TiVo Is the TiVo charge now Â£3 per month on all TV packs? - Page 27

BenMcr · 29-09-2011, 13:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad

I'm sure long serving Virgin customers who don't currently have TiVo will be rewarded for their loyalty by receiving a free 500Gb TiVo box

Indeed http://shop.virginmedia.com/existing...ox-prices.html

Simon G · 29-09-2011, 13:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Indeed http://shop.virginmedia.com/existing...ox-prices.html

Yes but that is the exact same deal as before, you are getting the Â£49.95 activation fee for free but having to pay the Â£49.95 installation costs instead.

Chad · 29-09-2011, 13:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon G

Yes but that is the exact same deal as before, you are getting the Â£49.95 activation fee for free but having to pay the Â£49.95 installation costs instead.

Yeah I think long term Virgin customers will expect a tickle which gives them 500gb TiVo free, with free installation, just like brand new customers.

There will be long term "Virgin" customers who may have joined via NTL or Telewest many moons ago who have never had a free install or activation deal ever. Hopefully during the October tickle period Virgin will single out these guys and give them a deal to match new customers.

Also as I'm out of contract, and seriously thinking about joining SKY, hopefully SKY might rethink some of their current offers for new customers joining their platform. This is when competition is healthy for the customer. Wishful thinking maybe but how many people when taking TiVo just 6 months ago thought Virgin would be giving it away free to new customers so soon after launch?

muppetman11 · 29-09-2011, 13:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simon G

Yes but that is the exact same deal as before, you are getting the Â£49.95 activation fee for free but having to pay the Â£49.95 installation costs instead.

That's what I was thinking

Chad · 29-09-2011, 13:52

What bugs me is the great offer new customers always seem to get. For Â£23.40 per month a new customer can get TiVo 500Gb, Phone M plus TV M+ without any install charge and no TiVo activation fee.

As you can see from the above images I pay Virgin roughly Â£175.00 per month, or Â£2100.00 per year. Now I'm not claiming I'm being ripped off, or over charged. I've picked the services which I receive from Virgin and other than a few missing TV channels I'm fairly happy.

If Virgin are now giving TiVO 500Gb away free to new customers they are setting a precident as to how they value the product. If they can give it away for free to one customer, why not another? Is it wrong for me to expect a tickle next month offering a free 500Gb or 1Tb TiVo box with free installation? After all I'm out of contract and must be considered a high end customer based on my monthly outlay. I'd even consider a new 18 month TV deal with the offer of receiving a completely free TiVo box with no install fee. I'd also be less risk than a brand new customer. I've been a Virgin / Telewest customer since 2005 without ever missing a monthly repayment. Virgin will know I'm a trusted and valued customer.

I'll be expecting a great offer within the next 4 weeks in line with the tickle campaign, somehow I don't think I'll hear anything.

http://mediacentre.virginmedia.com/S...ckle-21b0.aspx

P.S. Almost forgot. I called retentions 2 nights ago as I'm considering SKY to get access to the new Channel Box Nation. I thought I'd give retentions a call in the off chance they'd offer me something special seeing I'm out of contract. I think the universally agreed term for what was offered is "not a sausage".

okun69 · 29-09-2011, 14:09

According to the small print, the offer for free installation for new customers ended on 28/09/2011. Either VM have cocked up the small print or totally cocked up the new customers offer.
What about VM's mantra of all customers are equal, if that still exists then shouldn't existing customers be able to get the free Tivo and free installation?

BenMcr · 29-09-2011, 14:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad

If Virgin are now giving TiVO 500Gb away free to new customers they are setting a precident as to how they value the product. If they can give it away for free to one customer, why not another?

Everyone is paying the same price for TiVo. The activation fees (or lack of) are the same for both the 500GB and 1TB TiVo for both.

The difference is whether you get a free install or not. New customers currently do if they order online. This is something Virgin have done from time to time for new customer installs in the past to attract new custom

Chad · 29-09-2011, 14:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Everyone is paying the same price for TiVo. The activation fees (or lack of) are the same for both the 500GB and 1TB TiVo for both.

The difference is whether you get a free install or not. New customers currently do if they order online.

What I'm referring to, but didn't explain clearly, is the overall cost of getting TiVo installed and up and running in your house. New customers won't pay a penny. Existing customers will pay Â£49.95 install fee. That's the problem.

Virgin will give a free box and free install to a new customer for a little as Â£23.40 per month on an 18 month contract whilst long time loyal customers who pay double, treble and often quadruple what the new customer pays will still have to fork out an install fee. What I can't understand is why Virgin would potentially risk losing a valued customer to SKY rather than saying, "your out of contract and considering going to SKY. How about we offer you TiVo 500Gb for free, with no install charge, but you have to accept a new 18 month contract."

Surely Virgin can see the value in waiving Â£49.95 to keep someone for a further 18 months who pays then almost Â£170.00 per month? It won't just be me either. There will be tens of thousands of customers in the same position as myself who could easily be retained with the right sweetener.

