The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

With so much lack of real information I thought it was time I had a word with “The Bloke in the Pub� again.
His words not mine, so don't shoot the messenger. :dunce:

First, VM, negotiated their current loans before the credit crunch became evident, renegotiating when the loan period ends is going to be a real problem, VM will have to show tangible improvements to their, so far, lacklustre performance in order for even the most enthusiastic lender to give them a second look.

Sky has the best TV/Movies contracts sewn up leaving VM the option of being a reseller with all the pitfalls that entails, being held to ransom on price etc..

BT is moving to VOIP so will be able to be much more competitive in the future as regards normal phone service.

Virgin Mobile is just a reseller business, so not much scope there.

Broadband, the jewel in VM's crown.

With just a relatively small investment, compared to what BT would have to spend, VM can leave other UK broadband providers eating their dust. VM would have the broadband upper hand for many years to come.
Due to lack of cash, VM will have to do a balancing act until all the upgrades to the network are completed, hence the STM.
VM are working on the fact that if there is a light at the end of the tunnel customers will hang in there.
VM requires that the cash, and more if possible, keeps on coming in each month in order to complete the improvements as soon as is possible. Super deals for new customers will be the order of the day as this is new money.

The Master Plan:
STM times may change in order to facilitate the network upgrades occurring with the least impact on users.
Currently 4Mb/s customers are being temporarily upgraded to 10Mb/s, the 4Mb/s service will then be discontinued.
A new 50Mb/s will soon be made available.

The order that the following changes will occur is still in debate.
The 2Mb/s service will be discontinued with customers upgraded to 10Mb/s.
Original 4Mb/s customers will be upgraded from 10 to 20Mb/s.
Original 20Mb/s customers will be upgraded to 50Mb/s.
When all upgrades are completed the intention is to remove the STM altogether.

Prices envisaged post upgrades are:
10Mb/s = £18
20Mb/s = £25
50Mb/s = £37
50Mb/s may be initially priced more when it is introduced until all the upgrades are completed.

Well, that's the information “The Bloke in the Pub� has gleaned by diligently going through the waste baskets, and as history has shown in the past, it's as reliable a method as any other.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

if you chatted to him in the pub then were you not drinking no ?

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I had a swift one ;)
Actually the way things are tonight with my broadband I would have been better staying at the pub.
Friday night used to be really good speed wise, I guess everyone is staying in more these days.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

not being funny mate but if you'd been drinking then how can you remember all of that ?

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Interesting... lets see what happens in the future

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Would it not be prudent to tell there current customers that this is the plan, if we are to believe the above quote....

If customers knew VM plans then surely most customers would stick it out till the upgrades are completed rather than VM loosing hundreds if not thousands of customers, which would mean longer delays for the necessary upgrades....

Thanks for the info. ;)

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Oddly he's proved to be at least a bit useful, and in some cases correct in the past IIRC.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

im not trying to have ago far from it. however i find it hard to believe all of this from some random guy down the pub & a fella that had been drinking at the time who can then remember it all. if it was me i wouldnt be able to remember it all, even more so after id been drinking.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

And of course regarding debt, a number of posts have appeared on financial sites suggesting some sort of refinancing might again be on the cards for Virgin Media, with a further release of new stock devaluing the existing holdings :(

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Because some of us can handle our drink? ;)

Also, for 50mbit the trial price was £47/month and it had been widely believed (and confirmed by some) that it will also be the price upon release.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

? are these old NTL Telewest debts that they acquired when they brought them ?

---------- Post added at 00:26 ---------- Previous post was at 00:25 ----------

sorry but i still find it hard to believe.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Virgin Media is just the current brand name. The company is still the old ntl:telewest or a parent company part registered in the state. Thus the organisation has a lot of historic debt to be financed, whatever the public branding.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Not all of us go out to drink to get so wasted that we cant remember what we did etc you know.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

As rumours go, that sounds very plausible... but given the timescale upon which 10MB is being rolled out, I can't imagine it happening much before xmas.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

oh ok then thanks for the info :o)

---------- Post added at 00:42 ---------- Previous post was at 00:42 ----------

i never said that did i :rolleyes:

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

There is a lot of things on this forum that you can only understand by being a member for a long time and perhaps it helps if you have been an employee of ntl. I've dealt with several of the members that post here at ntl so can verify that they are telling the truth. I was also privy in my role to various documents that showed exactly what was going on behind the scenes.

