Virgin media, new or existing customer?

[Hicks12]

Right I wonder if someone fancies giving me a bit of info in regard to virgin media, the situation is that my parents have been with VM for yonks (since it was telewest...) and after recent price increases and after them reducing the mates rate deal (friend was preparing it for me!) its not useful going through that method. I decided that it would be best to sign myself up to VM (best service available here) as we currently get:

L BB (10Mb/s) / XL TV / L Phone for £51 p/m

The offer for new customers is currently

XL BB (60Mb/s!) / XL TV + 1TB Tivo box + 2nd room box / L Phone for £63.50 p/m

They also are giving a £60 instant discount via online and 6 months half price, as the minimum term is 18month it works out ~ £52.60 so a £1.60 more per month for 1tb tivo 6x BB speed and a second box... bargain? Theres also quidco doing £142.50 which would bring it down to £44.75.

Now the question is, am i a new customer? Im pretty sure i should be classed as a new customer, i live with my parents but does that matter? I cant find anywhere on virgins website what defines "new" customer, never had an account with them .

If anyone can help me id really appreciate it as need to do this soon!.

[GoNz0]

phone them and go to the i am leaving option, let us know the result


have your homework to hand and explain your more than happy to scrap the current contract and move it to your name.

you will need the account holder there to verify they are the account holder and also to give VM permission to deal with you.

base your math over 18 months as thats the new minimum contract term.

[Hicks12]

Yeah ive based all the figures over 18 months . My dad already rang up a few days ago (hes always trying to get it down) and managed to get... £2 off our bill, useless and he told me he has till friday to stop it hence why im looking at these options now .

They never want to budge and every time they say they will remove our Virgin media Loyalty package (discount from when they lost sky channels) and would make it more expensive than new customers without extra discounts .

My dad has considered sky and always used that as the most leverage possible, they could beat virgin by atleast £5 (vs our current bill ofc) but BB is shoddy and i would kill myself if i was put on it, friend near me is always slow with pings above 65ms and disconnects/drops atleast once a day.

The discounts would only work online, via the phone it will be terrible/average in terms of discount for new customers, quidco is obviously a massive reduction but i dont want to consider that as 100% success, more as a bonus.

PS: Thanks mod who moved this thread, i could have sworn i was in the BB section!

[ScottyW]

Im in the same situation as you almost. Currently my parents pay £90+ for XL 30 (will be doubled in July to 60), XL TV (not got tivo), and M Phone (No weekend deals etc). yet im getting leaflets through the door for XL 60, XL TV + Tivo + sport channels, and L Phone (with weekend deals) at around £60 and only around £30 for first 6 months for new customers.

Now i don't pay the bill put it really frustrates me how this all works. Ask for cancellations and you get deals thrown at you but not near the kind of price I would get if I became a new customer (in theory). My parents aren't convinced you can just cancel and come in as a new customer plus the disruption that would probably happen would be very inconvenient at this time.

[GoNz0]

i phoned them up (retentions) to report a fault and enquire about upgrading to TiVo instead of having another V+HD box installed.

explained i rang them as i have a loyalty discount and i always get put through to them regardless due to this, nice scottish lady agreed the V+ was shagged, checked how long i had been a customer and sorted it all out, eneded up 50p better off after the price rise she said was coming so i was happy.

if they get funny arrange a leaving date and then book it all online, or point out your about to do that unless they sort it over the phone now.

she also activated all the services on the other V+HD that got fitted as they ran out of the standard box after the previous deal was made a year earlier for free

no harm in asking

[peterb]

PS: Thanks mod who moved this thread, i could have sworn i was in the BB section!

You're welcome! (I was going to add a post, but got called away)

[Hicks12]

Thanks for all the responses . Dad rang up today basically cancel it as they're going to move, they said it would be fine me taking up an account and that the phone number can be transferred and they also said they would match any offer including things like quidco! She gave me her number to phone which i shall in a bit but hopefully those words prove true, be nice to have a heft discount!.

[ScottyW]

Thanks for all the responses . Dad rang up today basically cancel it as they're going to move, they said it would be fine me taking up an account and that the phone number can be transferred and they also said they would match any offer including things like quidco! She gave me her number to phone which i shall in a bit but hopefully those words prove true, be nice to have a heft discount!.

So your being allowed to cancel and then come in again as a new customer with your existing phone number?

[GoNz0]

you just know that wont happen

[Hicks12]

No sorry should have been clearer, basically parents moving in with my gran shortly in a month or two but then i will be taking out a contract at our current place, they said that yes thats fine and it would be classed as a new customer since i have no account and that since my gran has virgin over there that it isnt a problem transfering the current house landline number to my name (essentially keeping it).

Had to leave a message, apparently the member i was speaking to will get back to me when she can but we shall see , if i dont hear back in a week then ill just assume it aint happening and that i will just do it online as i know now that ill be classed as a new customer .

So far win win for calling .

[Hicks12]

Right heres the update, she called me about 10minutes ago apologising for taking a few hours to get back was held up by numerous customers, anyway she was very helpful and met all the promises she said to my dad. I said i had a look and ended up with what i said in the original post, she said she would check and she did came back with the same deal no problem with the quidco at all! She did say however that she couldnt do both the £60 and £142.50 it was either or, obviously chose the latter , no worries i thought because end of the day quidco/any cashback is NEVER 100% and ive had a few fail for me , also the fact that she remembered(i forgot) that i wanted to keep the number, no issue with that either and she said i would get my old number assigned to me a day after installation.

Also said that since my dad was closing it she could make it a recommendation so the account can be closed early without a termination charge (need 30 days notice), we were due to be closing the account on the 6th but she has now managed to get it to the 14th with the installation at the same time . The main factor here is that if I didnt go this route we would have waited till 6th of june to get a new account and the offer for 6 month half price run out on the 30th and quidco offer runs out on the 17th.

End result:
XL 60mb/s BB (due to be upgraded to 100 then 120mb next year ---> Nvm, me being an idiot the 60Mb/s speed is the new speed already upgraded apparently, 100mb would be an extra £7, cant complain 60 is loads! )
XL TV + 1TB Tivo + 1 extra V+ HD box
L Evening Weekend phone
6months half price
£142.50 credit

Total per month for the 18 month term: £48.1

Suffice to say I am chuffed for new interwebs goodby 10mb/s!

edit: Shes also given me her direct number encase i ever have a need for support regarding payments/account/service issues, so no need to call the horrid script reading line i hope! At least shes English so i can understand her (note, not racist just a true statement that myself personally struggle to understand most non native english speakers on the phone, my hearing is bad enough!.)