Do Virgin rip you off if you're already a customer?

[weemax]

Do Virgin rip you off if youre already a customer?
My sis just phoned up today to downgrade her 20mb broadband package to 10MB.

She has been on 20MB XL broadband only package since last March (16 months).

So the guy tells her it will be £25 a month to which she agreed. Now i go on the site & its 15 per month for 3 months & £20 there after.

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...uct.do?id=3264

Im just wondering if this is common practice? Im also just wondering if she will have "agreed" to a new contract, even though nothing was mentioned & how long does she have to get out of the "new contract" if there is one. She only phoned today at 4pm.

PLEASE help, Between my Virgin ADSL saga & this, my patience is wearing thin very fast

[SMG]

I reckon so, VM, offer cheap packages to new customers but existing customers pay more. Despite Bransons pledge to align the prices.

[weemax]

Thanks for that m8. Do you think there is anything I can do? Do you think she is on a new contract?

---------- Post added 11-07-2009 at 00:35 ---------- Previous post was 10-07-2009 at 23:21 ----------

Not aim at you above m8. Instead of rating the thread poor, perhaps you could offer some advice or at least say why you rate it poor. By clicking on a star are you afraid to come out and say what you think, instead hiding behind a star icon?? Perhaps its been discussed so many times & you have nothing better to do but sit and stare at these forums all day everyday that youre fed up seeing it - is that it? Is it common knowledge Virgin rip customers off - is that it? Lots of readers but no answers. Some great members on here alright who love star clicking. lol

[Zee]

Originally Posted by weemax

Thanks for that m8. Do you think there is anything I can do? Do you think she is on a new contract?

---------- Post added 11-07-2009 at 00:35 ---------- Previous post was 10-07-2009 at 23:21 ----------

Not aim at you above m8. Instead of rating the thread poor, perhaps you could offer some advice or at least say why you rate it poor. By clicking on a star are you afraid to come out and say what you think, instead hiding behind a star icon?? Perhaps its been discussed so many times & you have nothing better to do but sit and stare at these forums all day everyday that youre fed up seeing it - is that it? Is it common knowledge Virgin rip customers off - is that it? Lots of readers but no answers. Some great members on here alright who love star clicking. lol

lol

[SMG]

Originally Posted by weemax

Thanks for that m8. Do you think there is anything I can do? Do you think she is on a new contract?

---------- Post added 11-07-2009 at 00:35 ---------- Previous post was 10-07-2009 at 23:21 ----------

Not aim at you above m8. Instead of rating the thread poor, perhaps you could offer some advice or at least say why you rate it poor. By clicking on a star are you afraid to come out and say what you think, instead hiding behind a star icon?? Perhaps its been discussed so many times & you have nothing better to do but sit and stare at these forums all day everyday that youre fed up seeing it - is that it? Is it common knowledge Virgin rip customers off - is that it? Lots of readers but no answers. Some great members on here alright who love star clicking. lol

I believe that whenever you amend your contract, it stands for a length of time, eg 12 months. If your sis doesn't want the new amendment, she should phone back, immediately, again, I believe VM will not sign you up as a new customer until 6 months have passed, so canceling & taking out a new contract is not an option.

I don't understand your post regarding "Poor Rating".

Originally Posted by weemax

Do Virgin rip you off if youre already a customer?
My sis just phoned up today to downgrade her 20mb broadband package to 10MB.

She has been on 20MB XL broadband only package since last March (16 months).

So the guy tells her it will be £25 a month to which she agreed. Now i go on the site & its 15 per month for 3 months & £20 there after.

http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...uct.do?id=3264

Im just wondering if this is common practice? Im also just wondering if she will have "agreed" to a new contract, even though nothing was mentioned & how long does she have to get out of the "new contract" if there is one. She only phoned today at 4pm.

PLEASE help, Between my Virgin ADSL saga & this, my patience is wearing thin very fast

My first instinct would be that there must be a cooling period?

Having sat down and thought about it, your sister realises that she cannot afford the £25 per month, and contacts VM cancellations to inform them, I am sure they will persuade her she can afford to stay with VM

Nothing Ventured ?

Do Virgin rip you off if youre already a customer?
No, You get charged for the service you contracted to take.
Your sister agreed to the service so how is she getting ripped off.
If you don't like the service or pricing why not leave?

[beeman]

Originally Posted by dgardner

Do Virgin rip you off if youre already a customer?
No, You get charged for the service you contracted to take.
Your sister agreed to the service so how is she getting ripped off.
If you don't like the service or pricing why not leave?

Charging 2 different custmers 2 different (standard) prices for the SAME service IS ripping off the custmer paying the higher price.

Of cause if the standard price changes after you contracted thats fair enough (though imo standard price changes should affect ALL custmers).

Charging new custmers £20 for a service while existing custmers changing there services £25 is IMO not acceptable (im not talking about introductary offers such as the £15 for 6 months....)

"standard" prices should bee just that standard and applys to all.

