Virgin Media to raise broadband and phone prices in Feb 2015

[montehampster]

The problem to me seems to be that Virgin impose blanket increases no matter what the circumstances of the individual customer.

I was paying them c £100 per month plus the line rental saver. Then 7 months into my 18 month contract I'm hit by an increase of over 5%. Net result I'm now taking broadband only at £28 a month. I've got 12 months half price Sky at £42 and using Voip for my telephone so no line rental and cheaper calls.

My daughter and son in law were 2 months into an 18 month contract and got a similar increase, which they've so far done nothing about so I suggest Virgin rely on inertia from the masses to carry any increase.

What is the point is telling customers they are in an 18 month contract knowing full well they will break it at least twice with price increases? Absolute madness!

[Stop It]

Just remembered to call them.

I was told that the increases were for everyone, and I accepted that, but said that I was sold a deal at 12 months half price, not 8 with a whacking increase. I asked that the increase be deferred until the end of the 12 months and in the end got a credit to cover my account until May.

Price rises are never welcome, but I'll accept them, but not when I signed up for a specific offer! :P

[UnReaL]

I received this letter through the post yesterday (Thursday 15th January 2015):

[japitts]

Our line rental saver was also up at the beginning of January, in past years we had the letter advising the date and new price etc.

This time round we had no letter, our price-rise letter didn't mention it and it was only when I checked our bill to put a nagging-doubt to bed, did I realise.

A short call to CS sorted it and we were offered £144 which I paid on the spot.

[MrB]

Originally Posted by MrB

I am on a Mates Rates deal which was a good deal when I signed up - is there any chance of renegotiating with retentions on Mates Rates or do I just have to accept any price rises (or leave)?

Just reporting back, in answer to my own question and the suggestions from others to phone and ask, I did call as I had decided that the rise was a step too far and was prepared to leave and switch to Sky given all the offers around (though hopeful to get a deal and stay to save the hassle of leaving/changing my current set up - I am not a Virgin hater, I actually like the services I have most of the time and have been with C&W/NTL/Virgin since the mid-nineties - but they do need keeping in check! with their price rises!).

For anyone else on Mates Rates I would suggest that it is still worth a call based on my experience - although the package of services itself may not be changed without losing Mates Rates (as it is still apparently the best price you can get), I was helpfully offered a Price Match Credit to offset the price rise for the year . This appears on my bill as a Price Match Credit (total applied for the year rather than recurring/monthly) so there is that option available on the system, CS willing. This was achieved on the first call to 150, 1, 1, 5, 3 (Thinking of Leaving) not outbound retentions - I suppose even greater saving may be achieved by the outbound team but I was happy to deal and get this resolved now rather than wait.

My only regret is I didn't call at last year's rise as I thought it would achieve nothing and was too busy to explore further, so may have achieved a saving then too .

A reminder that the £144 12 month advanced line rental saver needs applying to your account before 1st February to avoid the rise (and if you are currently tied into a long term contract, you may have until the end of this month if you are potentially looking to walk away as beyond that you will be deemed to have accepted the price rise and tied to your existing contract - my price rise email at the start of December gave me until 31st January to decide).

HTH

---------- Post added at 10:20 ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 ----------

Originally Posted by japitts

Our line rental saver was also up at the beginning of January, in past years we had the letter advising the date and new price etc.

This time round we had no letter, our price-rise letter didn't mention it and it was only when I checked our bill to put a nagging-doubt to bed, did I realise.

A short call to CS sorted it and we were offered £144 which I paid on the spot.

It has mentioned when Line Rental Saver was due to expire on my monthly bill every month (it also had a specific statement about it on my December bill) and in the price rise email received at the beginning of December?

When I say on every bill, I can only check back six months - it would be much more helpful for their billing system to retain the bills for at least a year like banks etc. It is one of the downsides of online billing that you need to remember to save them to your computer each month, particularly if you may need in future for accounts etc .

[warrenb]

Just called to renew Line Saver, whilst on phone downgraded Phone and Television (Watch mostly online now) and got a £7 loyalty discount and 6 months netflix.

The key is to be friendly and chatty.

[nashville]

This is worth a thought. I better hurry

[The Chose]

Hi,

I received the letter a few months ago which states free termination if I cancelled before the 31st January.

So I called them today and are refusing to terminate it unless I can tell them the date on the letter. It was months ago and I no longer have it. But they're just refusing to budge.

Any advice.

[UnReaL]

I just called them up to say I wanted a Full Refund on my Line Rental Saver as I am entitled to it within 14 working days of payment which would make it next Wednesday.

They wanted to keep me as a customer (been with them for years) and my contract runs out on 4th February 2015 and I was given a discount on my BB + Phone Package which works out at £25 per month including Line Rental Saver. Compared to the £30.66 per month for the previous year.

You should be able to cancel because of the Price Increase, call them back and see if you get through to another person.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by The Chose

Hi,

I received the letter a few months ago which states free termination if I cancelled before the 31st January.

So I called them today and are refusing to terminate it unless I can tell them the date on the letter. It was months ago and I no longer have it. But they're just refusing to budge.

You have 30 days to cancel from end of the month you received the letter.

If you had your letter in November, your right to cancel ended in December.

[The Chose]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

You have 30 days to cancel from end of the month you received the letter.

If you had your letter in November, your right to cancel ended in December.

The letter said I could cancel before the 31st Jan, with no termination fee. It didn't mention anything about cancelling 30 days after I received the letter.

Anyway, I've spoke to Ofcom and gone back to Virgin and got it sorted.

Thanks for the reply.

---------- Post added at 15:19 ---------- Previous post was at 14:56 ----------

Originally Posted by UnReaL

I just called them up to say I wanted a Full Refund on my Line Rental Saver as I am entitled to it within 14 working days of payment which would make it next Wednesday.

They wanted to keep me as a customer (been with them for years) and my contract runs out on 4th February 2015 and I was given a discount on my BB + Phone Package which works out at £25 per month including Line Rental Saver. Compared to the £30.66 per month for the previous year.

You should be able to cancel because of the Price Increase, call them back and see if you get through to another person.

Missed this.

Got it sorted, but thanks for the reply.

Spoke to a lovely lady who was very helpful. As opposed to a another advisor and a manager who were refusing to help me unless I could quote a letter date I received months ago and has long been misplaced.

Bully boy tactics again from a major company. They don't make it easy do they.

I wish people were treated as humans, rather than revenue sources.

If they were more accommodating for people who were set on cancelling (after exhausting other options e.g. Retention offers) they wouldn't burn bridges for that customer to return at a later date. I was leaving due to financial circumstances, it wasn't because I disliked Virgin. But the way they've treated me today will definitely stick long in my mind for when I do look for another TV/Broadband deal and I'll most certainly be going elsewhere.

[kandinsky]

Originally Posted by The Chose

Hi,

I received the letter a few months ago which states free termination if I cancelled before the 31st January.

So I called them today and are refusing to terminate it unless I can tell them the date on the letter. It was months ago and I no longer have it. But they're just refusing to budge.

Any advice.

As far as I recall there was no date on the letter.

[BenMcr]

I posted what the letter said about cancellation here http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35756097-post18.html (date is an example)

[warrenb]

I still have my letter which i received late November, and it does indeed say at the bottom in the small print that you have until the 31st January to terminate the contract with no cost.

[MalteseFalcon]

I wish people would shrink their images down to stop stretching the Forum for others.