Virgin Media monthly bill too high? £37 for 20MB?

bolt7 · 11-08-2010, 21:05

Hello guys,

I'm currently worried about my mum and out Virgin Media home package. I look at the bills she is paying each month, and quite honestly the prices are extraordinary. I look on the Virgin Media website, build the same package, and it comes out at a fraction of the cost.

What's going wrong here? Currently, we have 20MB Standard Broadband (XL), the 165 channel TV package (XL) and the Unlimited Talk phone package (XL). This package builder on Virgin Media's website says this should be costing £46 a month, however this month our broadband alone cost £37 (and for 20MB, that's ridiculous.)

We love Virgin Media and the services we have, but the prices seem very strange compared to the packages on their official website. Not only this, but we're paying £7.25 a month for the 'Unlimited Talk' phone package and yet Virgin Media are still charging for phone calls.

Quite honestly, I'm worried my mother is getting ripped off, as she's not so tech-savy or knows much about the deals on offer. We've been with Virgin since they were NTL (back in the 256k days) and on occasion my mum has called up Virgin themselves and enquired about altering the package to lower the bill, but according to her they often laugh and say there's nothing they can do to lower it, which is very odd.

After hearing the broadband alone cost £37 this month, I'm very concerned. Does anyone here know why our bills are so high, and can anyone offer advice on how we can lower them? The same package we're on now seems so much cheaper in all the advertisements we get and on the website, excluding the 'first time customer' offers that also come with them. Why is this?

Thanks in advance for any help given!

BenMcr · 11-08-2010, 21:17

Do you have any discounts on the bill?

RobboEdin · 11-08-2010, 21:22

I think you need to post the Advance Charges from your bill.
Some points:

1. BB XL ALWAYS shows on the bill as £37 before discounts;
2. Triple XL is not £46. It's £58 - you forgot to add the £11.99 for phoneline;
3. Unlimited calls is only to 01/02/03 numbers. There will be call charges to other numbers.

bolt7 · 11-08-2010, 22:13

Thanks a lot for the advice guys, I really appreciate it.

Quote:

Do you have any discounts on the bill?

Yes, I believe she is receiving discounts on the bill as we are part of a Virgin Media package (TV, Phone and Broadband.) I'm going to have a look at her bill from last month tomorrow to see how it all adds up.

Quote:

Some points:

1. BB XL ALWAYS shows on the bill as £37 before discounts;
2. Triple XL is not £46. It's £58 - you forgot to add the £11.99 for phoneline;
3. Unlimited calls is only to 01/02/03 numbers. There will be call charges to other numbers.

Hearing this is very reassuring, as I was convinced she was being over-charged. What confuses me though, is the fact we're currently on the triple XL package and yet the bill still manages to hit around £90 - £100 a month. Surely the extra charges must be phone related- so I'll have to have a better look into that tomorrow.

We're thinking of calling Virgin again and enquiring about downgrading to a lower package regardless. I think we'd rather try and save money by having the 10MB BB (rather than 20MB), 65 channel TV service (rather than 165) and still keep the XL deal for the phone.

Is there even a package available with this structure, and if so would the savings even be noticeable? =X

Thanks again for all your help guys.

inneedofhelp · 11-08-2010, 23:57

Seems you're putting cart before horse - get hold of the bill and do your research first, only then will you be in a position to draw some kind of conclusion and work out a gameplan.

RobboEdin · 12-08-2010, 09:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by bolt7

Surely the extra charges must be phone related- so I'll have to have a better look into that tomorrow.

...or for the purchase of chargeable movies.

watzizname · 17-08-2010, 14:56

Why not try going through retentions, just call 150 and select the "thinking of leaving us" option..

This will put you in contact with someone at VM who's actually allowed to make you a better deal, in the hope of retaining your custom.

Should be able to keep the existing services, while saving your mum a few quid a month

If you don't have any luck with the first person you speak to, hang up and try again..

BenMcr · 17-08-2010, 14:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by watzizname

If you don't have any luck with the first person you speak to, hang up and try again..

I doubt redialling will generally work, as notes are left after every call so the agents will be able to see that you are trying your luck

If anything it proves you aren't serious about disconnecting

watzizname · 17-08-2010, 23:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenMcr

I doubt redialling will generally work, as notes are left after every call so the agents will be able to see that you are trying your luck

If anything it proves you aren't serious about disconnecting

You're assuming that everyone there does their job as thoroughly as yourself.

Anyway, i'd never ring retentions threatening to just leave unless they give me a better deal, i'd probably say i'm thinking of going elsewhere, or am looking at cutting back on unnecessary expences, that way i'm not commited to leaving if the person i'm talking to can't help.

I've used this method several times, and have enjoyed savings almost everytime, so i'd have to say it does work..