@david365 wrote:
thanks goslow,
I tend to find it is very difficult to get the deals on on offer to new customers. People like me who have been with Virginmedia since they came into existence get the worst deals.
Do you have any advice for negotiating with them?
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David
Sadly, I have no great wisdom to offer on breaking through VM's non-communication and non-contact barriers. The usual advice is to try ringing at 08:00 on the dot when the lines first open and take the 'thinking of leaving us' route for 'retentions'. This may improve your chances of getting through quicker and to a UK agent (but as with all things VM, no guarantees). I tried this at the start of the year and did get through quickly to a UK agent.
My impression (based on reading numerous topics on here and from some recent stories from friends using VM) is that VM is not too bothered about losing long-standing customers as they often have reduced their packages over time down to one or two services.
A possible reason for this is put forward in the link below (by Andrew-G) at message #7
https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/cancel-query/m-p/5133597#M207938
whereby if VM bundles TV/mobile services into the package it will make it more difficult for customers to cancel via the upcoming proposed one-day-switching procedures. The multi-product customers are obviously more profitable for VM too, no doubt. It's a theory I am inclined to go along with as there seems to be adequate anecdotal evidence for it. Perhaps VM firmly re-aligning itself as a package provider rather than broadband/phone provider.
I left VM at the start of April (and was fortunate enough to have BT FTTP as an alternative). I was previously on phone and broadband and wanted to drop to broadband only (for cost saving reasons). VM came up with a nearly-acceptable offer but wouldn't unbundle the phone and let me have broadband only. Can't say I particularly wanted to leave VM but I now have a much better quality of connection and an paying half what I was with VM.
As for how to tackle negotiating with VM, have a look at some past topics also by Andrew-G (who posted at #2 above in this current topic) who has posted about it in the past with good advice.
You might get a good offer when talking to retentions but much depends on who you are talking to and what offers they can make. Also VM's offers are 'of the moment' so, if the offer sounds good, take it as it probably won't be offered again. With that in mind you need to have done your research as to what the alternatives are before calling VM. Also have in mind what your bottom-line price is.
However, if you are paying for a 350 Mbps service and only getting 50 Mbps then I would question the wisdom of renewing as VM will have you locked in for another 18 months on a service that is faulty.
Some have reported that once you have actually given notice, you may get a call back from retentions with a best-and-final offer but there is no guarantee of that actually happening. It has also been mentioned on here that your VM marketing preferences need to be 'on' in 'My Virgin Media' to allow VM to call you.
The whole process is one of haggling and bartering (a bit like buying a second hand car from a dodgy car dealer) so it's a case of bluff and brinksmanship and being prepared to walk away and leave VM if their best and final offer doesn't stack up with the competition. Hope that helps some!
