Why am I paying 59 quid for a 35 package ?

andyjt · 23-01-2008, 22:31

Got a flyer through the post today, asking me to "Compare our superfit bundles to what you're paying"
The flyer was, of course, from VM.
Already being with VM, I decided to compare these 'superfit' bundles with my own:
Mine:
Phone:£11
BB Med:£18
TV XLarge:£20.50
V+:£10
=£59 (less ebilling discount of 50p)

the new 35/month bundle:
Phone Med (Talk weekends)
BB Med
TV Large
V+

So, can someone please tell me exactly what I'm getting for this £24 extra I'm paying at the moment

If my gut feeling is correct, then the answer will be nothing - except for the usual stress and frustration associated with being a VM customer...

1. broadband is slow - last time I checked QOS was 22% which means I'm only getting a 2Mb connection 22% of the time !
We only use it occasionally for light browsing and emails, but its steadily becoming something you save for when you're at work

2. HD channels are somewhat lacking (glad I haven't invested in an HDTV yet)

3. V+ box is so frustratingly slow and needs rebooting nearly every day

4. The phone we hardly ever use

5. TV package - we only ever watch stuff you can get on freeview anyway - the rest is so poor - at least when we had SKY1 you felt like you were getting something for the money

All I want is a value for money package that just works every time we want to use the phone, tv or internet

Advice on alternative providers gratefully received !

oliver1948uk · 23-01-2008, 22:46

Phone 150 and tell them. If necessary, go through to retentions. Stay calm, polite and with a logical argument and provided you stick to your guns you are sure to get a reduction.

My V+ box is fast and never needs rebooting. Indeed, since I have been on VIP my old Pace V box is also fast and even works with ON DEMAND, which it rarely did before, and only occasionally needs re-booting. So while you are on the phone, tell them about that.

When on 2Mb my speed was rarely berlow 1.9Mb. Now I am on 20Mb I find the speed fluctuates greatly but is generally 16Mb+. So contrary to the impression you may get from this website, there ARE satisfied customers. Persevere and get these matters put right and your monthly charge reduced.

andyjt · 23-01-2008, 23:06

Thanks for that - its nice to know that these things can be sorted.

Not too sure about keeping calm on the phone though - I tried them earlier tonight...

1st call - Sorry I can't help you, our system is down, try again in an hour (why did you answer the phone then ?

)

2nd call - I can't help you, you need to speak to sales - I'll put you through now .... sorry but we are now closed, operating hours are xx to 8pm etc...

We'll see what happens tomorrow... I can't help feeling that they have blacklisted me for my previous rants about Virgin on here

**David F** · 23-01-2008, 23:13

first TV l isnt the same as TV xl so that would gobble up some of the difference. If your out of contract get a loyalty discount and a new contract

BenMcr · 24-01-2008, 00:08

150 option 4 option 2 is Customer Relations, if you seriously aren't happy and are thinking of switching they will certainly look at it

1) Anything you agree with them is a new 12 month contract

2) They won't be able to do anything about the V+ pricing. To get onto the new pricing you have to pay a £100 conversion fee

**David F** · 24-01-2008, 16:38

I didnt

BenMcr · 24-01-2008, 17:59

Ok.

But I can only go from what I know. Customer Relations have been told under no circumstances to credit the V+ Install OR conversion fee

Ernie_C · 24-01-2008, 18:39

Yes £19 of the £24 is easily explainable.

Your deal TV L rather than TV XL - difference £9 per month.
'Old' V+ pricing versus 'new' V+ pricing - difference £10 per month.

You can save £10 per month right away on your current pricing by paying the £100 conversion fee to move from the old to new V+ pricing.

You're not eligible, however, for the £35 price as you already have all the services and are not a new customer.

You could, of course, go via Retentions aka Customer Relations who would process your cancellation for you.

andyjt · 25-01-2008, 19:58

Excellent - just spoken to someone at VM (option 3,2,2) and I'm able to get my current package for £39/month.

The only catch is I have to sign up for 12 months again and pay out £75 for v+ installation

I haven't agreed just yet, but all things considered it sound like a good deal - especially when I look at what I'm paying now, or moving to SKY would probably cost a bit more for a similar setup (including BT line rental, Dish installation etc..).

On top of this, they have arranged an engineer to come and look at my v+ box with a view to replacing it (I get the impression its so slow because its one of the very first silver style boxes, which aren't getting the latest firmware updates)

I'm feeling much happier now - £40 is good value, whereas £60 felt like paying a premium for a basic service
I must also say, the support staff were excellent

**David F** · 25-01-2008, 20:51

I pay £52 quid and I get talk weekends xl BB xl tv on a v+ and a v box . I had the VIP package for about 8 months before and the v+ box since last feb. I was charged no conversion fees just put straight on it.

spiderplant · 25-01-2008, 21:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by andyjt

I get the impression its so slow because its one of the very first silver style boxes, which aren't getting the latest firmware updates

This isn't the case. They all get the same software.

How full is your disc? V+ gets slower if you have a lot of stuff stored.

voddyman · 27-01-2008, 19:42

i dont know if this will help and i dont know if its a good deal or not,lol,but here's what i have and it costs £72 a month...
20 meg broadband
xl tv
24/7 phone calls[including line rental]
2 v+boxes[one in livingroom&one in our bedroom,i had to pay "£75 installation" for the bedroom v+ box]
1 set top box[in my sons bedroom]
hope this helps you

andyjt · 28-01-2008, 20:58

Thanks for the info - although it just makes me less sure about which way to go - I'm not too happy about paying £75 installation, just to reduce my bills to what everyone else is paying - maybe I can get them to upgrade the package and keep the cost the same (20Mb and/or TV XL would be nice)

My problem is that I haven't actually rung up to cancel yet - I haven't had the nerve as don't really want the hassle of getting a phone line and dish installed - if they call my bluff

BTW - The virgin guy has been and replaced the silver v+ box with a black one - problem is the widescreen output dosn't seem to be working properly now