atlantic, the whole suite of A&E channels in HD (sans Bio?), BT Sports already inked and a couple of other extra decent channels I haven't had before.

Between the sports channels I desperately wanted and my cable broadband being so dire, and a 50% deal/12 months for the lot, its a no brainer.

Re: TV price rises
 

While respecting your opinions l think our minds differ on this but then again if we all shared the same sheep like views then life would indeed be very boring.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

So, the Sky box has 3 recordable tuners, Whishlists and automatic recording clash resolution? ;)

Re: TV price rises
 

I was also going to question that statement but then I haven't had Sky+ and figured someone would make a big thing about it!

Not only does Sky+ not have those features but I suspect that the UI is also very different.

Re: TV price rises
 

Sorry mate but he did say it was "a bit annoying having one less tuner",and as for "wishlists",well,I would not exactly say they were a deal breaker,as for the automatic recording clash, well you are reminded when you set a program to record on Sky to see if it clashes with any other recordings,which, even for us poor unfortunate Sky viewers isn't that difficult to do even with our vastly inferior Sky HD box's......;)

Re: TV price rises
 

Had a email back ---

Thank you for your comments we received regarding the issues you have
had with your account.

First of all I?d just like to say how sorry I am to hear you?re not
happy with our impending price increase. I understand your concern, and
I'd just like to take this opportunity to explain a bit about our
prices.

We regularly review all the services we offer and we'll sometimes make
changes to make sure you're always getting the best service and the best
value we can offer. As always we're totally committed to bringing you
the very best in broadband, TV and home phone, in fact, Ofcom has
announced that Virgin Media delivers the fastest broadband speeds in the
UK, for the fourth year in a row. And we're working hard to keep it that
way.

Our price increase is a part of the terms & conditions of using the
services as it is with many service providers. Customers who are unhappy
with the change have 30 days from the date of being notified to
disconnect their Virgin Media account without any disconnection fees. To
do so just call our disconnections team free on the numbers below.

We have launched Virgin Media TV Anywhere. This facility allows the live
streaming of channels to the iPhone, iPad, PC or Mac alongside several
thousand hours of on demand content. The iPad and online versions will
also allow Virgin Media TiVo customers to tap into their TiVo boxes to
record shows, manage their recordings and change their series links.

If you have any general queries please speak to our Customer Care Team
for free on 150 from a Virgin Media line or 0845 454 1111 from any other
line.

Thank you for your patience whilst we were looking into this matter.


Yours sincerely


Scott Harrison
Virgin Media Complaints Team

Firstly if we aint happy with the increase we can allways leave,Cheers vm
and your patience whilst we were looking into this matter.maybe they have gone looking for there bleedin new channels lol.
Got to say that is the worse email every recieved back from vm and it looks that its been passed on to somebody on there complaints team,maybe the ceo`s office team are on there xmas party at the moment with are price increases they can certainly have a good one.
Will await next email and post on here once/if recieve

Re: TV price rises
 

Come on, did you really expect a decent reply??

Re: TV price rises
 

Standard reply for any company who gets a letter of complaint from a customer, don't see much wrong with what they wrote tbh.

Re: TV price rises
 

so only got 30 day from letter or email to cancel

Re: TV price rises
 

Reasonable amount of time imo, surely you can get something else up and running or just cancel in that period.

Re: TV price rises
 

Not really m8

Re: TV price rises
 

BT only give 10 days. 1 month grace period to decide is pretty good.

Re: TV price rises
 

yes im just looking at all the options at moment £76 for sky just for tv and that's without espn too only 1 recordable box instead of 2 I got now cant afford to pay £199 for second sky+ one so would say that's a no go at moment looking to other options too

Re: TV price rises
 

Yeah having 2 recordable boxes is a major plus. With TiVo and V+ I can record 5 channels at once plus watch a sixth!

Re: TV price rises
 

I currently spend like ~£80 per month and while I may get XL TV, but I don't subscribe to movies or sports, and with L Phone and only 10MB non-fibre-optic broadband, I'm really not getting a competitive deal. With this new price increase and the fact that a new customer can get what I currently get for around £20 per month less, I can see myself cancelling and choosing a different provider.
I have zero loyalty and zero sympathy for non-competitive providers, so a simple price match doesn't cut it with me.

