To think Virgin Media/ TV package prices seem completely arbitrary?

[NervyWegovy]

I sort out my parents virgin media package and saw last week that their current deal run out and was being charged £216 a month now as I thought it ran until November.

So I ring up and day 1: was offered £140, down to £100 if I got rid of the movies, sports, Netflix and slower Internet. I said I'd have to think about it as ive done this for the last few times.

Day 2: they say the cheapest is £206! I say that's not happening as they've been a customer 25yrs and that's 2.5 times more than new customers for the same package and they get a new TV!

I then get passed on to another person who says I can get the same package they have for £98, or £80 if I get rid of TNT sports but I have to be an o2 or if need to register for a £25 contract.

Their contract was around £105 last time after rises so I said id look online for a sim contract and I got one for £8 which is same price I was currently paying and arranged a call back for today.

That call never came so I phoned late afternoon and agreed a price for £75.

TLDR:
Virgin contract ran out and was charged £216!

• First phone call was offered £140 or £100 to really downgrade.

• Second phone call was offered a renewal at £206 and then £98/£80

• today agreed one for £75 (plus an £8 sim contract which is the same as i was already paying)

I totally agree, my DP is on VM and is always quoted silly prices until her says he's going to shop around. As always, those less capable will just pay the higher prices.

As far as I'm aware, yes, they are completely arbitrary. On the street group chat we were all discussing what we paid - for the same package. We all paid different. So everyone phoned up and said they preferred to pay the lowest amount and (eventually) everyone managed to get the lower rate.
We have just discovered about two years on, that we are out of synch again, so we are all about to complain again.

Yes it’s absolutely crazy the variation. I’ve always got ours dramatically reduced by lining up an alternative. What’s crazy is they often start off stupidly high then massively undercut the cheaper estimate I have found. I don’t understand it at all but I’m happy enough to spend an hour on it every couple of years to keep it cheap.

Yes totally VM come up with totally random prices

Just keep pushing at them, say you’re going to leave- quote the offers from other providers

Also if you’re on O2 mobile I think they’re linked up/you should get some discount…maybe

I don’t know about random, but they’re determined to upsell you and you have to be totally adamant about what you are prepared to pay. When I rang to reduce the cost of my package (by cancelling some of the sports channels), the first thing they did was put me through to the upsell team, who tried to get me to take a bigger package for the same price. I had to go round and round insisting that no, I definitely wanted a smaller package for appreciably less money thank you (having been totally clear on this from the very beginning). After playing dumb for about 15 minutes they finally gave in and transferred me to a completely different team, who actually did what I wanted without any fuss.

You just have to go into impermeable broken-record mode, which lots of people are reluctant to do because it feels kinda rude/passive aggressive.

I had an email to say my contract wasn’t changing but then it rose by £30. I was explaining the email but they kept trying to make me sign up for a new contract. I asked to speak with someone else because they weren’t listening to me. The next person did the same thing. We have movies, sport and an extra box, I was paying £97 and they raised it to £127 but a new contract would be £105. I emailed the Customer Service Director which resulted in a call from the executive team. I explained again and told them I wanted everything I have and I don’t want to pay over£100. If she had come back with £99 I would have been happy. She came back with £78 for 18 months! That includes Sky and TNT sport, movies, broadband, home phone, WiFi pod and 2nd box. Just shows what they can do.