As posted above, I'm expecting Virgin to be working on a tickle to keep me and others like me very happy.

On, any news on Box Nation coming soon?

BenMcr · 29-09-2011, 14:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad

What I'm referring to, but didn't explain clearly, is the overall cost of getting TiVo installed and up and running in your house. New customers won't pay a penny. Existing customers will pay Â£49.95 install fee. That's the problem.

But then Virgin make back the waiving of the install fee over the 18 month contract because that new customer has gone from paying Â£0 a month to (in your example)Â£23.40

So Virgin gain Â£371.25 in extra rental over the contract period by waiving the Â£49.95 installation fee. So part of that then covers the cost of the TiVo box

Chad · 29-09-2011, 14:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

But then Virgin make back the waiving of the install fee over the 18 month contract because that new customer has gone from paying Â£0 a month to (in your example)Â£23.40

So Virgin gain Â£371.25 in extra rental over the contract period by waiving the Â£49.95 installation fee. So part of that then covers the cost of the TiVo box

By offering free install to existing customers you are able to lock them into a new 18 month TV deal guaranteeing a continued income from a reliable and valued customer. Waiving Â£49.95 to secure a new 18 month contract seems like a fair deal to both Virgin and the customer to me. Also it's fairly likely the existing customer will already have other services you provide. I'm sure either through line rental, on demand views and other charges Virgin will make more than the Â£49.95 back that they waived.

Just in case this is coming across the wrong way, I'm not having a go at you Ben. I appreciate that someone from within Virgin is taking the time to listen to my views. We might not agree but our exchange is valuable to me, other forum members and hopefully yourself and Virgin in someway.

muppetman11 · 29-09-2011, 14:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad

By offering free install to existing customers you are able to lock them into a new 18 month TV deal guaranteeing a continued income from a reliable and valued customer. Waiving Â£49.95 to secure a new 18 month contract seems like a fair deal to both Virgin and the customer to me. Also it's fairly likely the existing customer will already have other services you provide. I'm sure either through line rental, on demand views and other charges Virgin will make more than the Â£49.95 back that they waived.

Just in case this is coming across the wrong way, I'm not having a go at you Ben. I appreciate that someone from within Virgin is taking the time to listen to my views. We might not agree but our exchange is valuable to me, other forum members and hopefully yourself and Virgin in someway.

I personally wouldn't sign to any pay tv provider for 18 months , many changes can happen in that period.

Chad · 29-09-2011, 14:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by muppetman11

I personally wouldn't sign to any pay tv provider for 18 months , many changes can happen in that period.

It's a bit long term, and admittedly longer than I'd like to commit however with the right offer or sweetener Virgin could change my mind if I decided to leave. I'm sure there are plenty in the same boat.

On a separate matter, which nobody else but Muppet will understand, my wife also asked the rep in Dixons which TV was the Smartest! I just remembered that now whilst typing.

Itshim · 29-09-2011, 14:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chad

By offering free install to existing customers you are able to lock them into a new 18 month TV deal guaranteeing a continued income from a reliable and valued customer. Waiving Â£49.95 to secure a new 18 month contract seems like a fair deal to both Virgin and the customer to me. Also it's fairly likely the existing customer will already have other services you provide. I'm sure either through line rental, on demand views and other charges Virgin will make more than the Â£49.95 back that they waived.

Just in case this is coming across the wrong way, I'm not having a go at you Ben. I appreciate that someone from within Virgin is taking the time to listen to my views. We might not agree but our exchange is valuable to me, other forum members and hopefully yourself and Virgin in someway.

Well put. I will stick with my V+ until such time as it is a totally free replacement. Still not convinced that Tivo is worth around an extra Â£100 over the 18 months of the contract, for the use I, & I stress ,I would get out of it.

However a big thank you ( Virgin that it) for getting rid of the blue halo.

paultrademark · 29-09-2011, 14:56

They have lost my custom after 5 years, off to Sky who are saving me Â£22 per month and am getting extra channels for that too.. TiVo or no TiVo, it's all about saving money for me am afraid for now.

MrB · 29-09-2011, 17:44

Out of interest, the press release linked above about the tickle, states:

Quote:

with direct response channels highlighting extra savings by offering free box activation for new and existing customers, saving them Â£49.95.

Yesterday 500gb Tivo was Â£49.95 activation, no install cost.
Today it is Â£49.95 install cost, no activation cost

How exactly is that saving anyone Â£49.95? It is exactly the same overall price and saving you precisely nothing.

People previously reported getting V+ moved to another room for free (with no Â£6.50 additional charge) - is that still available to existing customers? If you had more than one service added as an existing customer, does the Â£49.95 include everything that needs installing, or does that only cover the Tivo and you then get charged another install cost as well (which was only Â£40 yesterday and has gone up to Â£49.95 today!!). And V+ no longer appears as a box option - has it now been retired for any new installs?

Many thanks

MrB