Virgin Media to raise broadband and phone prices in Feb 2015

[Mr K]

Originally Posted by Kushan

They're possibly relying on the fact that you can't get 152Mbit elsewhere, you can't even get above 80Mbit elsewhere really and even then only if you're quite lucky.

Yes but 10mb is enough to do browsing/streaming which is all most punters do.

[johnathome]

Originally Posted by passingbat

If you keep phone and BB with them, and already have a Tivo, normally you will be able to keep the Tivo with M TV (effectively the Freeview channels), so you do get TV with a PVR FOC. In fact, last year when I wanted to cancel the TV service and just keep BB and phone, keeping Tivo with M TV made it cheaper!

Yeah i get that but i want to ditch the LL as well, it galls me that i pay that much for something and get constant cold calls. Nobody phones me on it as they know i very rarely answer. If i'm sat right next to the phone i'll answer it and say hello, if no-one replys within a second i cut it off. Heck, even my aged parents call my mobile now.

I have some money left over from a bonus at work so i'm going to splash that on a BT/Humax box. I've seen posts where people say they have 30mb BB and basic TV for £25.

I'll see what they say but i'm pretty determined to cut the cord. Shame really as i've been a cable customer for 25 years.

[qasdfdsaq]

Originally Posted by Kushan

They're possibly relying on the fact that you can't get 152Mbit elsewhere, you can't even get above 80Mbit elsewhere really and even then only if you're quite lucky.

Unless you're one of the lucky few who can get 330Mbit or 1000Mbit.

Then again with BT FTTPoD, far more people can get 330Mbit than VM's 152Mbit, just at higher install cost. Still, if it ended up £30 a month cheaper than VM it'd only take four years to make back the difference!

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by andy_m

Phoned Virgin. They can increase my broadband speed to 152mb and leave me with xl everything plus Sky Sports in hd for £80pm rising to £90pm at some point during the contract. Let's face it, that's not a bad deal, but it's not as good as available elsewhere, and it's a lot more than I need, so I've cancelled. I felt a distinct lack of effort to keep me, which was instrumental in my decision.

Seems Sky have changed their attitude towards retention a bit too.

---------- Post added at 21:02 ---------- Previous post was at 21:00 ----------

Originally Posted by qasdfdsaq

Unless you're one of the lucky few who can get 330Mbit or 1000Mbit.

Then again with BT FTTPoD, far more people can get 330Mbit than VM's 152Mbit, just at higher install cost. Still, if it ended up £30 a month cheaper than VM it'd only take four years to make back the difference!

The cheapest I've seen FTTPoD / FoD for is £175+VAT / month for a 500GB peak time transfer limit, and 500GB off-peak.

FoD is still not available to as many people as VM's 152Mb yet. It's far from ubiquitous in its coverage of FTTC areas. About 4.7 million premises passed at last announcement of coverage.

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by johnathome

What are you paying ATM? Did you mention the Sky 50% offer for VM customers? I bet they wouldn't have matched it.

I can't wait to see what they come up with for me. I have to get a roof aerial fitted before i phone as i get bad reception on the living room TV.

Although i'm not sure they would be able to compete with free

Currently £85, due to go up to £99 when half price Sky Sports deal ends, and then obviously the February price rises are due on top of that. I told them about the Sky deal, and I've also been flirting with TalkTalk and reducing my outgoings significantly, but they couldn't come close to matching it. I've read that sometimes customer service agents have quotas of special deals and sometimes it's worth a second or third call back, but I not really interested in chasing them.

---------- Post added at 21:06 ---------- Previous post was at 21:04 ----------

Originally Posted by Kushan

They're possibly relying on the fact that you can't get 152Mbit elsewhere, you can't even get above 80Mbit elsewhere really and even then only if you're quite lucky.

I think they're missing the point for an awful lot of average internet users.

---------- Post added at 21:07 ---------- Previous post was at 21:06 ----------

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Seems Sky have changed their attitude towards retention a bit too.

It's pretty much what I experienced when I left Sky for Virgin 4 years ago to be honest. This is the first year I haven't been impressed with Virgin retentions.

