Re: TV price rises
 

I'd had a look at this shortly after the notification letter arrived. Fact is, nowhere on the web page does it detail any aspect of the price increase - just has information on changes to the telephone service.

Would hae been an awful lot better if VM had given this 2 minutes thought and made a list of the changes to the different packages and services.

Re: TV price rises
 

If you phone retentions they will tell you the price increase they told me for my package i agree it should be displayed on the main web site easy to find but you won't find it its like looking for a needle in the hay stack you have to spend time googling or look on the forums what they got to hide

Re: TV price rises
 

Perhaps DF or one of the other Virgin staff can provide us with a detailed list of all the price rises.

Re: TV price rises
 

MediaBoy has a blog with details of the TV package increases. I understand his sources work within VM. Wonder if they would give him details of the other price increases.

Re: TV price rises
 

l am sure he will post a full detailed list sooner rather then later James.

Re: TV price rises
 

Too many variables I got told by a VM CS manager...

Re: TV price rises
 

Then he or she should not be doing the job if they can't explain fully to the customers where they stand on the planned price rises in April.

Re: TV price rises
 

He explained mine fine, but too many different increases depending on package you have... might be a document on it but none of it relevant to me apart from my increases

Re: TV price rises
 

I agree. There's various changes coming soon to TV and broadband pricing, not to mention a few tweaks to phone costs. People who are currently out of contract, or will be soon, are considering their options before the changes come into effect. People need information to help them made an informed decision and should be able to ask their provider up front and expect a clear and concise breakdown.

I agree but what about the non sky channels, the many many he channels, with a price increase and nothing new on the books no excuse

Re: TV price rises
 

Currently its very tempting just to downgrade the TV package.

We don't watch the movie package and its now tempting to get rid of the sports package as well, and reduce down from XL.
I watch the sports channels for the football(So fed up and disillusioned with the costs of the game and how clubs are now going against the wall, I'm a Portsmouth fan) and the odd rugby match, but with price increases and bitter experience in the past just trying to upgrade our boxes, oh and that while its nice to double the speed of my broadband, but the price rise as well? thanks for letting me have a choice!

I don't even get HD from Virgin, despite theoretical paying for it since its in the package. They missed out on selling me V+ or Tivo because they could not spell out the costs of activation, installation and any package cost increases, everytime this was asked I kept getting different figures.
I may miss out on the F1, but at least that's £40 saved, if a downgrade were to happen. Times are tough, saving money is good and being a loyal customer since the days of Nynex and having a bill near on £90 a month means nothing to Virgin.

Re: TV price rises
 

Cancel Sky Sports and use the money to attend one Pompey home match a month.

Re: TV price rises
 

Just bought a Freesat PVR Box and very nice it is too. VM truly go from bad to worse. Woeful customer service, a bug ridden beta box AKA Tivo which we have to pay £3 extra for and now a lovely new price hike. (Although the price hike meant an escape clause for me so ta very much)

Re: TV price rises
 

I simply do not want to pay any more to VM, I am moving from XL to L, may be M+ since I watch Freeview and Freesat quite a bit.

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes we all have a vote and if people are unhappy with the coming price rises then they are fully entitled to downgrade their package or move to another provider but also a word of warning to customers and that is the grass is not always greener on the other side as some customers have found out to their cost.

Re: TV price rises
 

Have they :confused: it's a lot more lush were I am :D

Re: TV price rises
 

There speaks a man who speaks with unbiasedness and total authority in his words.:D

Re: TV price rises
 

I'm pulling your leg Den but are you seriously that bothered were a customer decides to take their business , if subs keep rising I may end up joining some of the previous posters with a Freesat box and Netflix myself.

Re: TV price rises
 

No it does not matter to me MM where people go but l am just pointing out that the other providers will l suspect put their prices up to the same level as Virgins or even more and if people do not think that is not going to happen then they are deluding themselves.

Re: TV price rises
 

Ours is going up £3.70 :shocked:

Lyn

Re: TV price rises
 

The grass is far greener with Freesat for me thanks very much :)

Re: TV price rises
 

Thats freedom of choice and all of us are entitled to it.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes Freesat is a nice alternative hopefully with Astra 1N now up more HD could launch possibly Five HD , Film4 HD etc.

