Have UPC (formerly NTL) just made digital cheaper than analogue?

G

GeneralZod

Registered User
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If so I've been waiting for this for a long time. :)

I'm paying UPC €23.50 a month for analogue TV.

According to an advertisement I heard on the radio yesterday a basic digital service is €20.00 a month.

Can I cancel the analogue and go to digital so saving €3.50 a month or is the digital cost on top of the analogue price? :eek:
 
Yes make sure you order online and get FREE connection and save €3.50 per month and get BBC 3,4 and a few other extra stations.
 
I already have a digital package, but it seems that the price has gone down (I have the digital select). Will they be charging me less?
 
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No the select package is €26. You can downgrade to value and that is €20. Basically three different digital packages - value,select, and max. Other stuff like Movies etc you would pay more for that regardless of what package you are on.
 
Their phone, internet and TV service is worth looking at for €44 per month. I downgraded my TV service to the €20 package and added on VOIP phone and 3 mb internet for an extra €24. I ported my eircom number over so I kept that. The only downside was the relative cost of international calls so I got myself a Skype handset (takes land line as well) and can make [broken link removed] (incl Ireland) anytime for €4.54 per month (or €3.39 for Ireland landlines only). UPC's mobile phone rates are on a par with the main copper wire players. I find the VOIP call quality over UPC and Skype fine. Therefore, my combined bills of approx €100 (€32 Chorus & €68 eircom) have been reduced to approx €50.
 
theresa1 said:
No the select package is €26. You can downgrade to value and that is €20. Basically three different digital packages - value,select, and max. Other stuff like Movies etc you would pay more for that regardless of what package you are on.
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They have started to charge an administration charge for downgrades but not for services that were in place before a certain date in 2008.
 
If you move from analogue to digital it's considered a new contract with a 12 month term.
 
Olympian said:
If you move from analogue to digital it's considered a new contract with a 12 month term.
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Yes, for any changes to the UPC products you would need to read the T&Cs very carefully. Had a look recently at Broadband speed info and checked out the form mentioned. It confirms:

" I understand that by upgrading to the new higher speed I am entering into a new 12 month contract. Increases from 1Mb to 3Mb, 3Mb to 10Mb and 6Mb to 20Mb will not incur any extra costs"
 
Pity their website says that their services are available in areas in which they are actually not available! Like mine. :(
 
The admin. charge or downgrade charge is €10 each thing you drop. For example say you have sky sports and you cancel it's €10 and you have setanta and cancel another €10 and you reduce your broadband speed another €10.
They seem to be taking their lead from ryanair by sneaking in these extra charges so make sure you know what stuff you want and stick with it. Upgrading is fine you dont pay the admin charge.
 
You seem very knowledgeable on these matters theresa1. Does the €10 charge apply to the analogue to digital conversion or perhaps I should describe it as digital enablement as analogue is still on the cable pending everyone making the switch and UPC then finally killing the analogue signals.

I hope it doesn't as presumably they've adopted this migratory pricing strategy to help encourage people off analogue so they can start using the bandwidth for other services.
 
No the €10 charge is only for downgrading product's e.g. dropping sports or movies or broadband speed.
 
I had an MMDS package up until recently which cost €23.50 per month. They stopped offering this package and, without telling me, automatically changed me to the €26 Digital package. When I noticed thi, I asked to be downgraded to the €20 Digital package. They tried to charge me the €10 to downgrade but I refused to pay it. I would have chosen the cheaper one had I been offered it in the first place. Just something other people with MMDS should keep an eye out for.
 
Well I just tried to sign up on-line for the basic digital package even succumbing to the temptation of DVR for an extra €5 per month only to find that the only way they let you pay is by direct debit. Otherwise there's an extra €3 a month charge.

Thanks but no thanks UPC.

I'm sticking with analogue and paying you on-line or by cheque.

DTT will be out soon enough.
 
You could try ringing them GeneralZod and explain your Interest in the DVR and you wanted free connection via the website but you object to paying by direct debit. They can make an exception to this rule. Tell them you are strongly thinking of disconnecting and getting Sky Plus.
 
I just recently went through the upgrade from analogue to digital+dvr. I tried to do it via the website but found I'd have to change to direct debit. I rang them and explained that as I was currently receiving someone else's bill in addition to my own, I didn't have a wild amount of confidence in their backoffice operations. (On a different track, they seem to have a random address generator in there, as everytime I deal with them my billing address changes!) The CSR agreed to let me update without switching payment methods. I haven't received an invoice yet, but if that poxy €2 charge they're trying to implement (for non-direct debit payment) appears on my bill they can come out and remove the lot. </rant> That feels better :)
 
huskerdu said:
When they switch off the analogue signal, you will.....
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Don't count on it. I appreciate your sentiments :)

lufc-Tom said:
I haven't received an invoice yet, but if that poxy €2 charge they're trying to implement (for non-direct debit payment) appears on my bill they can come out and remove the lot. </rant> That feels better :)
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Sounds very risky. I'd judge it to be a miracle if you don't see the extra charge appear on your bill. Good luck though.
 
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