Virgin Media offers an existing customer €30 per month discount out of the blue

Duke of Marmalade

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Virgin Media phoned me today out of the blue. As a long term customer they want to give me €30 a month discount for next 12 months without changing anything. Where's the catch?
 
Yes, to tie you into a contract.
See how what they've offered compares to what's available to new customers. If a new customer can get better, then ask fir the same if you're willing to be tied to a contract.
 
I saw a new ad yesterday offering BB and lots of goodies from the TV for 50 euro a month so I'm guessing you are paying about 80 or 90 now and they want to see if they can entice you.
 
Thanks guys. They did mention the 12 months contract. The new customer deal is €36 per month discount.

I phoned them up and was told that to get the new customer deal I would need to send in a written cancellation and reapply, whole process would take about 4 months. Not worth the hassle.

But the real revelation is that I am languishing on a 120Mb broadband when the current offer is 360Mb. The new modem is now in the post.

A bit of an eye opener. Folk should phone up as soon as 12 month contract is up to get the latest discount.

I reckon I have lost a couple of grand over the years by being a sleeping customer, as well as having under performing broadband.
 
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I saw a new ad yesterday offering BB and lots of goodies from the TV for 50 euro a month so I'm guessing you are paying about 80 or 90 now and they want to see if they can entice you.
I'm paying €164:eek: It includes TV, Phone and Broadband also a couple of rooms for the TV.
 
Probably too late now, but you should have attempted to cancel altogether and then you would have got a way better deal.
 
Probably too late now, but you should have attempted to cancel altogether and then you would have got a way better deal.
I'm not sure. The discount for new customers on the website is €36 per month. I'm getting €30 and the process of cancellation and re-entry seemed a bit of a hassle.
 
Ah, the discount is 36. I thought you meant new price!

I call their loyalty team every year on behalf of my aunt (a pensioner) and get a get deal when I say she can't afford it, but she's seen an offer with another supplier. Last year they threw in multi room for free to keep her, as well as getting new customer rate.

You have to call the team in Limerick though to get anywhere! And you have to be willing to cancel.
 
Fully agree but is there a way of ensuring you get through here rather than the usual Caribbean ?

I've managed a few times using the Limerick number and calling during 'normal' hours mid week.
061 272190

Or just say you want to cancel, and ask someone to call you back.

I must actually check when their contract is up and I have to call again.
 
Thanks guys. They did mention the 12 months contract. The new customer deal is €36 per month discount.

I phoned them up and was told that to get the new customer deal I would need to send in a written cancellation and reapply, whole process would take about 4 months. Not worth the hassle.

But the real revelation is that I am languishing on a 120Mb broadband when the current offer is 360Mb. The new modem is now in the post.

A bit of an eye opener. Folk should phone up as soon as 12 month contract is up to get the latest discount.

I reckon I have lost a couple of grand over the years by being a sleeping customer, as well as having under performing broadband.
I think you will find most laptops using a wireless connection will be gated to approx 100MB speed (at best) of the device inside the laptop, it has nothing to do with the advertised speed. when i had 240MB, the technician showed me his laptop could get 240MB on a wired connection only with only a basic operating system running.
 
I think you will find most laptops using a wireless connection will be gated to approx 100MB speed (at best) of the device inside the laptop, it has nothing to do with the advertised speed. when i had 240MB, the technician showed me his laptop could get 240MB on a wired connection only with only a basic operating system running.
A problem I have is that the Wifi does not reach all rooms. They told me the increased speed could fix that.
 
A problem I have is that the Wifi does not reach all rooms. They told me the increased speed could fix that.

Hello Duke,

If you are still having a problem after you get the new modem and increased speed, then have a look here to see if it helps you to resolve the issue.

Assuming that you are satisfied with the Virgin service, and that they are not at fault, then I'd suggest that you look into getting one of these.