Re: TV price rises
 

Well if you are a new customer, you can no longer get V+

---------- Post added at 14:01 ---------- Previous post was at 13:57 ----------

More Channels, More VOD, More HD channels and Lovefilm and Netflex apps might increase the number of customers of Virgin TV!

---------- Post added at 14:02 ---------- Previous post was at 14:01 ----------

They should launch a XXL TV so that they can get those channels!

Re: TV price rises
 

how when sky are with holding them and no they should not over pay for them and as said on here sky are going to with hold more channels now

Re: TV price rises
 

Virgin Media should aim to get all the Non-Sky HD channels after this price rise!

Re: TV price rises
 

yes agree but there nothing they can do about sky with holding there channels sadly hopefully can get the rest of the non sky HD channels though

Re: TV price rises
 

Exactly but their excuses for not getting the non Sky HD channels are wearing thin with some customers.

Re: TV price rises
 

yes totally agree den hopefully they can get them sometime soon

Re: TV price rises
 

If there putting the Tivo price up to £5 they want to add a lot of stuff to it, including reminders and multiroom streaming.

Re: TV price rises
 

yes would be good but surely more channels should come first

Re: TV price rises
 

We live in hope but with the forthcoming price rises but they will have to do something to appease a increasingly amount of disgruntled customers.

Re: TV price rises
 

Yeah more channels with the TV packages increase.

Re: TV price rises
 

yes as someone said on here watch this space for hd channels in the coming soon thread hope they were right

Re: TV price rises
 

Along with Red Button and Lovefilm and Netflex apps!

Re: TV price rises
 

Just got my 'prices are increasing' letter and it says our bill is going up £4.50 per month but, there's no breakdown of where that cost is coming from. Anyone know (other than the £2 on the XL TV package). Were on the old VIP20mb with HD channels.

Re: TV price rises
 

That's a very big increase! I could live with a couple £££'s increase but £4.50 is a bit extreme.

Has anyone been quoted more than this so far?

Re: TV price rises
 

Well i spoke to vm and they offered me what i consider to be fair deal so i renewed for 12months.

free 500gb tivo
free install and activation
£6 off my bill until april £1.50 off after the price increase

was paying £47.90 without tivo now paying £42.00 with until april then £46.50 which is still less than i am paying at the mo without tivo. Also getting a free relocate of my v+hd box.

Re: TV price rises
 

I was quoted an increase of £4.50 too!

Ive also recently (middle of last month) upgraded from 20mb to 50mb (XXL Broadband)

Re: TV price rises
 

Lucky you
I was as good as told to like it or lump it.
Even had a call back today from them asking why I was leaving. After politely explaining, his response was "OK then bye".

Re: TV price rises
 

I am seriously weighing up my options. Currently I give VM just over £110 P/M which is a lot of dosh, now I've compared like for like with Sky and they're package would cost me £93.25 P/M plus at the moment I'd be able to get Quidco of £150 bringing the cost P/M down. I'd lose out on BB speed but with Sky but the fact they are getting Fibre from April I'd only have a few months of 10Mbps speed which I can live with. I'd be getting a lot more tv for my money and a native app for my iPad. Decisions decisions.

Re: TV price rises
 

Hardly a very tough decison though if your quids in a month go for it,but what price will skys fibre optic variant be i wonder? i suspect the price will be much closer to the VM price you quoted,but since i have not seen any sky broadband fibre optic prices i could of course be wrong.

Re: TV price rises
 

Sky is £20 for their 40 meg BB flat with no throttling a la VM. I have already registered my interest. Then I can be VM free forever. Unless they drastically change their awful customer service.

Re: TV price rises
 

well i have just spoken to them and my price will go down by 7.40 a month so i am happy :) and i get faster broadband :)

Re: TV price rises
 

my credit discount on the TV is to finish, so I am ditching the TV section and the bill will reduce by nearly £14 per month, I get very good reception via my TV aerial down here in Devon.