Re: TV price rises
 

You need to phone VM as you are paying too much. I have XL everything and 2 tivos and pay less than that.

Re: TV price rises
 

So new prices are up on VM's website. XL TV is showing as being priced at £24.50 when taking a phone line (wasn't it £26.50 before?), line rental £14.99 and XL BB at £19.50 (£18.50 before?). I'm guessing a £1 increase in the TiVo fee to £4 as well. I'm makin it an increase in my bundle of just £1.09 as I can't see any other increases that affect me. Doesn't explain why my prices are going up by £5.34 :confused:

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes, I believe that they've adjusted the new bundle price of TV XL and phone.

It was £31.50 for TV XL with TiVo on top of a phone line on the site yesterday, it's now £29.50

Although that's only a 91p decrease on the total bundle cost, once you factor in the line rental increase

Re: TV price rises
 

yes totally agree that's what I got 1 TiVo and 1 v+ box just did a price check for everything on sky comes to £103PM and only would get 1 to 3 meg bb that's shocking so would lose over 90meg bb speed and would lose espn too so no way I be doing that

Re: TV price rises
 

Just been looking at the new prices and I make it a £6.84 increase on VIP from a few weeks ago when I last checked.

However, when attempting to change the VHD box for a 2nd TiVo the price shot up £18.25/month instead of the expected £5! Can anyone explain this? Is it too much to ask to get the pricing right on a website??? This surely can't be correct.

Re: TV price rises
 

I've flagged it again to the Sales team

Unfortunately what the website seems to be doing is dropping you down to the Premiere Collection + Extras, rather than just adding an additional TiVo fee to the VIP Collection

Re: TV price rises
 

Thanks Ben, much appreciated.

Re: TV price rises
 

Just had my price rise £4.34 a month on top the rise earlier in the year represents a near 7 % rise in 10 months I would love to hear the justification in this currant climate.:(
I will offset some of the rise by paying the land line rental up front.

Re: TV price rises
 

Will likely do the same, but going to wait till just prior to Feb 1st to do so.

Re: TV price rises
 

I have just contacted retentions and got a really good deal IMO. Paying line rental up front and keeping the same package my bill has dropped from £100.25 a month to £80.25 rising to £82.25 in February for a new 12 month contract.
Nice to see VM are prepared to look after long standing customers.;D

Re: TV price rises
 

Nice to see that you got a good deal.:tu:

Re: TV price rises
 

Thanks Den:D

Re: TV price rises
 

I've paid my line rental up front so have recently been paying £30 for 60Mb broadband and M+ TV. After getting my increase letter I phoned to cancel the TV and downgrade the broadband to 30Mb to save some money.

I was put through to retentions and was offered 30Mb broadband and M TV for £17.50 (plus the already paid for phone rental). I thought this was a good deal so I accepted.

However, I have just had a letter today which talks about a new contract and having 7 days to change my mind. The agent I spoke to made no mention of a new contract. Does this mean I am now committed for 12 months unless I cancel?

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes you will have verbally entered into another 12 months contract with them when you negotiated your deal.

Re: TV price rises
 

12 or 18.

Re: TV price rises
 

Virgin have now got round to updating the prices for the price rise

BB 30Mb will be £14.50pm
BB 60Mb will be £19.50pm
BB 100Mb will be £27pm

These prices are if you take a phone line at £14.99pm

Broadband only prices without a phone line appear to have no change

TV M will be £13pm
TV L will be £21.50pm
TV XL will be £29.50pm

These prices are if you take a phone line at £14.99pm

The TiVo monthly sub remains £5pm an additional box remains £11.50pm

Re: TV price rises
 

Are they allowed to put me on a new contract without asking me first?

Re: TV price rises
 

They clearly stated in my call a new 12 month contract and I had 7 days to cancel.

Re: TV price rises
 

I don't think they always do that, though. Anecdotally, at least. They should, of course :)

Re: TV price rises
 

I suppose it depends, I always ask questions to make sure I know exactly what I am getting and what is involved, so maybe that is why I was told .
As you say it should be mandatory that the customer is made fully aware of the implications of their new deal.

Re: TV price rises
 

Nowhere in the letter does it mention how long they've tied me in for but it does say if I've used any of the services since they were activated my right to cancel is gone. I think that is shameful business practice. Surely the letter should have detailed exactly what both parties are agreeing to and require me to sign and return as acceptance.