@alanc2k2 wrote:
so i have been a vm customer for over 23 years
my mother has been a customer for over 10 years
she is now 99 years old and hasn't been able to live at home for a few months now and is in a care home. It is not likely she will ever return home.
She has broadband and 2 tv boxes at a cost to her of over £93/ month
She is out of contract
she only now needs broadband for the door bell camera so we can keep an eye on her property
I phoned yesterday expecting it would be simple to cancel her tv boxes and just leave broadband
how WRONG i was, after explaining the situation the best i was offered was to cancel one tv box and still charge £79/month
DISTGUSTING
i wish i could cancel everything and get broadband elsewhere however i cant start a new contract as she will just not be here
If out of contract you can change al services down to just Broadband - though BB M125 cheapest list price is £54 (yes, ridiculous high price). If able to enter a contract for 18 months, they would usually negotiate between £20-£30, with the lower end range if you were phoning to cancel all services and seemed serious. Just a guide as retention deals vary depending on offers and agents and days of week even. Its unlikely you would get a good deal unless you used the Leaving Virgin option on the phone rather than Customer Services. You are better off ringing in and saying to cancel all services due to the situation and then they will open a dialogue from there usually. Cancelling services takes 30 days and not instant, and you can cancel the cancel within that time too. To get better pricing than the list price, they normally insist on a new 18 month contract.
Other options include cancelling all the VM services and buying a SIM only router and using 1pmobile SIM (EE network, full frequency range) for pay as you go top ups (no contracts) or another mobile provider's SIM. You'll need to know what mobile network is most reliable for data connection and speed though for this to work as some providers are clearly suffering with overloaded cells. The doorbell would connect by Wifi to the SIM Only router and the router uses cellular to route to internet. There is some initial outlay for router but longer term can be cheaper than £93/month.
