How can I get someone to give me a sensible new deal?

[Anonymous]

My existing contract actually expired in 2021 and I’ve just got around to realising I was paying a stupid amount of money (£157 per month) when trying to get my outgoings down. I wanted to upgrade but the offers I got online were at the lowest £142 a month for the same stuff, which is too much for 350mbps broadband and Sports channels.

I’ve tried live chat twice, didn’t get anywhere. The first person was ok but prices were a lot for what they were offering, especially compared to others. The second was terrible, got my name wrong, didn’t listen to what I was looking for but kept trying to sell me what they wanted me to have, mega volt packages all over £100. I specifically asked what they had in the £40-£90 range that I could get and they said there wasn’t anything, I asked what the price of the “Bigger Combo + sports” package for new customers would be for me as an existing one and they wouldn’t give me a price, but only one with higher broadband at £98.

I’ve cancelled my services now and get disconnected on the 31st May. I got a call from retentions and mentioned the live chats weren’t successful but they never offered me a thing and just went “Ok then, your disconnection is being processed”. 

I am just really frustrated. I don’t expect to get the new customer deals but everything I get offered is way more than I need for way more than I want to pay.

I don’t really want to disconnect as apart from the customer service, the actual product is good and probably a bit better than my other options here. I can’t seem to get any kind of reasonable plan though. Any suggestions of what I can do?

[japitts]

While the previous post has put it rather bluntly, it's difficult to argue against the underlying sentiment.

Anyone who's serious about a retentions negotiation needs to go into that conversation, fully prepared with facts & figures of alternative providers. At the very least, you're prepared and you know what price you consider "reasonable" - at most, the retentions agent suspects you are serious and could well give disconnection notice

You did do this research before calling, didn't you?

On the assumption you have the relevant marketing permissions enabled, you may get a call from outbound retentions at some point. If you do, and they make you an offer - be prepared to accept it on-the-spot or consider it gone. Otherwise.. and assuming you don't have an alternative supplier lined up and ready to go, you'll need to contact VM closer to your proposed disconnection date and ask them to either revoke the notice or delay it until you have other arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help. Yes I do have another provider in the works, I’m not going to bend over because I can’t afford to and I am increasingly annoyed with them.

I just find the hassle annoying and tbh, unfair. Not everyone has the capacity to fight the company just to get a fair deal and it really shouldn’t be required. I want ideally low level broadband (250mbps or around that) and sports channels (negotiable!), these should not have to be over £100, especially when you see what some people on here get offered for much less. 

What I am finding frustrating is there are no deals being offered under £100 at all. There is no game for me to play as apart from those, I have nothing and nobody to accept or barter with.

[Anonymous]

I think in fairness I did cover this in my post. I did do my homework, I know what services  will get elsewhere if needs be and I knew what I wanted to get. I directly asked for it, and as said they refused to give me any price at all for what I wanted. I asked what services I could get for the money I wanted to spend (£40-£90 so not pennies) and they said there were no offers at those prices.

i did get a call from a retentions person who never even entered into a discussion with me, simply asked about the live chat and then said “ok we are processing your disconnect ruin” absolutely no discussion took place about prices, packages, other companies prices- nothing at all. 

This is what is frustrating, I am not turning down good offers or expecting loads, I am not being offered anything under £100 at all. 

[japitts]

To be fair, if you want top-tier TV plus Sky & TNT premiums, the going-rate is probably not far short of £100/month now. Depends on your overall combination of services.

[Anonymous]

I don’t really, the deal I want is given to new customers for £65 a month. Even if you accept you’ll pay a bit more because you are an existing customer (which apparently means it’s fine to rip you off) £35 more a month is a joke. 

As I say, you see plenty of posts on here from people who get given a lot more than than what I am looking for, for much less. 

[japitts]

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@Anonymous wrote:

As I say, you see plenty of posts on here from people who get given a lot more than than what I am looking for, for much less. 

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What matters is what your alternatives are, and thus how strong your bargaining position is. What someone else pays for their services may be interesting I admit, but it has no bearing on what you're paying.

Come at this from another angle: In areas where VM have stiff competition from other fibre-ISPs, they naturally discount more in order to remain competitive. Something they won't do in areas where competition is less - shareholders would expect nothing less. Thus postcode-based pricing is a natural consequence, alongside other factors.