20 years of being a customer, 3 hours of webchat, I’m outta here

[Monaghan177]

Today I wasted 3 hours of my life I won’t get back. I rang up last week to try and sort my contract out but I ended up with a migraine, I suffer chronic daily migraines and have fibromyalgia too. It was a struggle, I was given a rubbish price and had to end the call I felt too unwell. I complained to Virgin through their website, not had a response. Why are we put through this mammoth task of trying to renew every 18 months and battle to get a good price, which normally resorts to posts like mine, complaints, threats of disconnection. What gets my goat is new customers get the best deals, hang on I was an ntlworld dial up customer don’t I count for anything?

I decided on webchat today, jeez, why, 3 hours of back and forth, not being listened too, 5 different prices and now I have given notice to disconnect. Did I want to do this? No. I just can’t bear this hideous way of having to get a good deal every so often and battle with the staff. 3 hours! Now TNT is £18 month, what’s the justification in that? Fed up is not the words.

[unisoft]

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@Monaghan177 wrote:

Today I wasted 3 hours of my life I won’t get back. I rang up last week to try and sort my contract out but I ended up with a migraine, I suffer chronic daily migraines and have fibromyalgia too. It was a struggle, I was given a rubbish price and had to end the call I felt too unwell. I complained to Virgin through their website, not had a response. Why are we put through this mammoth task of trying to renew every 18 months and battle to get a good price, which normally resorts to posts like mine, complaints, threats of disconnection. What gets my goat is new customers get the best deals, hang on I was an ntlworld dial up customer don’t I count for anything?

I decided on webchat today, jeez, why, 3 hours of back and forth, not being listened too, 5 different prices and now I have given notice to disconnect. Did I want to do this? No. I just can’t bear this hideous way of having to get a good deal every so often and battle with the staff. 3 hours! Now TNT is £18 month, what’s the justification in that? Fed up is not the words.

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Yep, with fibromyalgia and brain fog that often happens, the last thing you need is some offshore dude barely speaking English correctly and made worse by poor quality line. Its a constant hassle with VM having to re-negotiate a new contract every 18 months I agree, and mostly because you have to do this otherwise VM fleece you with ridiculous out of contract pricing. Partly the reason why I and MANY other long term customers left recently.

You could give notice and hope retentions call you back if you have marketing already enabled in My Virgin media online portal. They usually do. If its the first or second time you've done this they will probably ring you within 48-72 hours, but a repeat negotiator and they may leave until 48 hours before disconnection which was far too late to keep me as another provider had installed. They hold the real power to give new customer or better deals. You have to be really firm, but politely explain, about cancelling as they are trained to spot anyone who is wavering or using weak words which mean they are not really serious and just trying to get a discount. You then have 30 days to cancel the cancel if you need to.

[Alby41]

Sad it has come to this for you ... looks like it is adios to VM ... have you had a look at https://bidb.uk .. and research to see what can be available that could help you ... openreach carry a good number of ISPs in fact ..😃

[Kenny65]

Awful aren’t they? I feel your frustration Monaghan177. Virgin Media have appalling customer service and morals. 

I hope you get the resolution and respect you deserve. 

[Brook68]

I have been with them since 31st October 1994 when it was nynex, found my original contract for the prestige pack which included movies cost 27.50 a month. Hardly ever any issues with the box. Have had more problems since changing from analogue to digital and now my landline won't work if the Internet goes down. And to get to speak to someone in customer service is rarer than hens teeth. I too besides other health issues suffer with fibromyalgia and migraines and the stress to get through to them is not worth it. The web chat is not much better

[Steve7234]

I feel your pain, Monaghan177, every end of contract is the same, massive price increase, then the dance on the phones to get a decant deal.

I'm with you, after 4 years they can do one.

[andybev1]

Hi, I have just gone through this.  First I try to get a good price and when they give me a ridiculous price I phone up to tell them I am going to sky but I am given a sales talk I do not want and when I tell them this I am told she 'has to go through her process'  I hang up and decide to phone and tell them I am moving house to avoid the sales pitch but when asked I tell them I do not know where I am moving to until I sell my hous.. She wants to know where I will be between houses - that has nothing to do with her I tell her.  Anyway, after signing a contract with sky for £40 less per month than the price my contract was going to go up to (over £90 for bb, phone and large tv bundle) had I stayed with virgin.

I get a call this morning offering me a contract for around £40 only for the call to be cut off - where was that offer before .  I have heard nothing since.  If they call back I might go back but I have been sent the stuff from sky now so am not sure.  

I hope you get what you want.

[steve3961uk]

I feel your pain. I've had issues since NTL days and it took 3 years for broadband to be installed in my home. Salesman visited and sold me something that NTL could not deliver. The in contract price hikes and the faffing about to get good deals for loyal customers. Noticed online that new customers can get the speed I have at a considerable discount - where is the loyalty for customers of some 20+ years??  The CPI./RPI put on by the government doesn't help but surely once connected there is nothing that needs to be done. Pay bills, get service, and use it.  Don't pay up and get terminated simple.

[japitts]

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@Monaghan177 wrote:

Now TNT is £18 month, what’s the justification in that?

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You'd best ask Warner Brothers Discovery that specific question. It's their new requirement that TNT Sports is not bundled, but charged additionally.

How VM package it commercially, is VM's choice up-to-a-point..

[crankyjimmy]

Hi Monaghan

  3 hours wasted, ha that's nothing, I've just wasted nearly 5 weeks trying to get Virgin Media to honour an offer they sent me to renew, I should add they sent me this offer without any prompting from me, I accepted the offer and signed an e-Contract, and received a contract from Virgin, then as I have said tried for nearly the next 5 weeks trying to get them to honour their offer, only to be told it was pricing mistake, my contract price before their offer was £66.55, their offer was to renew for £79.35 so not exactly a small rise, but they say price mistake, in the end I reluctantly had to accept they were not going to do the right thing, I'm ashamed to say I didn't tell them to shove it, but I took out a new contract just for Gig1 broadband, I have to admit their broadband is the best IMHO but as I have said in a previous post, Contracts mean nothing to Virgin Media it seems they can break them whenever they please.