Upgrading to 30 mb saga

[Widget21]

I'm on VM's broadband XL for a while now. I noticed recently that new customers are getting this package at the entry level of 30 MB not the 20 MB that I have had a for a few years now (since Telewest days). I rang VM for a free upgrade by bumping up the speed to 30 MB since my argument was that new customers are paying the same price for XL than I but they are getting 30 MB!! The Overseas Little Helper (OLH) said it was fine to give me a free upgrade but I had to pay an activation fee of £30....Well let me put it it mildly....I went in a rage! Activate what? I have already paid for the broadband activation when I first purchased the internet connection and just had a new modem (not the superHub) just last year and it's working just fine..thank you very much...I reminded the OLH that telewest used to give its customers free upgrades to their Internet connections why not VM? Is this VM's underhand way to sneak in stealth charges on loyal customers? Anyway, I refused to pay any penny xtra to this little scam and as a protest downgraded to 10 MB! I'll wait a couple of weeks and request an upgrade to 30 MB and see what they say.

[jb66]

Your modem can't handle 30meg, so they can't give you a free upgrade, you need a superhub which gets posted to you for a £30 fee

[pgnl]

I think pretty much everyone who has upgraded to 30mb broadband or faster has had to pay this 'activation fee' for the superhub - it's VM current wheeze. Not sure about new customers though - and there may have been special offers over the last year or so.

Not a huge fan of VM myself, or Sky (I have both) for that matter, but at least Sky's pricing is consistent and discounts are temporary. VM's pricing is all over the place, which definitely creates the rants.

I calmly rant inside about it. :-)



Patrick

[RB2004]

Seeming as vm only give out superhubs now.. In the unfortunate event that your modem was to suddenly break down.. An engineer would replace with a superhub leaving you conveniently able to upgrade without the £30 activation charge for the self install superhub.

[thenry]

not true. i've already had my head blown off... VM still have standard hub stock which need shifting before the SH is sent out left, right and center