Stolen Virgin TV Box

[fizgog]

They can't drive far incase the vans get STM'd.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by akki007

No way the box costs £250 to replace though, absolutely no way on the face of this turd of a planet.

The £250 isn't just for the STB, it is also for replacing the Smartcard and covering the admin costs involved in supplying the new box and the admin is barring the damaged/stolen box from the network

[danielf]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Normally Virgin will arrange collection from the house in the cable area - Virgin can't collect from non-cable addresses

They sent me a box to put the kit in, with a prepaid label etc. Dropped the box off at the post office. Job done. This was about 18 months ago.

[akki007]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

The £250 isn't just for the STB, it is also for replacing the Smartcard and covering the admin costs involved in supplying the new box and the admin is barring the damaged/stolen box from the network

£250? So lets say for arguments sake, the absolute maximum the STB can surely be sold at retail is what £99? That would leave ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY English pounds for a smart card (?) and admin costs. Come on. It's quite obviously a money spinner.

[BenMcr]

Well if anyone can find the cost that Samsung charge Virgin per box I would be very impressed

[AntiSilence]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

They also don't have any vans in non-cable areas!

So I do mean can't

Silly me. I thought vans could move around since they have wheels. My mistake lol

Originally Posted by akki007

£250? So lets say for arguments sake, the absolute maximum the STB can surely be sold at retail is what £99? That would leave ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY English pounds for a smart card (?) and admin costs. Come on. It's quite obviously a money spinner.

Is it? Do you have an verifiable breakdown of the costs, or are you speculating?

I don't care one way or the other, personally, but unless you can justify your statement it stands as pure conjecture, whether you state your opinion as fact, or not

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by AntiSilence

Silly me. I thought vans could move around since they have wheels. My mistake lol

Indeed - but operate on a day-to-day basis in the franchise areas where techs are employed.

[100meg]

write to VM head office and tell before your will pay for to provide proof of a it value

ie not the retail price of 250 they plucked out the air

the real price it cost them minus its age and minus the cost that is factored in to the monthly bill.

and point out to them British contact law does not alow penalty charges and they can only legally claim there true loss

its is also debatable that it would be an unfair contract term too

and watch em change there mind

[Raistlin]

VM aren't claiming for their 'loss' from the OP though.

The OP wants a replacement box, and £250 is the value that VM have placed on the combination of all the factors involved in providing one (from the hardware, through to actually setting it up).

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by Rob M

... the combination of all the factors involved ....

Makes sense. When my carpet was ruined from water damage, my insurance company paid for the cost of replacing the carpet, which included the fee for the fitters.

[beeman]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

Makes sense. When my carpet was ruined from water damage, my insurance company paid for the cost of replacing the carpet, which included the fee for the fitters.

Thats because you had a paid "new for old" policy covering your carpets (btw most of the time the amount the insurance companys pay for a replacement carpet is HEAVERLLY reduced (assuming your company worked via mandate under contract to a national carpet retailer)

<------ Carpet fitter for national retailer

As for the actual topic. The law ONLY allows for a company to charge for ACTUAL LOSS and not a punative cost.

As for benmcr's reasons for the cost (new smartcat, admin for blocking old box from the network) i suspect it would breakdown something like this

smartcard £5.00 (Standard price for a high end smart card (such as creaditcard, VM's smartcards are actually low end (there not designed for repeated reinserts according to VM))
Admin 30 seconds (entering the old box's max address into a database (if they actually bother doing it))
replacement box £0-£150 (Depending on boxes age and condition. if its a 10 year old pace repeatdly reconditioned stb VM's corperate accounts would have given it a value of £0 (due to depreation) if its a 2 month old never before used samsong stb it would bee pratically worth new price))
half hour of visiting tech's time inc fuel £30 ish (remember the standard £99 is a PUNATIVE charge and not there actual cost for half hour of a techs time)

total cost £35-£185 depending on age of box

[akki007]

Originally Posted by homealone

Is it? Do you have an verifiable breakdown of the costs, or are you speculating?

I don't care one way or the other, personally, but unless you can justify your statement it stands as pure conjecture, whether you state your opinion as fact, or not

My post was quite clearly a rough guess. Not once did I present my figures as fact.

[frogstamper]

How many people have we had on here who have been told by VM that upon cancelling their services they can "keep" their set top boxes.
The strange world of VM.

[AndyCambs]

Originally Posted by frogstamper

How many people have we had on here who have been told by VM that upon cancelling their services they can "keep" their set top boxes.
The strange world of VM.

All I can add is that the T&C state:

1. Where we hire equipment to you it will be our property at all times and we may need to alter or replace it from time to time. For us to do this, we will need reasonable access to your home.

   You are responsible for making sure that our equipment is safe and used properly at all times. To do this, you agree to do the following:

   Follow the manufacturer's instructions and any other instructions we have given you;

   Keep the equipment under your control (for example, you may not sell it, lend it or hire it out to anyone else, put it up as security for a loan or mortgage, or allow it to be seized under any legal process against you). You must not move our equipment from your home without our permission;

   Insure any of our equipment against any loss, theft or damage for the full replacement value;