Keeping you up to speed

[Kei_M]

As you can imagine, with costs such as energy bills rising fast, our running costs are increasing too. So, to make sure we can keep giving you the service you expect, the price of your package may be going up. If you have been contacted and want to find out more, click below.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/pricechange2023 

[ALF28]

I rang retentions and they have given me a good deal which lasts for 18 months, then it rises so I will review in 18 months.

My contract has not been updated in my online account yet, I think it takes a day to change over but I have received the new contract documents by email.

[jhhaigh]

Can anyone help me please? I have been a customer of Virgin Media for the past 10 years. I re-negotiated an 18 month "fixed-price" contract for my TV, Phone & Broadband package in May 2022. I needed to do this as I was retiring in June 2022, and would be living off my State pension from then on. I have now received a letter today informing me of a 33.33% price increase from April. I find this unwarranted increase frankly appalling and have lodged an online complaint with Virgin Media. However, I understand that a response to this complaint can take 28 days and this would take me beyond the time frame for cancellation, which is what I intend to do if this increase is not reversed. Has anyone else experienced such an extortionate increase mid-contract and what would be my best course of action please? Many thanks in advance for any help you are able to offer. 

[Tavis75]

Your best bet would be to phone and go through to the "Thinking of leaving us" option, they may offer you a deal, or if not you can then go ahead and cancel. You will then quite likely get a phone call back at some point offering you a deal, though that's not guaranteed so you should also probably start looking into alternatives.

[ALF28]

If you are thinking of leaving speak to the VM retention team who may offer you a reduced price, I have done that and stayed with VM, ring 150 and select packages and tell them you are thinking of leaving.

The large  inflation rise create a lot of confusion, one of my neighbours has switched to a cheaper mobile broadband, however that would mean loosing the landline phone and TV package/tv box, and using a firestick to stream disney etc. and use freeview for TV

Also fibre cable is usually reliable, there can be bad connections with mobile and not all areas have 5g yet, my area does have 5g now, the 4g is a lot slower.

TV packages are usually provided by the larger companies, Virgin, sky and BT for example.

Some areas may have alternative fibre broadband, mine does not yet, you can input your post code on switching/compare websites to check what is available  or look at adsl  broadband which is a slower broadband via open reach cables.

[Peter729]

This is an interesting site just put your post code into the top right hand corner and it show the broadband companies working in your area.

https://bidb.uk

[neilied]

Does anyone know if I switch to social tariff the one with stream option. If the speed isn’t enough and affecting the household could I move out of it back to my previous?

[ALF28]

LANDLINE PHONES.

It is worth considering the advantage of a landline or digital phone.

Although mobile phones have good unlimited minutes deals, landlines are still popular with a telephone handset which is more comfortable than a mobile phone held to the ear for a long time unless you use a headset, and handsfree is easy to use on a traditional phone with a one button press.

Also, mobile phones can go flat easily on a long call, and many mobile require a daily charge up.

If using PAYG mobiles they can soon run out of credit, which I myself use as a light user of mobile phones, so if switching to mobile phones only, a contract would be needed for regular or use/longer calls.

However the copper phoneline system may be phased out in 2025 with phones then connected to fibre cable hubs, so may need to have battery backup and a mobile link for vulnerable people.

So if switching, it is worth considering the options available regarding the landline/digital phone if you still do need one.

There are other options such as a sim used in a traditional phone designed to work with a sim but it would not be a geographic number.

I also understand if moving house a landline phone number can only be ported within the same geographic area.

The rollout of fibre cable to replace the old copper open reach ADSL  cables seems slow if it  is to replace the copper cable by 2025, some may try mobile 4g or 5g broadband and ditch the landline, but the mobile mast connectivity and speed varies with location.

Virgin have been a leading supplier of fibre cable broadband  and I have used it for many years as well as the landline phone which even works in a power cut, except once  the phone would not work when there was a longer outage due to a sub station fire.

Mobile phones can also fail due to system faults or be discontinued, I have had to switch mobile provider several times due to this.

[Spambhoy]

I’ve enjoyed the service for a few years since inception, but f**k you Branson ; from the first of May, RPI plus 3.9 % ??

AND the same from every April 1st on a calendar year ?

The equipment is lying at the front door, please sent your lackies to come and pick it up. The more it lies there, the more it will become unserviceable.

A **bleep** of the highest order.

I’m not paying for a **bleep** moon shot !

[carl_pearce]

You are a little behind the times on who owns and runs your service provider.

[Spambhoy]

Enlighten me ( and I’ll quote you ) ?

[Keenzo]

Giving all hoops fans a bad name here, not good.....

if you want a new deal

Dial 150 from your home phone line, options 1,1,1,4,4 for thinking of leaving.

call between 8-9 am and you should get straight through to the uk call center and they should help

Good Luck

[Nialli]

Virgin Media is owned by Liberty Global. Richard Branson only licenses them the “Virgin” brand - he is not involved in the running of the company

[Spambhoy]

“Giving all hoops fans a bad name here, not good.....”

How so brother ?

[stix123]

i feel the price hike is extreme my broadband is no different no new channels no free security and after calls and different wifi extenders and pods still can only get wifi in two rooms out of eight so why is the the hike i dont see any difference in my service its a disgrace

[stix123]

lots of people are not happy with VM price hikes lots leaving dont they listen to their customers or as the greed blurred their vision its well above inflation with no real reason why the hike is so high time to leave

[DerbyGig]

My contract is coming to an end in April, after having numerous discussions with VM about a new contract it seems the best they can offer is the same as i have been paying at £59. City Fibre have recently installed a fibre network (FTTP) in Derby, offering contracts via Talk Talk.. currently 970mb at £47 pm 

[acdeag]

Not sure I would wish TalkTalk on my worst enemy.

[Nialli]

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/24/uk-consumers-are-your-broadband-and-mobile-phone-bi...

The Mail campaign appears to have stalled but The Guardian's picking up the gauntlet.

[Jeffrey24]

Obviously where the price rise is not detailed in the contract, customers this year can re-negotiate or leave, and VM will have priced that in to their calculations.  Those out of a fixed term contract likewise can choose to leave and not pay the increase at all, but because that "out of fixed term" status means a customer is already paying a lot more than VM's average, many will be price insensitive customers who'll keep paying at the new mongo rates.   In terms of profitability, VM have always been a two speed business, where at a guess 80% of total margin comes from 20% of the customers, and that 20% will be anybody on standard tariffs, customers with loads of add-ons that they pay extra for such as additional channels, rented pods or boosters, regular pay per view, gadget squad victims, landline extras.  Some of the 20% will of course simply be people who re-contracted but didn't manage to cut a good deal, and think that three to seven quid a month represents the most they can hope for.

[churchpolly]

Hi, think Im a bit late coming to the party but - I have a fix price contract until November this year, but I have had email from Virgin to say its increasing from april by £7 a month. Can they do this? Also I have read the back of their letter about next year about being linked to RPI plus 3.9% and its to increase annually by that amount. So, no more fix rate deals to be offered from then ? Are other providers going the same way ? Im thinking of looking for a better deal in November but if they are all going to go the same way will I be able to get one? Thanks Alot, Polly