Downgrading BB from size L (10Mb)

[howden]

Hi All

Just been speaking to VM about my account - I said that the speeds I've been getting since automatically being moved to Size L are pretty poor.

Was told that I can get some money knocked off my bill if they move me back to 2Mb (I only use it for a bit of email, lightweight surfing)

Is this true? and if so, has anyone out there done this?

[BenMcr]

You'll get put on BB S which is a VERY basic package

see why at www.virginmedia.com/traffic

[howden]

Thanks for that.

At the moments at peak times I'm only getting around 3Mb max - so its pretty slow. And we only really use our BB for a bit of emailing and facebook, etc

Would I really notice that much difference?

[Peter_]

Is it worth it for the amount that you will save, if you use PC Guard you will drop from Total to basic and to get Total on S 2Mb would actually cost you a further £3 per month.

It is up to you but check how much you will save or lose if using PC Guard before actually agreeing to anything first.

[broadbandking]

Basic PC guard should be fine for a average user

[Peter_]

Basic PC guard should be fine for a average user
I am more interested in the price difference and if it is worth the downgrade.

[howden]

Thanks all. Moldova - can you tell me the difference in price from L to S (or does it depend on what I have from VM? I have XL TV with V+, 10Mb BB and basic line rental) - £34 a month

I use McAfee (free to HSBC Internet banking customers)
http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/online-security/antivirus-software;jsessionid=0000r4QZB46sML4_VfjiVLECL7X:14 etg662g

[Pauls9]

I'm paying £18 per month for BB size S. TV size M for nothing and phone for £11. Then a "triple loyalty pack" discount of £8. Seems good value for £21.

BB size S works fine for the amount we use - checking bank statements, train times, weather forecasts and such, with the occasional large download. But I'll admit to coming from a dial-up background.

[RobboEdin]

Thanks all. Moldova - can you tell me the difference in price from L to S (or does it depend on what I have from VM? I have XL TV with V+, 10Mb BB and basic line rental) - £34 a month

I use McAfee (free to HSBC Internet banking customers)
http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/online-security/antivirus-software;jsessionid=0000r4QZB46sML4_VfjiVLECL7X:14 etg662g

I doubt you will save anything in a move to BB S. This opinion is based on the fact that the normal bundle price for your current services (BB L, TV XL and Phone M) is £46 per month. You, therefore, have a considerable 'loyalty' discount to be getting £12 per month additional discount.

---------- Post added at 09:45 ---------- Previous post was at 09:33 ----------

Hi All

Just been speaking to VM about my account - I said that the speeds I've been getting since automatically being moved to Size L are pretty poor.

Was told that I can get some money knocked off my bill if they move me back to 2Mb (I only use it for a bit of email, lightweight surfing)

Is this true? and if so, has anyone out there done this?

Sorry, just realised what you said (in bold). Are you on BB M 10Mb or BB L 10Mb?

Best if you detail your Advance Charges here and you will then get an answer as to whether moving to BB S will be financially beneficial.

[howden]

Hi - sorry, yes I'm on M 10Mb (upgraded from 2Mb automatically earlier in the year)

My advance charges are £34 a month - but am looking to upgrade my phone to talk evenings and weekends

Telephone Line Rental £11.00
Loyalty Bb/Phone/TV Discount £-17.25
Additional Loyalty Discount £-1.75
Talk Weekends £0.00
TV Size: X L £23.00
V+ Box £0.00
Broadband Size: M £20.00
E Bill Discount £-1.00

[RobboEdin]

If ALL you want to do (which is different from what you were suggesting above) is change your telephone package from M to L then you should be able to retain your very high discount. The additional cost should be £3.45 per month, I believe.

[Matth]

They really need to look at M-10, maybe it's the loading changes, or maybe the STB was double threading (like they used to on the lowest speeds), but M-10 through a cablemodem just does not feel any faster than M-2 through STB - maybe the old platform was so lightly loaded and that was making it snappy.

With a bit of tuning, I can measure full speed on most test sites, but things just don't seem to kick in as fast.

If you are only getting about 3Mb, then check the modem stats and maybe apply some high speed tuning (if on XP) - Vista is supposed to self-tune a larger RWIN to match Megabit-plus speeds on worldwide transit delay.