[dmchapman]

Hi all,

Currently got 10MB BB and a standard V box in the bedroom. For the main TV we have Sky and a TiVo. Phoneline is BT.

Sky box has started to die and lock up randomly... so, I need to sort that. Obvious option is to find another Sky box, but I'm pondering ditching Sky and the TiVo (*sob*) and getting a V+ to add to the mix...and then upgrade to the VM TiVo box ASAP (I assume there is still no clue as to when this might appear?)

Ideally, I'd go for V+ in the front room, with the existing V box upstairs. Both with TV XL. I'm also tempted to upgrade the BB to 50M - it's the upload speed that would be really useful more than anything. Not fussed about the phone, but if it means a better deal then I'd consider switching that to VM as well.

Looking the Virginmedia site, it appears that this would cost me 50 quid a month + 11 quid for a phoneline + whatever the second box costs (I thought i'd read it was 5 quid, but somewhere else read it was a 10 quid a month charge). I'm not interested in the Sports channels or the movie channels. If I switched phonelines, I'd certainly want Call-id which is an extra charge on Virgin IIRC...

So, what are my options? Any decent deals around? I'd rather not sign up for a 12 month lock in but if that will get me a much better deal then I would do this. Any advice on how to get a better deal from retentions or is this something they don't do anymore?

Of course, the alternative would be for me to jump to Sky+ HD but I really really hate the idea of paying extra for HD (yes, I know VM don't have much).

Blimey, that went on a bit, sorry! Interested to hear what people think. I'll probably give them a ring on monday to see what they offer - would rather ring with some knowledge :-)

Oh, one final question - is there anyway/anytime to get the UK call centres or is it just pot luck? Last couple of times I've rung them I've got indian (?) call centres and really struggled to understand :-(((

Cheers, Darren