For instance there are at least 2 people that a very regular posters that write and distribute the software for the cable modems and the digital stb's. Rightly so they avoid being dragged into debates on the exact specification of the systems virgin media now use so that they do not assist scoats that want free cable.

I'd love to have a chat with the digital dailies writer though. When the 'god channel' went down we got an email hours later titled. 'the return of god!'. When you have worked several back to back 12 hour shifts that sort of thing can really tickle you.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Very likely, but he reckons they plan to drop it ASAP. ;)

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Well considering it has STM limits i wouldnt class it as worth 47/month anyway ;)

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Can't see them changing a habit of a lifetime.
No doubt retentions will have some hints when they contact leavers.

---------- Post added at 01:58 ---------- Previous post was at 01:54 ----------

Current upgrades are wayyyyyyyy behind schedule, you can't sack people then expect the same amount of work to be done by those that remain.
Perhaps OpenReach will finish up lending a hand.

---------- Post added at 02:04 ---------- Previous post was at 01:58 ----------

Check previous "Bloke in the Pub" messages.
He was pretty reliable before he had a new liver, I hope he is getting back to his old form again.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

mate i think that everyone is misunderstanding what i am saying. im not saying that its not true im just saying that it doesnt sound very convincing the way that you put it.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

What about the 2Mb connection? Is it going to be free? ;)

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

You never know they might have a Phorm paid-for 2 meg :LOL:

Sign up to PHORM and they will infest you pc for free whilst giving you a 2 meg connection for free . :shocked:


you never know

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

The same thing that always happens will happen. the rumours about some really good things happening with Virgin will start appearing. these usually start when BT and SKY start doing some good deals such as SKY paying the £120 it costs you to have a BT line installed, and BT dropping their prices such as £4.95 for their Unlimited Anytime Plan with free caller display.

The last brilliant thing that emerged from Virgin after the long wait to see what it was, was STM, the BPI, and the Phorm spyware.

---------- Post added at 09:50 ---------- Previous post was at 09:38 ----------

That is a very good possibility if it is ruled that phorm has to be an opt in only option. which is looking very likely to be. the 2 meg connection will be given free on the understanding that you agree to be opted in and that you agree to taking another service and a fixed term contract.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

The master plan makes sense in theory. Once upgraded to docsis 3 a lot of the strain will be removed from the network so once fully implemented a removal of the STM could well happen. However I see that as a temporary thing also as VM will no doubt also have in their plan the sign up of many more customers and they will get that with the higher speeds for what is a fairly low cost. Lets not forget most VM customers are relatively happy with their BB so an influx of customers with the new plan will occur. Then over course we will have the same problem maybe in a year or 2 but it is inevitable VM will congest the upgraded network and STM no doubt will be reintroduced.
I see no reason to dismiss the OP as if I was running VM that pretty much would be my immediate business plan for BB

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I see no reason to dismiss the next few OP's who start a thread about what the bloke in the pub says is going to happen. because there's always going to be someone who agrees that's what they would do too if they were running VM.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I didnt dismiss is cuz on an intellectual view it sounds feasible. A lot of what people come out with on here is so obviously utter tosh. I am not one of the many pratts who frequent this forum ;)

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Someone on Usenet was complaining about being STM'd in the middle of the day.. the response was something like "no trials of this in YOUR area at this moment"...

I was only getting quarter speed for a big chunk of daylight hours, then it suddenly "resolved itself"... so AFAIC they are playing with something they are going to introduce at some point... high published speeds, but STM'd if you download "Too Much"....

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I think its a good plan Maybe trax might know alittle more seems know alot

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

As we have seen from previous information from “The Bloke in the Pub�, he has been known to be wrong. All he can do is pass on current thinking, circumstances may require VM to change to Plan B tomorrow or next week.

VM know that they don't have the option of doing nothing, paying for the Virgin name together with the following advertising campaigns has not produced the benefits expected and hopes of finding a buyer were dashed with the credit crunch.

One of the few remaining options VM have available to them is to offer an unrivalled broadband service in the hope that customers will flock to them taking up the option of VM's other services as well, as we have seen in the past there is no guarantee that any new strategy will work but then business is all about taking risks.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Thanks for passing on the boozer's current musings, Slowcoach.
Makes for at least some 'light at the end of the tunnel' for a lot of us with the whole STM thing going on right now.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Thought I'd dip my toe in the water here as well.

I took some time to review the Sky user forum, just for poops n giggles, and I am amazed how many people are wondering if the move to them from other ISPs was the right one.

