4K : Sky Cinema and Entertainment UHD to launch

[PtolemyIV]

Originally Posted by gaz82

Why? You agreed a contract with a company for a service at a price that you were happy with. They haven't changed the terms of that contract.

The entitlement of some people amazes me! Why should you expect a company to just give you something for free?

Also because they explicitly advertise it (and name it as such) that it comes with the top tier of everything - plus, and I admittedly did not point this out, the salesperson doing my contract renewal acknowledged they had missed the original 2020 promise for sky ultrahd but assured me it would be included for ultimate oomph customers precisely for the aforementioned reasons!

More so than any of this, the aspect that bugs everyone is the unfair pricing and features for new vs existing customers. I and many others on this forum will annually or more frequently pick up the phone upon renewals/price rises to renegotiate but what about all the vulnerable type such as the elderly that get taken along for a ride by Virgin...

I would much rather pay even more than I do now as long as everyone consistently pays the same new or old customer for the same service.

It isn't about entitlement - it is about fairness and equality.

[Mythica]

Originally Posted by gaz82

You pay for the "Ultimate Oomph" package which was offered to you on the date stated on your contract, which also includes an itemised list and can be reviewed in your my Virgin Media account.

If an item that is listed in that contract is removed or the price is changed which contravenes that terms agreed then you would have a valid point. But you are still receiving the service you agreed to at the price you agreed as per your contract.

And what happens when you're not in contract any more?

[PtolemyIV]

Originally Posted by Mythica

And what happens when you're not in contract any more?

You then have to go back and know the multiple different teams and tricks to navigate between them on virgin customer services and try to negotiate for yourself...

I really feel ofcom should mandate "one price for one package" - if the same were to apply for Sky and Virgin then the vulnerable would be protected and these shenanigans could finally end.

[Mythica]

Originally Posted by PtolemyIV

You then have to go back and know the multiple different teams and tricks to navigate between them on virgin customer services and try to negotiate for yourself...

I really feel ofcom should mandate "one price for one package" - if the same were to apply for Sky and Virgin then the vulnerable would be protected and these shenanigans could finally end.

My point was that people have already phoned up to complain about it to which they are offered it for £1. It's still not good enough. Regardless of what the contract states or whether in a contract or not, it should have been offered to everyone at the same cost.

[jfman]

Originally Posted by gaz82

You pay for the "Ultimate Oomph" package which was offered to you on the date stated on your contract, which also includes an itemised list and can be reviewed in your my Virgin Media account.

If an item that is listed in that contract is removed or the price is changed which contravenes that terms agreed then you would have a valid point. But you are still receiving the service you agreed to at the price you agreed as per your contract.

Nobody is disputing that part.

However this month and next month on an ongoing basis I pay more money per month for an inferior “ultimate oomph” than that offered to new customers. No amount of whataboutery will change that.

I’ll certainly remember when it comes to renegotiating.

[PtolemyIV]

Originally Posted by Mythica

My point was that people have already phoned up to complain about it to which they are offered it for £1. It's still not good enough. Regardless of what the contract states or whether in a contract or not, it should have been offered to everyone at the same cost.

True - I didnt even get the £1 offer either..

[ScottishSteve]

They could have made it easier for themselves by renaming the package Ultimate Oomph + or something rather than saying new customers only.

[gaz82]

Originally Posted by jfman

Nobody is disputing that part.

However this month and next month on an ongoing basis I pay more money per month for an inferior “ultimate oomph” than that offered to new customers. No amount of whataboutery will change that.

I’ll certainly remember when it comes to renegotiating.

And no "whataboutery" will change the fact that you are receiving the service you signed up for and agreed to!

If you are paying more than your original contract and you are still in contract then you are free to contact Virgin and re-negotiate or end it if the increase is above the agreed terms.

I'm sure there are reasons behind their decision - I highly doubt the sole reason would be just to annoy existing customers!

For example, the majority of existing customers are using the V6 box which could include a per box licence fee to TIVO for the use of their software. Whereas all new customers receive the 360 software which is owned by Liberty. Maybe Virgin are able to offset the cost of UHD to Sky for new customers because they don't need to pay the TIVO licence fee. (I don't know if this is the case, I don't work for Virgin and I don't have any inside knowledge - I'm just thinking about the bigger picture).

At the end of the day Virgin are a business.

[jfman]

I'm sure there are business reasons too. Profit.

However the fact remains that I and others are now paying more every month for an inferior and exactly branded service than new customers.

I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the licencing fee for TiVo software. If I "upgraded" to 360 they won't give me free UHD. This is further whataboutery on your part.

I'm unsure why you seem to have the "business" interest at the forefront of your mind rather than the "consumer" interest.

Perhaps just offering a viewpoint, rather than supporting anything?