Though that said i personally have no problem if people manage to negioate "special" deals because there particlary good at negiaoting or had problems in thepast with is being compensated for.

[bywater]

Originally Posted by beeman

Charging 2 different custmers 2 different (standard) prices for the SAME service IS ripping off the custmer paying the higher price.

Of cause if the standard price changes after you contracted thats fair enough (though imo standard price changes should affect ALL custmers).

Charging new custmers £20 for a service while existing custmers changing there services £25 is IMO not acceptable (im not talking about introductary offers such as the £15 for 6 months....)

"standard" prices should bee just that standard and applys to all.

Though that said i personally have no problem if people manage to negioate "special" deals because there particlary good at negiaoting or had problems in thepast with is being compensated for.

I have to totally agree with you Virgin are ripping off old customers my bill is £25 for broadband L and 11.50 TV L New customers after the offer period can have XL for £20 indefinately and TV L is only being charged at £10 indefinately. Why two different prices is beyond me but I will be keeping it in mind when my 12 months are up. They can go swivel if I don't get the same price.

[on in an hour!]

irrespective of a customers length of contract etc,.. VM are able to offer many,shall we say,'consolidation' deals.

e.g. a service tech calls round to a subs house,whilst dealing with the fault that the sub has reported he happens to ask the sub if they have a bill to hand or do they know what they pay and what they get for said payment.

now,lets say that sub is on an old deal and it amounts to say £62 for XL tv..
M b/b..L phone,the service tech can there and then amend this subs bill to XL TV..XL B/B and XL telephone for a new monthly bill of £67 with 1 phone call to the sales dept.
the deals are there for all..

[darren.b]

I don't think NTL:Telewest have an obligation to contact customers about new deals that *might* save them money. It's up to the customer to check the current prices and deals. NTL:Telewest don't exactly hide such information. They change their deals periodically as the markets dictate - why should they constantly inform all of their customers of it?

Everyone got a special "new customers only" deal when they first signed up. Why do these people forget that? Deals change...live with it. You got your "new customer" deal when you joined...why keep whining about what the latest deal new punters get? You've had yours...move on.

I have never felt "ripped off" by NTL:Telewest...they did pester me at one time to take a landline and they say it would save me money. My ignorance told me to ignore, their persistence taught me to actually count. So far, the £30 I spent on having landline installed has saved me approx £95 over what I'd have spent without it. So sometimes they do actually tell you of new deals, if only you aren't as ignorant as me to study them.

[frogstamper]

On there own VM-BB, TV or phone are expensive in comparison to deals offered elsewhere, especially BB, but as solcuerda says add a phone line to the BB package and the price drops substantially, even more so if you add the TV as well.
As regards special offers for new customers, VM are not alone in doing this, it seems most companies now offer these introductory prices to "set the hook" like it or not this practice is widespread nowadays.
It may well be worth the OP's sister having a look at some of the BB and phone deals that VM offer, I'm sure she could save a few pounds.

[Nannamags]

Hi,
I have been with Virgin Media since it was Yorkshire Cable! All in all for around 25 years!
When discussing with other Virgin customers, I realised I was being ripped off! my monthly bill for Broadband, Phone and TV was usually around £70+ per month.
I phoned them to read the riot act and possible notice to leave but eventually took out a new contract which included my new V+ box (for £49) including fitting and a loyalty price for my services! So....I get a better digital service at almost half the price! But why oh why could they not just offer it to me as a good will gesture? I could have saved lots!

[bywater]

Originally Posted by solcuerda

I don't think NTL:Telewest have an obligation to contact customers about new deals that *might* save them money. It's up to the customer to check the current prices and deals. NTL:Telewest don't exactly hide such information. They change their deals periodically as the markets dictate - why should they constantly inform all of their customers of it?

Everyone got a special "new customers only" deal when they first signed up. Why do these people forget that? Deals change...live with it. You got your "new customer" deal when you joined...why keep whining about what the latest deal new punters get? You've had yours...move on.

I have never felt "ripped off" by NTL:Telewest...they did pester me at one time to take a landline and they say it would save me money. My ignorance told me to ignore, their persistence taught me to actually count. So far, the £30 I spent on having landline installed has saved me approx £95 over what I'd have spent without it. So sometimes they do actually tell you of new deals, if only you aren't as ignorant as me to study them.

People are not complaining about new customer deals what they are complaining about is the standard prices after the initial offers. Old customers are on one standard price and new customers on another so we now have two standard prices one for old customers and one for new customers. That is what people are rightly imo complaining about.

[fairlight]

I have to agree with Bywater. I have no objection to new customers getting low introductory deals but in the case of BB L for which pay £25 (£24.47 -can't get an explanation of why it's gone up a £1) the new customer enjoys the same service for £20 once their introductory offer ends. I just feel like I'm helping to susbsidise their price plan.Whilst I understand contract periods ala iPhone & the new iPhone debacle over at O2 I simply cannot name another service I use that runs quite such a contemptable apartheid-esque system for what customers actually pay for the same service.