Hi there,
I've been a Virgin customer for years (ever since Blueyonder ran the service in these parts) and I've been happy with the service. In recent years, however, the cost has become a problem, so I looked at possibly swapping my package for a lower-cost one.
I currently pay nearly £60/month for the M250 Broadband package.
Today I logged into Virgin saw the massive "It's Time To Change Your Package" message and clicked on it. That gave me several options, all of which were significantly cheaper than my current payment... Until I click on them.
I clicked on the "M500 Fibre Broadband" package (listed as £45.00* a month) to add it to the basket. The basket then tells me that the monthly total will be £52.00 and in 19 months it will be £72.00 (an inflation rate that seems extortionate, incidentally).
So, I'm given 3 different prices. I'm also told I will be charged for "Broadband Installation" which is already installed and there is no actual calculation of how the price has jumped from the initial £45 advertised to the £52 now in the basket.
What is more worrying than this is that going onto the Virgin Media website and looking at what I can get at my home, I am informed that there is currently a deal for £27/month for the M250 package which should cost (according to the crossed out price) £32.50 per month and that the price at month 19 should be £55... Which is still cheaper than I'm paying at the moment.
And, in fact, for £45/month, I should be able to get the "Gig1 Fibre Broadband" package... Still less than I'm paying at the moment.
Here's the real problem though. From 14 Feb 2020, companies have been under an obligation to tell you when your contract’s up, and what their best deals are.
Anyone who is already out of contract must also be reminded they are out of contract and told every year about their firm’s best deals... Best deals, mark you.
Further to that, Virgin Media did commit, in 2020, to reduce prices automatically for customers who are out of contract.
Now, not only is this bad for me but I have no idea what the actual prices are if I want to change my contract. I also appear to not be offered the company's best deals and I certainly haven't had my prices automatically reduced to the level of service I am actually receiving...
Of course, that assumes that the prices listed on the main website are correct, but therein lies a bigger question. If those prices are not correct, that is a breach of the law, not just, potentially, Ofcom rules. It should be noted that the prices displayed on the main website say there is "No setup fee." So where has this "Broadband Installation" come from in my basket?
So, realistically, what are my options?
Can anyone help resolve this?
Should I go to Ofcom?
This practice doesn't seem right and even if it is resolved for me, it won't be resolved for anyone else. I just can't help thinking of my 83-year-old mum trying to navigate something like this, getting confused and ending up paying over the odds for something she will never use.
