Quote:
Originally Posted by djmagnifique
If you use the bundle builder that comes out at £47 plus line rental.
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This is what I am comparing and why I originally complained of the poor value/stupid pricing model with my bundle @ 47 versus Premiere @ 48 when I have no use for an extra box or tivo service. So I pay 47-6 = 41 currently which seems OK but more would not be.
So if the extra box is supposed to cost 6.50 then the Premiere without the extra box should cost 41.50. Though obviously the cost of bundling that extra box is not really contributing a full 6.50 to the actual premiere cost.
To put it another way individual service costs are inflated so that if more services are taken then the cost can magically be reduced by taking more. That is really because having many services is the truer price but disguised as a bundle discount on the total calculated from inflated individual prices.
TVXL is 24.50. Add another 5 for tivo. BB60 is 19.50. Total 44 (tivo 49). Extra box 6.50 to give 55.50 compared to 48 for Premiere bundle implies that that bundle 'discount' is 7.50. So how can removing that extra box justify an increased cost for less things?
Comparing individual prices with and without phone:
BB60 costs £8 more to not have the phone. Considering a prepaid phone is equivalent to £10/month it means if you want BB60 it makes no sense to not have the phone as well at effectively £2 more. There is no real saving to be made having BB only.
So all the pricing structure is just crazy. I know it's designed to force people to take the full caboodle because if you were to choose different providers for each service your personal cost would probably at least double. So doing a one stop shop is the most economical even if not necessarily the best performing. I'm not knocking VM's service as I even though I have had my share of niggles for the 12 years I have had cable I generally am happy with it. I'm just not prepared to be ripped off. And will vote with my feet if necessary.
A proper pricing structure would be service A costs £x, B costs £y, C costs £z. The reality is individual services are advertised as A costs £x+m, B=£y+n and C=£z+o. Take all 3 and we'll 'discount' that bundle to a magically reduced cost of £x+y+z (aka the true price). Only a fool would think this is not actually the case because they are seriously not 'reducing' the total price to get a purchase, just inflating the prices in the first place.
It's not just VM that practices these stupid games I'm sure.
While moaning at silly pricing - Casting the net wider as far as pricing of goods is concerned the Supermarkets are the biggest con artists of the lot artificially changing prices up and down day to day and week to week. Anyone with any sense will only buy the items they want when they are at the normal 'reduced' price and totally ignore those things the next week when they are 20-100% higher (and yes I have seen such massive price changes). Anyone buy plenty kitchen towels at £3 (or £3.50) for 6. Or do you only buy them at £6.75 for 6? Bottle of whiskey one week £14 the next £22? (and most of that is tax but that's another rant entirely). Sale price should be purchase price + mark up. Not purchase price + random how much can we get away adding this week.
Rip-off Britain.