@Cordy wrote:
Your Virgin response has only served to infuriate me more...no response would have been better.....My mother is 89 doesn't have a laptop, doesn't use a smartphone, didn't even realise shes been paying almost £180 since last year and wouldn't stand a chance with CS on her own let alone know what WhatsApp is. Your bundles and terminolgy are a foreign language to my mum, your CS designed to do nothing more than confuse and contractually bind the vulnerable into another 18 months of over paying for packages that would suit a streaming, gaming, multi device, Netflix watching, digitally and online savvy family of 5.
Shes 89 and just wants re-runs of the repair shop, couple of tea time quizzes, access to some cricket, tennis and darts and for the GP surgery to be able to contact her on landline. It shouldnt be this difficult.... Virgin aren't you blatantly and shamelessly exploiting the vulnerable. Rant over!
Can you not get your mum to ring in and then pass control of negotiation with retentions to you by telling the VM staff she wants you to explain why she is calling in?
You'll probably ultimately have to go through the "Leaving Virgin" option on the phone rather than standard Customer Services for any chance to open up a negotiation and get package changed. Be firm with "I want to cancel all services", else you will not be taken seriously. They will ask you why and you explain and that normally opens a dialogue about package changes and pricing. It would mean a new 18 month contract, but the discount would be significant especially if she hasn't gone through this process before.
The VM Stream box works off broadband and is portable as works off WiFi so could be used in lounge during day and taken up to bedroom TV for evening/night, but it has no record function, but has the ability to stop and start subscriptions at any time (each is 30 days) and core Freeview + many other channels are free without subscription. You can probably get Broadband down to the M125 package as fast enough if she wants Broadband (for example uses Catch Up TV services or getting a Stream box instead of standard coaxial cable tv box). Getting VM Stream if you have existing cable tv set top box like Tivo/v6 or 360 is a bit more complicated, because they have to do 30 days notice on the existing TV first before allowing change to Stream box. I've done it previously, so it can be done. After the TV service disconnects you can then order the Stream separately which will mean a small break in TV services.
Personal opinion, but I would NOT recommend to use WhatsApp to contact VM to do this, as the forum is littered with customers complaining that what was agreed with staff on WhatsApp turns out not to be what was agreed and much more expensive than agreed a few days later when contracts come through. I would recommend ringing Virgin Retentions by phone around 08:40am to have the least chance of being in a queue. Its 0345 454 1111 from a mobile and usually comes out of inclusive minutes for Tariffs with unlimited calls or certain amount of minutes included, or 150 from Virgin landline phone.
