How much am I paying for TIVO?
I have broadband, phone and TIVO. I want to find out how much I'm paying for each indiviual component but am finding it impossible to extract this information. How do I do it?
Forum Discussion
9 Replies
You can't. Contracts are sold as a bundle, not a priced list.
I doubt 2 customers pay the same. VMs prices are as transparent as mud. Its all about getting as much out of each individual they can, and tieing them into contracts.
When I first started with cable there was a published table of prices, you knew exactly what you"d pay for what combination of services. Obviously not in VMs interest to do this, and be transparent about pricing
Over many years, I've found VM pricing to be "how long is a piece of string". Out of contract pricing is too high. Then you have to dance around with Retentions to get anything half decent. To this end, I've left twice, gone elsewhere, and came back on Black Friday deals for new customers. I will most likely leave again when my contract is up. The lack of transparency and huge variations we see on these threads for similar packages is quite frightening really.
- Kath_P
Forum Team
Hi Barquentine,
Thanks for taking the time to contact us via the Community. It's lovely having you on board with us in the Forums. ⭐
We're sorry to hear you're having issues getting a price for the individual items on your account. This isn't something we provide as you take a bundle service, you only get a bundle price.
Apologies for any inconvenience.
None of this is new, take a look at tour operators' holiday packages which can be priced differently depending on how well they are selling and, being packages, the components such as flights and accommodation are not individually priced.
My bundle consists of three items - broadband, unlimited chat and TIVO. I decided I don't have much use for TIVO so I phoned to ask if it could be removed and to ask how much I was paying for it. Your agent said he was unable to say how much I was paying for TIVO as is was part of the bundle. He also told me that it would cost me £462.10 for early cancellation.
How do you decide on the cost of a bundle if you don't know how much each item costs?
How was your agent able to calculate a precise cost of early cancellation of TIVO if he didn't know how much I am paying for it?
VM operate on a multi-bundle pricing basis, and once you take multiple services, the cost of individual elements simply is not itemised - it never has been.
The closest you'll get is to compare the cost of a "with" & "without" bundle, but it's not a hard & fast rule because the per-unit cost of each service does reduce with additional services.
The early cancellation fees (known as EDF) are broadly the monthly cost for your bundle multiplied by the months remaining in your minimum term - take a read of https://www.virginmedia.com/legal/fibre-optic-services-terms-conditions/early-disconnection-fees for more.
Maybe not VM, but prices were itemised for individual package components with previous cable companies. It is possible, and they must exist, they just dont want you know. Its a smoke and mirrors profitabilty thing.
Not sure any other utility, gas, water, electricity etc, would get away without itemising bills.
Bundle pricing has descended into a similar quagmire to insurance pricing. Add to that the OFCOM obligation that companies must not show line rental as a separate item as it was "misleading" customers, which actually just makes things worse.
