Did I get a good deal - confused?

[LenMackin]

Hi there,
I rang retentions yesterday as I have been on 20mb for a couple of years at the current price of £33 (including non used telephone line rental). I wanted to upgrade to either 30 or 50 mb at a reasonable price.

I ended up going for the 50mb internet and super(?)hub with a promised tech install this coming Thursday. The deal I was offered was the web price for new customers = £38.90 for 12 months. This I am ok with.

When it came to the issue of additional fees I was told it would be £30. I challenged the installation charges but the VM rep stated that the charge was for the superhub and he couldn't do anything about this. Again I challenged this, he went to see someone ;) and came back offering the modem for £30.

Later in the evening checking the VM website it clearly states that the SH is now FREE for all new and existing customers upgrading to 30/50/100 which is what I believe I have done?

Advice please as I can't believe these guys as so unaware of the prices and deals as to charge me £15 for the hub?

---------- Post added at 14:31 ---------- Previous post was at 14:30 ----------

Sorry guys - typo, the hub was offered for £15!

[thenry]

all existing customers are charged an activation fee which is 30£ for the SH, consider yourself lucky getting it for 15£

[Matth]

See also, the plan to increase speeds all round

[morley04]

Isn't 50Mb

£30 a month
for 3 months
then £35 a month

[General Maximus]

i would have got them to post you the shub dude and then ring them when it arrives to get it activated and the new config file pushed down

[Nopanic]

i would have got them to post you the shub dude and then ring them when it arrives to get it activated the new config file pushed down

Pushed down isn't really the right term :D

[General Maximus]

Pushed down isn't really the right term :D

ahem......

update the customer's account to reflect a requested tier upgrade and usable throughput of up to 50 megabits per second. This in turn instructs the modem to download a new configuation file from a trivial file transfer protocol server, updating and restarting the modem to reflect these new parameters for both maximum downstream throughput and upstream.





You want to get them to do that over the phone :)

[Nopanic]

ahem......

update the customer's account to reflect a requested tier upgrade and usable throughput of up to 50 megabits per second. This in turn instructs the modem to download a new configuation file from a trivial file transfer protocol server, updating and restarting the modem to reflect these new parameters for both maximum downstream throughput and upstream.





You want to get them to do that over the phone :)

The modem is instructed to restart .. The restart triggers the new docsis download .. I can upgrade you to 100Mb now and nothing will happen unless the modem is bounced to collect the config.

[General Maximus]

Cool, good to know the order in which things happen. So if you upgraded me and didnt restart the modem i wouldn't get the config file until the next time i pulled the power cable out the back?

[Nopanic]

Cool, good to know the order in which things happen. So if you upgraded me and didnt restart the modem i wouldn't get the config file until the next time i pulled the power cable out the back?

If things work as they should the Reprovision triggers the restart, but yeah, if I faked an upgrade and didn't include the reboot, the modem would stay on the old docsis till it's next restart.

Edit: there's a misconception even with some agents that they are sending things to the modem, I'm sure one of the network people can explain it in detail, I wouldnt attempt to insult you by giving my understanding of how networks work :)

[General Maximus]

So how does it work then when i upgraded to 100mbit but had to wait 3 weeks for the engineer to come out just to make a phone call because they refused to do it over the phone. Is being "upgraded" different from being "provisioned"? I thought that when they hit the magic 100mbit button that it would set everything in motion

[LenMackin]

Thanks for all the replies so far. To me this presents a number of issues regarding how VM does business. Firstly their website is confusing regarding prices. I would prefer the cost of the service without the telephone line - try arguing that with retentions! The deal was to get the service with phone line for only 12 months contract - hence £38.90.

Regarding 'no' fee for the modem but £30 installation is equally confusing - like I got it for £15 - that took some pushing. But what have I now got for £15? The modem or the installation? I told the guy in retentions to sent me the modem and I could do install it myself - well I might has well asked the guy on the other end to send me his monthly pay.

Essentially VM should consider taking a better approach on how it does business with both new and particularly long term existing customers. Yes I know they need to make profit and are not a charity but their approach is not good. This seems to be all too common in the Telecom industry. Existing customer - want to change - ring up and beg, threaten to leave etc etc.

Now it's time to go take on Orange about my overpriced mobile contract!

[Nopanic]

So how does it work then when i upgraded to 100mbit but had to wait 3 weeks for the engineer to come out just to make a phone call because they refused to do it over the phone. Is being "upgraded" different from being "provisioned"? I thought that when they hit the magic 100mbit button that it would set everything in motion

See that's where VM define how they want things to work. They may and I say may as I don't deal with customers, have a restriction in place stopping a 100Mb service being booked without the order having a scheduled slot attached. If that's the case then that would explain why you had to wait ...upgraded to me refers to billing .. And provisioned is the allocation of service ..

[thenry]

Thanks for all the replies so far. To me this presents a number of issues regarding how VM does business. Firstly their website is confusing regarding prices. I would prefer the cost of the service without the telephone line - try arguing that with retentions! The deal was to get the service with phone line for only 12 months contract - hence £38.90.

Regarding 'no' fee for the modem but £30 installation is equally confusing - like I got it for £15 - that took some pushing. But what have I now got for £15? The modem or the installation? I told the guy in retentions to sent me the modem and I could do install it myself - well I might has well asked the guy on the other end to send me his monthly pay.

Essentially VM should consider taking a better approach on how it does business with both new and particularly long term existing customers. Yes I know they need to make profit and are not a charity but their approach is not good. This seems to be all too common in the Telecom industry. Existing customer - want to change - ring up and beg, threaten to leave etc etc.

Now it's time to go take on Orange about my overpriced mobile contract!

the 30£ charge is to activate the SH whether its a self install or not. You've got a tech coming out, the 30£ or in your case 15£ has nothing to do with that.
tbh its well worth it if you consider the free upgrades happening during this year.

your bill, if I've calculated currently, your saving £18.50 over 12months with the homephone.

[LenMackin]

the 30£ charge is to activate the SH whether its a self install or not. You've got a tech coming out, the 30£ or in your case 15£ has nothing to do with that.
tbh its well worth it if you consider the free upgrades happening during this year.

your bill, if I've calculated currently, your saving £18.50 over 12months with the homephone.

To be honest I am inclined to agree - if I end up with a 100mb service as a result of planned upgrades this year then that is a good upgrade. But in these economically challenging times I think I am in the right to ask the NTL community for advice on charges.

Let's just hope the tech comes now on Thursday as promised.

[thenry]

not entirely sure whether I've calculated correctly. do you pay line rental for the first 3 months or is just the 12£?

if you still pay line rental during the first 3 months of the offer then you'll be paying 22.80 more than without a homephone.

hmm... ?