View Full Version : Students. 9 month contract.
joglynne
05-08-2009, 11:47
I have stumbled upon the following simplifydigital blog which looks interesting for any of our members who are either students themselves or who have children who are.
I always thought that Virgin Media's minimum contract was for 1 year and that this was written in stone but it looks as though it may just be possible to get a 9 month contract if you qualify as a student.
I haven't tried the contact number 0800 1 388 388 so if anyone does use it maybe they could us give some feed back as to what hoops VM require a student to jump through in order to qualify. :)
http://blog.simplifydigital.co.uk/2009/07/student-broadband-and-digital-tv-how-to-get-the-best-deal/
Maybe Ben can provide some details about it.
Nice find Jo.:)
broadbandking
05-08-2009, 16:26
They are starting to realize by tieing students in to a 12 month contract will turn them away, they are going to start offering these 9 month contract for students only as they see it as a benefit
joglynne
05-08-2009, 16:33
They are starting to realize by tieing students in to a 12 month contract will turn them away, they are going to start offering these 9 month contract for students only as they see it as a benefit
Thanks for that information broadbandking.
Is there a VM phone number that people can use and have you any idea when students will actually be offered these contracts as it not to long before many will be heading off to find accommodation for the coming term?
Haven't they always done 9 month contracts for students?
Haven't they always done 9 month contracts for students?
No see post 3
Sir John Luke
05-08-2009, 18:26
Always used to. See, e.g.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/49121-student-contract-does-it-automatically-end.html
Always used to. See, e.g.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/49121-student-contract-does-it-automatically-end.html
These are new as those deals were finished by Virgin.
joglynne
05-08-2009, 18:30
...and then they stopped doing them.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/33638834-student-packs.html
broadbandking
05-08-2009, 19:46
Thanks for that information broadbandking.
Is there a VM phone number that people can use and have you any idea when students will actually be offered these contracts as it not to long before many will be heading off to find accommodation for the coming term?
Its just the normal sales number that students have to use.
There is a £25 '9 month contract fee' they have to pay for that. Also only certain bundles deals qualify otherwise it's a 12 month term
---------- Post added at 19:57 ---------- Previous post was at 19:48 ----------
Oh forgot to add - the fee is £80 if they end up on 50Mbit
There is a £25 '9 month contract fee' they have to pay for that. Also only certain bundles deals qualify otherwise it's a 12 month term
---------- Post added at 19:57 ---------- Previous post was at 19:48 ----------
Oh forgot to add - the fee is £80 if they end up on 50Mbit
Would they get a free router with these packages which would then offset the sign up fee.
Well yes they would - apart from the fee and the 9 months they are standard deals
---------- Post added at 21:53 ---------- Previous post was at 21:19 ----------
Just to be clear the 9th month fees are on top of any standard install/activation fees
mojo8472
05-09-2009, 01:38
Contacted VM and they said they were'nt doing the 9 month deal anymore. They say they are 'reviewing' the student situation.
What gets me is that they won't let me sign up now and switch over to any student plan they may offer in the future.
chuzzlemonkey
05-09-2009, 10:21
That's because you can't exit a 12mth contract for a shorter term contract?
Either way as Ben said there is an additional fee involved to take the shorter contract term, so you'd probably end up paying for around 12months service anyway?
Contacted VM and they said they were'nt doing the 9 month deal anymore. They say they are 'reviewing' the student situation.
What gets me is that they won't let me sign up now and switch over to any student plan they may offer in the future.
Don't know why they said that, as the Student offers run until the end of October
mojo8472
05-09-2009, 15:10
Don't know why they said that, as the Student offers run until the end of October
Where'd you hear that?
In a dilema now! Do I go for the student deal and have to pay the £80 fee. Or do I go for 3 extra months @ ~£60/m BUT get £150 cashback through quidco?!
Sir John Luke
05-09-2009, 15:14
Where'd you hear that?
BenMcr works for VM and knows more about their tariffs, etc, than anyone you are likely to get on a random call to VM.
WelshBluebird
05-09-2009, 20:08
Where'd you hear that?
In a dilema now! Do I go for the student deal and have to pay the £80 fee. Or do I go for 3 extra months @ ~£60/m BUT get £150 cashback through quidco?!
Am in a similar situation.
Looking at XXL broadband, M phone and M TV, which would be £39 a month I think.
So if we finished the contract 3 months early, I'm assuming we'd have to pay the £120 that would be remaining on the contract, and possibly an additional fee? Thought this would be cancelled out by the £150 cashback. Am a bit cautious about this incase the cashback doesn't go through though.
Or I could go for the 9 month contract, stump up the £80 upfront, which would leave me out of pocket compared with the 12 month contract, but it would give me peice of mind.
Any suggestions? Is the cashback thing near enough certain to go through, and if so, would it be fairly easy to cancel the VM contract when needed (will be moving out at the end of June, so would near enough be exactly 9 months from when I move in later this month).