Finally, if you don't mind me saying so, €164 pm looks very expensive. I would ask them straight out to reduce it, without any reduction in service or the need to jump through hoops. There is a reasonably good Virgin Media team working on Boards.ie (see [broken link removed]) who may be more helpful than whoever you have spoken to by telephone.

Usually, brief mention of having looked at offers from Sky and Eir, and having concluded that you are paying too much, is enough to get them around to your way of thinking.

Also, for info. here are the offers that they have for new customers, if they sign up via the Boards.ie offers page.
 
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Thanks Mr Earl. Very helpful. Yes the €164 was a rip off, which they recognized themselves. Ok it’s not Tracker Mortgage country but just coz I’m a mug they have been getting away with overcharging me at least €30 a month for ever.

New modem expected today. Let’s see if it works before getting boosters.
 
A problem I have is that the Wifi does not reach all rooms. They told me the increased speed could fix that.
I phone Virgin Media EVERY year at renewal and argue the price. Before I do that, I do a check for deals on bonkers.ie so I know what's on offer from the market. I like VM, so I'd prefer to stay with them, but I have to argue right up the line saying I'm going to cancel it. The first person I'd talk to offers a deal up to a limit, to go beyond that you need to talk to the 'loyalty team.'

Regarding problems with wireless connections, I had a problem with the Samsung Smart TV receiving the WI-FI signal. I got a TP-Link connector that uses ur power lines as ethernet connections and it works like a dream. The two way connections between router and TV cost me €33 from Currys and its 'plug and play.'
 
Hi Duke

I owe you a pint.

Inspired by your posts, I called Virgin today

I was paying €97.50 for "Limitless 240 mg Horizon Max and mobile calls" + €4.50 for an analogue point.

They have scrapped the analogue point charge.

They have reduced the monthly charge to €94 - and renamed the package to

https://www.virginmedia.ie/bundles/broadband-tv-phone/anytime-world-horizon-max-tv/

They initially offered me €15 per month off that for 6 months which would have been €79. This was for my "loyalty".

I told them that this was a funny interpretation of loyalty, as they were giving new customers €30 per month discount for 12 months and could they give me €30 off for 6 months.

She checked with her manager and has given me €47 per month for 6 months and €94 after that.

I have also switched back to paper billing as that is much more likely to prompt me to review it next year.

Brendan
 
I phone Virgin Media EVERY year at renewal and argue the price. Before I do that, I do a check for deals on bonkers.ie so I know what's on offer from the market. I like VM, so I'd prefer to stay with them, but I have to argue right up the line saying I'm going to cancel it. The first person I'd talk to offers a deal up to a limit, to go beyond that you need to talk to the 'loyalty team.'
I got on to VM this morning. I asked for a straight comparison with what a new customer would pay and what I would pay with my loyalty discount. The difference is €25 per month. I asked her why that was. She said I was once a new customer and got those discounts, I was now an existing customer. I said that I could become a new customer. She said they would then remove the boxes from me and I would have to sign up with someone else. Ok, she wasn't quite so blunt but that was the gist. I told her that people in blogoland seem to be able to get the new customer offer if they squeaked loud enough. She said absolutely not. In the end she wore me down. Bad taste in my mouth but I'm stuck with the loyalty offer.:(
 
Hello Duke,

Have a look at the offers from Sky and Eir (particularly for TV and landline).

If you reduced your services from Virgin to just broadband, and signed up as a new customer with one of the others for the other services, would you get a better deal ?

If the answer is yes, or it's even breakeven, then I would move, or at least be prepared to move. Then call Virgin and tell them you want to cancel most of the package you are on (and just keep broadband, subject to satisfactory service). Virgin might claim that you have just agreed a new 12 month contract subject to the €30 discount, but I think the answer to that one is that there's an implied cooling off period, just as there's a specified cooling off period when we sign up to these contracts as new customers.

My bet is that Virgin will improve their offer to keep all services. However, if they don't, then do move some of your services for the better deal.

Best of luck with it.
 
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