Poor customer service, lack lustre to almost 56K speeds, regular losses of connections and incredibly poor ping times to quality game servers seem to be the norm. Whilst many argue that its the best you can get for the cash, I think a few months more and folks are going to start returning. They realize that if you want consistency, it isn't going to come for free.

If the man-in-the-pub wasn't too sloshed, and the plans are correct, I can honestly see the gamble VM took in not bending over to Sky and pay for their premium prices a good move. It is possible that they are going to welcome back some BB subscribers, possibly with TV subscriptions to boot.

I'm not certain though that Sky have secured premium TV shows, I series record about 8 TV shows at the moment, I don't think Sky has anything that fresh any more.

An improvement in the EPG software would be rather nice, as Sky is much faster in that respect.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

You mean like his earlier tip that 50Mb would be introduced in early 2007?
;)

What wisdom was the bitp able to impart on the Phorm phiasco and, in particular, the damaging delay in reaching the inevitable decision to drop it?

:angel:

---------- Post added at 13:40 ---------- Previous post was at 13:36 ----------

:nono:
You're reading vm.support.broadband.cable *not* the Sky User forums!

:geez:

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Nope, Sky user forum.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Go have a look -- unfortunately the VM users' complaints seem remarkably similar!

:shrug:

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I know full well about VM complaints, goodness knows there are plenty here, and I do read the VM groups also.

I was referring to Sky customers, so don't dare tell me what I was talking about please. I'll PM you the forum if you want it.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I'm amazed that a communications company is so bad at communicating with its customers, I vote the man in the pub does PR for VM. I'd much sooner have the truth than a wall of silence.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

..or a tissue of lies

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

What comms have they not told you that you need to know

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

The fact that an adsl traffic managed account gets 50kbps when they say there will be a minimum of 512kbps due to a bug in the traffic management software would have been nice before I signed up with them.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

2Mb/s will be history, as will 4Mb/s.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I ditched sky after 2 months as it was completely useless. The router they supplied with custom firmware kept crashing. Now I could handle the Internet side crashing but when this router crashed it took down the network as well so any streaming of movies across the network stopped. I listened to some prize bs from them on technical support and even tried another router but nothing got better so I binned them for Orange nearly a year ago. The orange router has not been rebooted in months and works flawlessly.

Sky said that they would send 2 boxes for the routers and have never turned up.

2 days ago I got a letter from sky saying my computers had viruses on then and had been compromised and that my service had been disconnected. (what a crock I left a year ago).

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

All too late for me I'm afraid... phones, bb, mobile the lot. All with new providers.

Virgin Media seem to be in real trouble at the moment.

Lots of complaints about Phorm, no answers.

STM is hurting people who are paying for premium broadband badly.

They're trying to raise $1Bn in 'senior notes' ... which (to a non finance man like me) sounds like a very big mortgage.

And I gather from an article in the Telegraph Virgin Media might even suffer the indignity of flogging their own channels to someone else;

"Liberty Global, the international cable business chaired by US media tycoon John Malone, is considering bidding for Virgin Media's television channels.

Virgin Media chief executive Neil Berkett has asked Goldman Sachs to review its channels business, which has been valued at £800m. The most likely outcome is thought to be a sale."

So its not looking at all good.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

well one could argue that it's a support group :p

(same with Sky)

And to be honest...some people come on ranting and raving:

"Oh my lord this service sucks etc etc" for two weeks then find it's there OWN router (which they bought elsewhere).

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

Agreed.
I was attempting (poorly, perhaps) to point out that frequent complaints about slow and faulty connections, poor ping times to games servers and deficient customer support are common to both VM *and* Sky.
(And, by extension, that such complaints against Sky's service should not be taken as necessarily indicative of all Sky customers' experiences.)

To be brutally honest, given the pace of growth, I'm impressed that Sky BB hasn't collapsed already. VM's problems, however, are almost completely of their own making.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

I do think that VM have the best broadband product, it just belongs to a company that does not have the resources to run/improve it. The network needs massive investment and they simply do not have the cash, hence the up-coming all day stm and the implementation (sh, its only secret trial at the moment) of stm on business customers. There is work going on upgrading ubrs but every one that is done is soon at capacity again. Nothing will change until some serious cash is spent.

Re: The Bloke in the PUB says .........
 

They do have the funds, but no motivation. They get more customers for advertising high speeds rather than improving network stability.