[Mad Max]

Originally Posted by jfman

I'm sure there are business reasons too. Profit.

However the fact remains that I and others are now paying more every month for an inferior and exactly branded service than new customers.

I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the licencing fee for TiVo software. If I "upgraded" to 360 they won't give me free UHD. This is further whataboutery on your part.

I'm unsure why you seem to have the "business" interest at the forefront of your mind rather than the "consumer" interest.

Spot on.

[gaz82]

Originally Posted by jfman

I'm sure there are business reasons too. Profit.

However the fact remains that I and others are now paying more every month for an inferior and exactly branded service than new customers.

I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the licencing fee for TiVo software. If I "upgraded" to 360 they won't give me free UHD. This is further whataboutery on your part.

I'm unsure why you seem to have the "business" interest at the forefront of your mind rather than the "consumer" interest.

AND the fact still remains that you are receiving the exact service you signed up for and agreed to! If you're not happy, contact VM and re-negotiate a new contract!

I don't have any specific business/consumer interest or agenda, I'm just giving a different view of the situation based on my experience with contracts and sales.

Is branding really the problem though? If it was called something different such as "Ultimate Oomph UHD" would that appease you or would you still have the same opinion?

As I said before, I don't presume to know whether the price difference has anything to do with a TIVO licence anymore than you are "sure" it doesn't! It was simply just a possible example. This is whataboutery on both our parts that only VM themselves know. Also, how do you know that VM wouldn't give you UHD free if you changed to 360? Have you specifically asked them or is this just an assumption?

[jfman]

A laughable response. Wait there while I phone Virgin and ask them for free UHD just in the off chance they move me from the "have nots" to the "haves".

What I signed up to last I recontracted is absolutely irrelevant to the fact that next month and each month after I pay the same (or indeed more) for an inferior service despite supposedly having the same Ultimate Oomph product.

Your views on contracts and sales are absolutely irrelevant. Can Virgin legally create a two tiers of customers? Yes. That's not in dispute.

I absolutely am not obliged to be happy for it or agree with Virgin Media apologists on the forum.

[gaz82]

Originally Posted by jfman

A laughable response. Wait there while I phone Virgin and ask them for free UHD just in the off chance they move me from the "have nots" to the "haves".

What I signed up to last I recontracted is absolutely irrelevant to the fact that next month and each month after I pay the same (or indeed more) for an inferior service despite supposedly having the same Ultimate Oomph product.

Your views on contracts and sales are absolutely irrelevant. Can Virgin legally create a two tiers of customers? Yes. That's not in dispute.

I absolutely am not obliged to be happy for it or agree with Virgin Media apologists on the forum.

Laughable in what way? Because you don't happen to agree with them? I asked you two simple questions in my last post which you've conveniently overlooked, I guess because you'd rather stand your ground instead of maybe taking a step back, looking at the bigger picture, and considering that, god forbid, someone else's viewpoint might actually be valid!

I have real world experience with VM, along with many many others, that VM are more than happy to re-negotiate mid-contract. Just look at the many posts on this and other forums all over the web where customers have contacted them after a price increase only to be offered a reverse of the increase straight away. In fact, on the last increase there was a menu option on their phone system to apply a discount against the increase without even needing to speak with an operator! Yet, you seem to have a problem with calling Virgin and simply asking about UHD. You'd rather just winge and argue about it on a forum instead of being pro-active and just asking them the question!

Also, what you have signed up to is totally relevant! I don't know how many more times I need to say it! THEY ARE PROVIDING YOU WITH THE EXACT SERVICE YOU HAVE SIGNED UP TO! My mortgage rate is different to what my back currently offers. It's still called a "5 year fixed rate" mortgage. Do I cry about it? No, I either accept that things have changed since I re-mortgaged and carry on or I call the bank and discuss my options!

And my views are irrelevant? Why is that? Again, because you personally don't agree with them?? You realise it's OK to have a different view to someone else and that the whole point of a forum is to discuss those different views?

I am in no way a Virgin Media apologist, I have issues with them in other areas just like others do. I just don't agree that in this instance VM have done anything wrong.

You just seem to be getting yourself in a tizz over something that might easily be resolved with a simple phone call!

[jfman]

It would also easily be resolved for £6 a month, however that is not the point.

You can repeat your irrelevant points as many times as you please. It will not detract from the reality that Virgin are shafting their existing customers here by charging them more per month for UHD that they are making available for free to new customers on an identically named package.

Your anecdotal evidence makes the situation worse, not better. I have no care for your mortgage, the clue is perhaps in the name "fixed rate".

The person getting most animated here appears to be you, averaging less than two posts per year on the forum, deciding that sticking up for Virgin creating two tiers of customers and saying "tough shit" is the value add you want to bring.

I dread to think what posts would look k like if you were attempting to be a Virgin Media apologists.