VirginMedia Retentions Offers

[sunio]

Hi, I rang VM as my contract was ending in November. I was initially offered 250mb broadband + home phone for £29 per month, which I declined as it was more expensive than my current plan. So, I gave them my 30-day notice to cancel.

Surprisingly, I got a call from their ‘Retentions Team’ within 24 hours. Guess what they gave me the same 250mb package for £35 a month. The person said that they couldn't match or come closer to the previous offer they had offered. In the past, the retentions team have always given me good deals, but this time, it appears they weren't bothered.

I'm wondering if they will try to contact me again to retain me. Has anyone else been in a similar situation? I'm interested to hear about your experiences. Many thanks.

[Cardiffman282]

From recent posts the spectacular deals you see people boasting about on hotukdeals seem to be a thing of the past. 

[goslow]

VM's offers come and go and change over time and even during the course of a day.

While waiting to see if you get any further contact from VM, you should be doing your research into what your alternatives are if VM does not come through with a better offer.

VM's offers usually only exist for the duration of the conversation you are having with an individual agent. If you don't take an offer there and then, the chances are it won't be available again if you phone back.

Once you have an idea of the alternative provider you will be switching to, and the cost for their particular package, you will be in a much better position to decide if any future VM offer is a good deal or not. Have in mind the bottom-line price that will stop you from leaving VM.

The business of trying to renegotiate with VM only works if you are actually willing to leave VM. If you are not, a canny sales agent will pick up on this will limit any offer accordingly.

[SaltnPepper]

The thing to always bear in mind is that it is generally accepted that VM make no money on the initial, introductory, pricing, and rely on people staying afterwards and paying the full whack. So if this is your situation, ie you are just getting to the end of your introductory 18 month period, then VM have lost money (on paper anyway) providing you with a service and absolutely will require you to pay more going forward. You will not, absolutely not, get a deal for less or equal to what you are paying now - VM would rather you leave!

If you have put your notice in, then, I assume you have an alternative supplier lined up and ready to go. VM, ‘may’ call you back a second time, but based on other posts on here, that will be your last chance, it will be a take it or leave it right now, type scenario.

[ILuvNips]

When I gave my cancellation notice I got a call within a few days offering me 125mbs for £22 with no home phone, was paying £19 and having seen posts on hotukdeals where somebody was recently offered 250mbs and home phone for £18 I declined.

I then spent the next few weeks reading and researching what I could actually replace Virgin with. I then called retentions one last time asking what they could offer, £29 was the reply so straight after I logged onto TopCashback and signed up for a deal with Community Fibre which was installed yesterday. My contract with Virgin terminates on 8/11 so plenty of overlap for any teething issues but only a day into it I’ve now moved everything in the house over to the new Community Fibre Internet. The Virgin hub is still running but later today I’ll pack it up ready to be shipped back to Virgin.

[LeiChat]

£29 sounds too good to be true. New customers aren't offered that sort of price.

[unisoft]

250mbps+Phone can be had a lot cheaper than that. They've given that between £18-£24 before from reading forums like HotUkDeals and here before and some others.... If you have an O2 SIM get them to quote for 100mbps service as VOLT will bump for free to 250 service.

[unisoft]

---

@Cardiffman282 wrote:

From recent posts the spectacular deals you see people boasting about on hotukdeals seem to be a thing of the past. 

---

From what I can work out be reading various forums, they "deal" with new customers at end of first contract and existing customers where you may have had ONE re-contract deal before. If you are trying to get the second renewal price or more, they offer a price (not as good as previously) and its take it or leave it. It does depend on the person, UK staff seem to negotiate more than offshore in my opinion, but it's pot luck getting through to them. At end of the day they don't have to offer any renewal pricing if they want to smash the business into the ground 😉

In my case £75.07 for 500mbps Broadband ONLY compared to competition is daylight robbery. Its actually £3 more than end of contract pricing on VM's own web site (why? should be same).

You Fibre will give 2gbps down and up for £49 with no in-contract price rises. BT FTTP do 500mbps on offer (EE/Plus.net) around £30 often during the year and BT/EE already changed their price rise formula away from CPI+3.9% for next year. In other areas, other ALTNETS may be available too with similar deals.

[unisoft]

---

@SaltnPepper wrote:

The thing to always bear in mind is that it is generally accepted that VM make no money on the initial, introductory, pricing, and rely on people staying afterwards and paying the full whack. So if this is your situation, ie you are just getting to the end of your introductory 18 month period, then VM have lost money (on paper anyway) providing you with a service and absolutely will require you to pay more going forward. You will not, absolutely not, get a deal for less or equal to what you are paying now - VM would rather you leave!

If you have put your notice in, then, I assume you have an alternative supplier lined up and ready to go. VM, ‘may’ call you back a second time, but based on other posts on here, that will be your last chance, it will be a take it or leave it right now, type scenario.

---

Lost money is debateable. Whether a customer or not, the green cabs and infrastructure cost money and use electricity etc. So, as many customers as possible without being stupid dirt cheap helps pay for it. Being dirt cheap won't pay for increased usage and kit. It's a balance. The list 'out of contract' prices are out of control. They'd do better off having sensible out of contract pricing and lower retention offers of a few £ and lower new customer offers with no free gifts or cashback via cashback sites. At the moment it just causes resentment post introductory deal has ended....

[patier]

Dont hold your breath waiting but you will get some scam calls because thy sell your number on.