[roughbeast]

Kush! Your acceptance that VM staff couldn't give a monkey's about natural justice, preferring instead commercial advantage, is jaw-dropping. Your description of VM's 'lack pf moral compass' , effectively makes my point. I also do wonder at their collective intelligences.

Until their 152Mb upgrade debacle over the 152Mb upgrade I did assume that VM had an ethical brain cell between them. Couldn't they just have stopped at offering new customers a lower initial prices, say for 6 months? You find this practice all over the commercial world. Instead they offered a whole new superior service solely to new customers. How morally dumb is that? They could easily have been upfront about the network considerations. Naturally, folk like me would take exception! People, like me, in the know made the phone call and got what they wanted. Those that weren't, didn't. How shambolic is that? Your accepting attitude, jaw-dropping as it is, is probably right in terms of commercial outcomes. It appears that VM are commercially intelligent, but emotionally and morally retarded. It appears that this culture has infected Virgin's staffs and its other enterprises.

I was once a member of Virgin Active, by default. Our Esporta gym, where we had been members for 15 years, was taken over. Within a year of the re-branding the main gym was upgraded with state of the art equipment and a luxury refurbishment. Many new members were taken on with low initial fees. Meanwhile those of us who used classes like body combat and body pump found classes being whittled down until their wasn't any choice at times people wanted. Trainers over the age of 50 were retired with just one week notice, apparently because older age didn't equate with the healthy, fit and fresh image Virgin required. Many existing members, including my family, departed for other gyms, leaving old friends behind. VM couldn't give a damn about existing members just as long as new members kept pouring in.

How is it OK to behave like this? People's feelings, preferences and well-being are placed well behind short-term commercial considerations. Just because they are a global corporation VM think they are immune to the need to provide a good service with continuity over time to new and old customers. Sadly, you are right. They are immune.