Thanks
mojo8472
05-09-2009, 20:49
Cashback is from quidco which I hear is pretty reputable: http://www.quidco.com/virgin-media/
I'm sure canceling a contract is easy. Can always cancel the DD if nescesary!
Just cancelling the D/D does NOT cancel the account!
WelshBluebird
05-09-2009, 23:12
Just cancelling the D/D does NOT cancel the account!
Yep I know that, and know I'd probably have VM on my back for the money lol.
Any chance you (or someone else if anyone has an idea) could answer the question about cancelling though. Would I easily be able to cancel the contract in June, and what would I have to pay VM (if I was pying £39 a month).
Thanks
Isn't it £10 per service per month when paying off the rest of the contract?
Yep I know that, and know I'd probably have VM on my back for the money lol.
Any chance you (or someone else if anyone has an idea) could answer the question about cancelling though. Would I easily be able to cancel the contract in June, and what would I have to pay VM (if I was pying £39 a month).
Thanks
Cancelling is not an issue. How much the Early Disconnection Fee would be is dependent on the services and how long the contract has left
---------- Post added at 23:48 ---------- Previous post was at 23:47 ----------
Isn't it £10 per service per month when paying off the rest of the contract?Nope, it's more complicated than that - some services are less to cancel than that, others are more
WelshBluebird
05-09-2009, 23:54
Cancelling is not an issue. How much the Early Disconnection Fee would be is dependent on the services and how long the contract has left
Thought it would be a bit complicated lol.
It would be M phone, M TV and XXL broadband, with 3 months left on the contract. Would at least come to the £150 that I would get from the cashback thing I would imagine.
£80 is a fair bit upfront, but I'm thinking it may be worth it for piece of mind. And it will be easier to get the money off my housemates now than it would be at the end of the contract!
Thought it would be a bit complicated lol.
It would be M phone, M TV and XXL broadband, with 3 months left on the contract. Would at least come to the £150 that I would get from the cashback thing I would imagine.At the moment the EDFs are capped at £120
£80 is a fair bit upfront, but I'm thinking it may be worth it for piece of mind. And it will be easier to get the money off my housemates now than it would be at the end of the contract!TBH it's probably better for Virgin as well. Not saying ALL students do so, but I bet there are fair few who 'disappear' rather than pay out the end of the contract
Mr Angry
06-09-2009, 02:21
At the moment the EDFs are capped at £120
Ben, on what basis is this "capped" at £120.00?
Apart from if you have an offer such as the netbook/laptop deals where extra terms apply it means that, at the moment, you will never have to pay more than £120 to exit a contract early after the 30 day notice period - even if the monthly fees are more than that. This obviously excludes any equipment replacement costs if you don't return the STB (and soon the modem)
I assume it's been set at that based on what would be classed as reasonable and fair costs to Virgin of you breaking your contract early
Impz2002
06-09-2009, 11:57
i work for DSGi (dixons , currys , PC World) and were doing the 9 month contracts on broadband only connections. there is NO REQUIREMENT to be a student its open to everyone so if you want any more info let me know and i will tell you about it an get a copy of our POS from work.
Impz
Why would a non-student want to do it? The upfront payment required basically makes it the same cost as a 12 month contract, just with easier exit at the end of the student year.
Tarantella
06-09-2009, 13:40
VM would get more custom if they offered a sensible 6 months package too. That is the minimum term on most private tenancy agreements.
Don't see how?
'Normal' customers can always take services with them wherever it is they move to whether it's a cable area or not, plus how many people regularly move every six months?
Students generally move back home in between years so can't take the contract with them - which is the only reason why Virgin are doing the 9 month thing.
Tarantella
06-09-2009, 14:41
Some landlords can be very sensitive about VM engineers drilling through their window frames. ;) so cable BB isnt always an option and when its already there the next property might not have it.
As to how many people move every 6-12 months......well VM will never know.:cool:
Some landlords can be very sensitive about VM engineers drilling through their window frames. ;) so cable BB isnt always an option and when its already there the next property might not have it.So if you can't get cable you can get Virgin National and you don't have to pay out of the cable contract ;)
Again, that isn't an option that most students have but generally everyone else does
Ignitionnet
06-09-2009, 16:15
Some landlords can be very sensitive about VM engineers drilling through their window frames. ;) so cable BB isnt always an option and when its already there the next property might not have it.
As to how many people move every 6-12 months......well VM will never know.:cool:
Given that there is a specific class of churn 'involuntary churn' which is devoted to such things as house moves I suspect they do.
---------- Post added at 16:15 ---------- Previous post was at 16:13 ----------
VM would get more custom if they offered a sensible 6 months package too. That is the minimum term on most private tenancy agreements.
True but it would require different start up costs probably, people would complain about people who take longer contracts getting better deals, etc, etc, etc, etc.
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