[cj136uk]

Originally Posted by passingbat

If you keep phone and BB with them, and already have a Tivo, normally you will be able to keep the Tivo with M TV (effectively the Freeview channels), so you do get TV with a PVR FOC. In fact, last year when I wanted to cancel the TV service and just keep BB and phone, keeping Tivo with M TV made it cheaper!

This isn't free or cheaper. For TVM you have to have an active subscription, and to get TVM with a TiVo you pay an extra £10 for the facility. It doesn't offer all the freeview or freesat channels!

[Kushan]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Yes but 10mb is enough to do browsing/streaming which is all most punters do.

Originally Posted by andy_m

I think they're missing the point for an awful lot of average internet users.

Then why are we comparing the 152Mbit service to Sky/BT/etc. and not the 50mbit service?

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by Kushan

Then why are we comparing the 152Mbit service to Sky/BT/etc. and not the 50mbit service?

The 152 product is what they offered to try and keep me, I'm currently on the 50 and even that is more than I need.

[Kushan]

Originally Posted by andy_m

The 152 product is what they offered to try and keep me, I'm currently on the 50 and even that is more than I need.

Did they not even try to offer you a deal with the 50? I'm surprised they'd try to push you onto a higher tier rather than put the effort in to keeping you. Bit odd.

[passingbat]

Originally Posted by cj136uk

This isn't free or cheaper. For TVM you have to have an active subscription, and to get TVM with a TiVo you pay an extra £10 for the facility. It doesn't offer all the freeview or freesat channels!

It was for me. I was surprised when they told me it would be cheaper to keep my existing Tivo with M TV, rather than dump TV altogether (I did say "and already have a Tivo" in my original post). I had checked the prices on the web before phoning them and the price I ended up paying was less than the web price for just BB and phone; It was the CS rep that suggested that I keep the Tivo with M TV in order to reduce the price

I know TV M doesn't have all the Freeview channels, but it's close enough for me. especially when you get (in my view) the best PVR around to go with it.

[jobbie8]

Originally Posted by Kushan:35742986

Did they not even try to offer you a deal with the 50? I'm surprised they'd try to push you onto a higher tier rather than put the effort in to keeping you. Bit odd.

I was offered 152mb upgrade from 50mb too. With nothing else offered for my current package. £7 credit a month (my current one is £11) if I upgraded.

I haven't decided yet, and this is the first time I haven't taken up a retentions deal.
I'm thinking of keeping 50mb dropping everything else, £26.50 a month with NowTV, Netflix and Spotify, Total £49.97 saving me around £70 a month.
I just need to get a recordable Freeview or Freesat box sorted, will use the Rental Saver money to get one.

[andy_m]

Originally Posted by Kushan

Did they not even try to offer you a deal with the 50? I'm surprised they'd try to push you onto a higher tier rather than put the effort in to keeping you. Bit odd.

That's at £80 per month, which is £20 or so less than advertised. It's also £15 more than the Sky offer for their equivalent package. Perhaps I've been a little unfair in saying they didn't work hard to keep me, but they didn't work hard enough.

[Superblade7]

Originally Posted by andy_m

The 152 product is what they offered to try and keep me, I'm currently on the 50 and even that is more than I need.

It's a shame that you feel they didn't do more to keep you Andy. I think you are right too with the broadband speeds as for a lot of homes, the bottom tier 50Mb will be more than sufficient. I hope you therefore get the right deal for you, whichever the provider.

Also, quick question for any of the more experienced users on here but on reading back through this thread, I noticed a thumbs down icon in the title of my earlier post (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35742892-post81.html). Not seen this before, is this some sort of negative rating for my post?

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Superblade7

I noticed a thumbs down icon in the title of my earlier post (http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/35742892-post81.html). Not seen this before, is this some sort of negative rating for my post?

Maybe you selected it from "Post Icons" when posting? (See mine has a lightbulb)

[Superblade7]

Originally Posted by spiderplant

Maybe you selected it from "Post Icons" when posting? (See mine has a lightbulb)

Ahh, thanks spiderplant. Must have clicked it accidentally when posting, d'oh!