The £14 reduction means I shall purchase a recorder because of losing the black v box.

Any recommendations to which model to look at?

Re: TV price rises
 

Like has been said its around £10 per month more for fibre so taking that into account Sky's price will be around £103. So I think both VM and Sky offer similar packages, want more TV and more HD have sky, want faster BB and better VOD have VM. I think I may give Retentions a call and see if they can offer me something to combat the Quidco payment I'd get out of Sky. I'd rather stay with VM but as you've put Richard saving money is saving money!

Re: TV price rises
 

Will see if VM care if I leave their BB/phone package later. They honestly didn't give a flying one about my cancelling the TV/Tivo service
And be wary of them giving price discounts now for 12 month contracts, only for the price to increase again in April.

Re: TV price rises
 

If the price increases you have a right to cancel that product.

Re: TV price rises
 

My water bill has gone up- NO H D water , no extra taps & poor customer service . Also I can`t change to Severn Trent. Funny how prices rise for no reason isnt it.!

Re: TV price rises
 

No HD water!? You should complain, Anglia Water gives us 3D at no extra!:p:

Re: TV price rises
 

I would give rentensions a call and run the sky price past them,before christmas i got a deal of about £7 a month off my current price bringing my package down from £77.50 to £70.50 but they required another 12 month contract.

As you say very similar packages but its worth seeing what kind of deal VM can offer first before deciding.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

"Hi, I'm Richard Branson and I'm increasing your bill"

Call me cynical, but the last time that they increased the broadband speeds for "free" (widely advertised), they then put the prices up. There is a common theme in the VM approach. The concept of false advertising springs to mind (Cue VM fans jumping in to say that the two are not linked, as last time ...).

So anyone asking "what else will we get to justify the price increase?" - you didn't think that the "Tickles" were free did you ...

MrB

Re: TV price rises
 

I'll be using this as an excuse to cancel my services as not happy with how the service performs in evenings and not happy how they have dealt with it so far either...

Re: TV price rises
 

Kettle and Pot me thinks Den!!:D

Re: TV price rises
 

:clap:

Re: TV price rises
 

I think from past experience Virgin refuse to let you cancel service at price increase time but make you finish the original contract including any increases.

Is that correct?

Re: TV price rises
 

Nope they are obliged to let you cancel within 30 days of announcing it I believe, it is in the T&Cs

Re: TV price rises
 

But only the service(s) with a price increase...

Re: TV price rises
 

They didn't care less when I cancelled all of my packages with them yesterday. 15 years I've had cable, managed by good honest companies until VM came along and completely ruined the service. They truly go from bad to worse.

Re: TV price rises
 

All of them then?

Re: TV price rises
 

In all fairnes to VM when the company was called NTL in my area the press they got was a lot worse, VM have in my opinion upped their game considerably since the name change.

Although it has to be said they are still not very good at handling news such as price rises.:)

---------- Post added at 09:49 ---------- Previous post was at 09:48 ----------

Yes not sure about the phone line though as only certain elements have gone up not the line rental charge for instance.

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes I was with Telewest who were superb. I must admit I didn't hear many good things about NTL however.

Re: TV price rises
 

When I spoke to a CS manager last week about a billing error I had, he gave me the price increases that would affect me. He confirmed I could if I wish cancel all services as there is increases affecting them all.

Re: TV price rises
 

Thanks for that, yes then i guess thats cleared that one up then.

Re: TV price rises
 

Wouldn't offer me diddly squat, it s shame but come April I'll be moving my services to Sky.

Re: TV price rises
 

And don't forget that that will come with price rises in due course.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

I am quite surprised at that they usually offer something with a new 12 month contract,especially if sky are competitive in your area.:(

Sky usually up their prices in the autumn around september i beileve so as long as you factor that in you sould be ok if they are still cheaper.

Re: TV price rises
 

And then I'll move back to VM, my loyalty is with what's cheaper :)

@Richard1960, if VM would have offered a £5 discount I would have stayed. The Quidco payment is what will make it cheaper. It's gone down to £75 so once it's back up to £150 hopefully in April I'll be off. They're are things I'll miss from VM but Sky have their perks. I'm sure I'll be back soon!

