Virgin Media Community

[robolots]

Can someone from VM clarify the following please.

When is my current deal ending?

Does the price increase affect my current deal or is it after it runs out?

When would I have to give notice by if I wanted to leave?

[Ashleigh_C]

Hi there @robolots 

You will receive a personalised communication that will detail the specific change to your monthly charge. Price increases will vary as it will be specific to the service(s) you have.

There will be a Right To Cancel for all impacted customers, who can choose to cancel their contract within 30 days from receipt of their communication. Customers will not incur early disconnection fees if requesting their cancellation within this 30 day period.

[robolots]

Hi , I have the email and it does give me a date of the end of March to leave without any penalties etc.

But, it doesn't really explain what happens in respect of leaving at the end of the deal I'm currently on (I'm assuming if I wanted to leave at the end of the deal I could without penalties)

There seems like to many relevant dates and that isn't explained properly. So I know I can cancel by the end of March, but if my deal rubs out next year can I just sit tight until then?

I'm fairly happy with VM, but at the end of the day, like most people I will keep my options open. 

[robolots]

To Clarify 

The email says I can leave without any penalties by 28th March.

My contract ends on 4th July - I assume that VM will email me before 4th July to say contracts up, here is the new price etc?

I can then opt to stay and have a new contract or leave without any penalties?

[Kain_W]

Thanks for the response, 

So from the email provided does it advise of the increase that is due to take place for youself?
Regards,

[Andrew-G]

---

@robolots wrote:

Hi , I have the email and it does give me a date of the end of March to leave without any penalties etc.

But, it doesn't really explain what happens in respect of leaving at the end of the deal I'm currently on (I'm assuming if I wanted to leave at the end of the deal I could without penalties)

There seems like to many relevant dates and that isn't explained properly. So I know I can cancel by the end of March, but if my deal rubs out next year can I just sit tight until then?

I'm fairly happy with VM, but at the end of the day, like most people I will keep my options open. 

---

Given the abject failure of VM's employees to answer a simple question, I'll try that for you.

At the moment you're in a minimum term contract, with a discount.  VM have told you it's going up by a shedload (divide what the letter tells you you will soon be paying by what you are currently paying, chances are that's a lot more than the circa 14% VM claim they're putting prices up by).

You can sit tight and accept this increase, your fixed term is unaffected, but you get hit with the full value of the increase they want to wring out of you.  When your fixed term ends, you can leave without penalty or renegotiate.

Or you renegotiate or leave before the end of March.  If you renegotiate, some of the offers are things like an additional modest discount that doesn't re-start a new 18 month fixed term, or a complete restart with a new deal for 18 months.  Note that any new contract includes the revised VM terms that allow them to increase prices by RPI+4% next April but that you won't have an option to cancel or renegotiate from.  And if you're on a discount, then the increase will actually be much greater than RPI+4% because of the way VM charge an increase in £ per month as though you were on a totally undiscounted deal.

[robolots]

The email says "However, this 2023 price increase won't affect you until your current price offer ends. The full price of your package will then increase by £15.00 a month, subject to the new pricing terms referred to below. If you'd like to check when your offer ends, please refer to your bill."

It also says "These changes to your terms and conditions will come into effect from 1st May 2023, even though the first price rise they relate to won't be until April 2024."

It then goes on to say "If you're not happy with any of the changes announced in this email, including those to our out of home WiFi hotspots and pricing terms and conditions, you can change or cancel your package, any time before 28th March 2023, without paying any cancellation fees."

My current deal/contract runs out on 4th July. I'm happy to wait just before then and and see if I can negotiate a better deal etc, but don't want to wait only to be told something like "you are on a new contract from 1st May so if you want to leave now it will cost you £££" 

Thanks

Rob C

[newapollo · Accepted solution]

---

@robolots wrote:

this 2023 price increase won't affect you until your current price offer ends. The full price of your package will then increase by £15.00 a month, subject to the new pricing terms referred to below........

you can change or cancel your package, any time before 28th March 2023, without paying any cancellation fees."

My current deal/contract runs out on 4th July. I'm happy to wait just before then and and see if I can negotiate a better deal etc, but don't want to wait only to be told something like "you are on a new contract from 1st May so if you want to leave now it will cost you £££" 

Thanks

Rob C

---

Hi @robolots 

You won't be tied into a new contract from 1st May, you will still be free to leave at the end of your current term on the 4th July, although it will mean you have accepted VM's 2024 price increases.

You won't be hit with the new price increase of £15 a month until your current contract ends on 4th July. You would also lose any current contract discounts on that date.

You can either wait until then to try and negotiate a better deal, or contact VM now and try to negotiate a deal that you feel is acceptable.

Either way, if you accept a new deal it will be for 18 months, however the price will increase again next April or May (the annual increase)

If you negotiated a new deal today for example, you would start a new 18 month contract until August 2024, however you would be charged VM's 2024 higher price (RPI + 3.9%) on that deal from April 2024 - so you would be paying 4 months at the higher price (April to August 2024).

If you waited and negotiated a new deal when your current one ends on 4th July, you would be tied into a new 18 month contract until 4th January 2025. 

That would mean you having to pay VM's 2024 higher price (RPI + 3.9%) on that deal from April 2024 until January 2025. - 9 months on a higher rate.

It might be worthwhile to negotiate sooner, rather than later so you aren't tied in for a further 5 months at a higher rate, and then negotiate again in August 24.

If you do decide to leave remember you need to give a minimum of 30 days notice, so theoretically you could also call in from 4th June and negotiate/give in your notice then (if you waited until 4th July to negotiate/give in your notice you would already be paying full price as your discounted period would have finished)

[japitts]

---

@Andrew-G wrote:

At the moment you're in a minimum term contract, with a discount...

You can sit tight and accept this increase, your fixed term is unaffected

---

VM's contracts, muchlike the rest of the UK telecoms industry, are not fixed-term. If that were the case, service would automatically cease at the end of that fixed term.

They are rolling contracts with minimum terms. Any reference to fixed-term contracts in this context is misleading.

[Paulina_Z]

Hi @robolots,

Thank you for coming back to us about this. Glad to see that our Community Members @newapollo and @japitts have been able to assist with this.

If needed you can take a look at your contract on our View Contract page for further details. 

Is there anything else we can do to help? Let us know.

Thanks!