50M : 50>70 mb upgrade- is it free?

[David H]

Despite assurances any (hidden) costs would be emailed to me after choosing the upgrade from 50 to 70 mb after they carried it out today I still have not a single clue if they have charged me for it.

I am concerned as the previous upgrades were automatic while this needed opting in, and under contract law any terms not disclosed before acceptance are void, so legally if you do not give a price before acceptance there is no binding way to enforce one. Although suing Virgin would be a tough call for a lone customer if so. As this is being rolled out generally there must be someone who can link an actual reference to any possible hidden monthly cost on top of the normal bill if applicable, I only have a few days to withdraw if that is the case.

[SnoopZ]

It is free, your bill wont go up from it, although there is a price rise later this year across the board, so read into that as you wish.

There was something i read before the upgrade online that told me it was free for the upgrade can't find it now though.

Edit - found this in the email for it.

We'll email you in the next 48 hours to let you know the exact cost of your order, even if there?s no change to your monthly bill. Don't worry, if there is a change to your bill, we?ll make sure you get the very best price we can give you based on the mix of services in your package. If you?ve opted in for a free speed upgrade, then don?t worry it?s free of charge and won?t change your monthly bill.

[David H]

Thanks Snoopz, I got that as well, it's just the 'opted' which concerned me, as it means it may not apply to your particular option, rather all of them and uses the conditional 'if'. As a legal person the wording of contract terms is very tricky and a single conjunction can shift liability from the retailer to the customer, they employ the best commercial lawyers and know their tricks.

[heero_yuy]

We've had this upgrade for several months now and the bills are still the same. The upgrade was activated by me on-line once it was available.

HTH

[StevenNT]

Just question, my father is on 50Mbps with L Phone and has a £10 a month retentions discount also, just wondering if there are any side issues with opting in to the free 70Mbps upgrade? Would it cause a new contract or affect the bill in anyway?

[pip08456]

It shouldn't.

[horseman]

Originally Posted by pip08456

It shouldn't.

.....but if it's part of a bundle that you do change/re-negotiate within an existing contract then you may find if you downgrade another component of your package then the SF70 will revert to SF50 before the outstanding contract term has completed.
Some users appear to have been caught out by that when they have "changed" part of their package after 25th Oct (threshold date for existing users speed boost) and suddenly found their BB component has regressed.

Worth ensuring the OP specifically checks that any other change to their package in future doesn't adversely affect "loyalty dicounts" as well as other components! (and ALWAYS record every call regarding billing/account changes!!!!)

[MrB]

Originally Posted by horseman

.....but if it's part of a bundle that you do change/re-negotiate within an existing contract then you may find if you downgrade another component of your package then the SF70 will revert to SF50 before the outstanding contract term has completed.
Some users appear to have been caught out by that when they have "changed" part of their package after 25th Oct (threshold date for existing users speed boost) and suddenly found their BB component has regressed.

Worth ensuring the OP specifically checks that any other change to their package in future doesn't adversely affect "loyalty dicounts" as well as other components! (and ALWAYS record every call regarding billing/account changes!!!!)

I was due to get the 100 to 150 Mb "free" speed boost in March, July, most recently changed to April. I discussed my package last week and now find my "free" speed upgrade is no longer going to be applied. There was no mention of this during the call - I feel it is downright dishonest - particularly as the "free" speedboost was accompanied shortly after by the usual price increase (not linked at all ... ).

[N00N00]

Originally Posted by horseman

.....but if it's part of a bundle that you do change/re-negotiate within an existing contract then you may find if you downgrade another component of your package then the SF70 will revert to SF50 before the outstanding contract term has completed.
Some users appear to have been caught out by that when they have "changed" part of their package after 25th Oct (threshold date for existing users speed boost) and suddenly found their BB component has regressed.

My BB downgraded from 70 to 50 when I got a price reduction and VM staff seemed to think 70mb didn't exist. Can I restore it somehow or are they different products?

[heero_yuy]

50-70 free upgrade only stays if you keep the same services / package. Any change potentially puts you in a new contract and then the default speeds are 50,100,200.

[horseman]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

50-70 free upgrade only stays if you keep the same services / package. Any change potentially puts you in a new contract and then the default speeds are 50,100,200.

As the man said! If you have proof of the misleading telecon then that's a matter for Retentions and then the complaints process,arbitration, ombudsman, Trading standards, local MP, Euro MP, CCJ's, UK high court, EU Court of Human rights et al....

[techguyone]

Interestingly, not being a new customer my speed was recently upgraded to 50 MB, I noticed today when running a random speed check that it had sneakily been raised to 70 without any notification (I'm not complaining)

[pip08456]

Originally Posted by techguyone

Interestingly, not being a new customer my speed was recently upgraded to 50 MB, I noticed today when running a random speed check that it had sneakily been raised to 70 without any notification (I'm not complaining)

Keep your gob shut!

Seriously thouhj you haven't got anything unintended. Just enjoy!