Back already, I rung again and they have replaced my V+ for another TiVo at no extra cost, happy with that. No install fee, my price will be around £105 P/M which I'm happy with. Aware ill be losing red button but hopefully that'll come soon. New TiVo is being fitted on the 14th Feb. do we think Mrs Firmsky will have that as her Valentines present!?

Re: TV price rises
 

Many Telewest staff still work for VM, but there will be a lot less after Albert Dock closes. :(

Re: TV price rises
 

Sad times indeed, it's happening everywhere unfortunately. They should be closing off shore call centres first :mad:

Re: TV price rises
 

well said :clap::clap:

Re: TV price rises
 

My monthly cost is coming down a fiver a month so I am not all that bothered and wouldn't be if it went up. I love Virgin. I would never ever go near Sky as it's technological capabilites are left back in 1998 when Sky Digital launched. How old does the word Sky Digital sound now? I have the fastest internet and in my opnion the best PVR on the market with a big name behind it.
People complain about reliability etc well this has to be paid for. Although I have never ever had any issues with Virgin. Not one.

Re: TV price rises
 

The article on here said prices will be going up just short of £3 but my letter tells me my package is going up by £3.50 a month??!!

Re: TV price rises
 

Well I have had NOTHING telling me about the price rise no letter, no E-mail nothing, I assume somthing will be making its way to me?

Re: TV price rises
 

Yes l am still awaiting a letter or a email but as the old saying goes " its coming soon ".

Re: TV price rises
 

Ahhh... I called 150 and someone explained by very uninformative letter...
It turns out the breakdown is as follows:
£2 for the Tivo XL price increase
£1.50 for my FREE 20MB to 60MB speed increase

Isn't it great to pay extra for things that are 'free'!!!!

Re: TV price rises
 

Moan moan moan.
Why am I not surprised?
VM are a business, they exist to make money, they are not a charity.
If you don't like what they offer and the price charged, then leave, don't moan about it.
I for one am happy with them and the price.
No one can get close to the broadband speed I get at home.
I'm on 30mb, BT, Sky, etc, etc can only deliver 2mb at the most right now.
Also who wants to fund News International anyway!

Re: TV price rises
 

I am not moaning my BB has gone up 1.50, however, I do wonder how VM can claim a free up grade.:confused:

Re: TV price rises
 

Exactly my point, it was the stealthy way they went about it, I would have preferred something to the nature of £1.50 extra a month to upgrade to 60mb...
Yes I appreciate the speed increase but for them to claim it's free and put the price up immediately after I think is wrong! Even more annoying that the letter they sent me (no e-mail) doesn't explain the price increase as to what it applied to (phone/TV/Broadband). Even the guy I spoke to at VM said it would have made life easier for him rather than loads of people calling for more information...

Re: TV price rises
 

The prices go up every year though, so the two aren't really connected. Even if they were, £1.50 to double your speed is a bargain in my eyes :)

Re: TV price rises
 

Ah but the crux of the matter is how long will we have to wait to see our bargain as the devil is always in the detail.:)

Re: TV price rises
 

Also, VM really need the money so best to rack up the prices for their (probably mostly hard up) customers as well as getting loads more:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16941543

Re: TV price rises
 

Well, the Sky marketing campaign has begun. Just received a phonecall from one of their reps - asking if we were happy with VM's prices.

To be honest, I'm not too bothered with the price increase, so wouldn't think of changing. Unfortunately for the Sky rep, we're also under contract having recently changed services.

Re: TV price rises
 

Well as you might not get your speed upgrade until June 2013 you may well get 2 more price increases between now and then.

Lets not forget VM often have a Autumn price increase usually on the phoneline rental.

Re: TV price rises
 

that's interesting my own price is to rise by £4.30

i too am on 20Mb and have the Tivo with XL

so what else is rising in price? some aspect of the phone charge?

Re: TV price rises
 

that's odd - do you have an extra box in the house or something? I'm thinking the phone packages haven't been affected. Think the article on this forum might need revising to advertise the increase is a fair bit more than the amount suggested...
Wonder if anyone is facing an increase of more than £4.30?

Re: TV price rises
 

I had an email from VM £3.50 a month extra in total ,but no breakdown. I assume £2 XL TV and £1.50 XL BB.
I really hope to see an improvement in the HD channel offering this year or I will have a big decision to make.

Re: TV price rises
 

yes i have the 500GB Tivo and VHD in another room.

Re: TV price rises
 

And VM are a beacon of all things wonderful with their Indian call centres and abysmal treatment of loyal customers.

And you moan at others moaning? Ironic that :rolleyes:

Re: TV price rises
 

NTL did not have a good reputation, no wonder they canged their name!

Re: TV price rises
 

It may be a daft question, but as the new billing system does not identify what you are paying for each service, how can VM differentiate and say that you could only cancel those services with the price increase? As far as customers are concerned, they are in a contract for a bundle of services (on my bill it shows a bundle price with the telephone line as a separate entry but I agreed to the total price including both elements) - you can't have it both ways - either it is a bundle with a price of £X overall that you are paying for, or it is 2/3 or more separate services, in which case show how much the customer is being charged for each service on the bill.

Pointing to the published "tariff" does not help as that again has different prices depending on whether you buy individually or as a bundle, and that does not take into account any other discounts - customers have contracted for the whole bundle, therefore the published tariff for the elements is irrelevant. When you go to McDonalds, you either buy a Big Mac at one price, or a meal deal with fries and a drink at another, it is up to them whether they put up the price of the Big Mac, fries and drink, and also whether they put up the price of the Meal Deal which is a separate pricing decision ...

Out of interest, will price rises affect Mates Rates/Retail Partner Rates as well? And if you have just been locked in for a new 12 or 18 month minimum term contract, does the price rise apply? People were also recently reporting deals agreed with retentions for 2 years - are they affected? When you take out a year's subscription to a magazine, mobile phone, insurance etc - you are in many cases agreeing to pay £X per month for the term of that contact - all things being equal (i.e. you don't change anything) the price should remain for the term. What VM choose to charge new customers, or those outside a contract, is a separate issue as you agree to the price/contract at the point you take the contract out.

Many thanks

MrB

Re: TV price rises
 

Has anybody been following the attached thread on the VM support forums?

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/...f/td-p/1027559

A previous post along the same lines was apparently deleted by moderators.

Re: TV price rises
 

... another annoyance and yet more VM mis-communication. Out of interest, why are VM waiting for people to finish their current 12 month contract before the Tivo price rise applies to current customers (not complaining, it seems they can honour a contract!), yet not honouring the contract/price people agreed to on other aspects (as I noted above).

MrB

Re: TV price rises
 

Because existing punters won't get the price rise in one go, as I predicted would happen. That way you think you've got a good deal, even though its a significant price rise, and they retain you. They hope you'll be on a new contract before you realise about the extra TiVo increase.

Re: TV price rises
 

I've just totalled up what it would cost to have my current VM services with BT Infinnity and Sky and it looks like it would cost me in the region of £45 per month more that i currently pay VM

Re: TV price rises
 

hi,
got an emial saying my price going up £2 in april

Unfortunately, from 1st April 2012, we're having to change some of our prices to make sure we continue to give you the best home entertainment and services.

What's changing for you.
The cost of your bundle charges will increase by £2.00 a month.

i have M+ tv ,one tivo & V+hd stb ,XL BB,phone unlimited.

understand £2 increase BUT what exactly for ???:confused:

Re: TV price rises
 

M+ TV and BB XL

Re: TV price rises
 

hi,

yes 150 just said its for TV & BB. he tried to get me to upgrade to tv XL free for 3 months,i politely declined.
i should get a letter with more details.......

Re: TV price rises
 

Are the phone service price rises and change of off peak time from 6pm to 7pm enough of a change to get out of 12 month contract?

Re: TV price rises
 

I'm on VIP50
No email - no letter
No flowers
No chocolates

Sorry got carried away.................
:sorry: