Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

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reohn2
Posts: 45143
Joined: 26 Jun 2009, 8:21pm

Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by reohn2 »

I had an email from Virgin Media with a notice of an increase in our TV/internet/phone package from £60 to £82.47p per month.
I phoned them and complained it was a ridiculous hike in price and asked what they were willing to do about it before we looked elsewhere.
After a chat,they reduced my present £60 per month bill to £59! :shock: :)

Rip off Britain in full swing if you don't complain :?
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
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Manc33
Posts: 2217
Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 9:37pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Manc33 »

The most annoying thing is, you could be a customer for 20+ years and they still do this, while offering far better deals to potential new customers.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
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CyberKnight
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Joined: 18 Dec 2009, 4:44pm
Location: Derbyshire

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by CyberKnight »

There all at it , unless you complain they can think they can put your bill up by huge amounts and hope you dont bother to do anything about it.
My sky package ( no virgin in our neck of the woods ) was going to be close to £100 a month so i did research on prices and told them i wanted to cancel, upshot was i got my current package , line rental and broadband for £45
John Wayne: "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on... I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them."
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simonineaston
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Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by simonineaston »

Welcome to VM's business model. What you think is taking liberties is simply how they do business - it's their normality. Or to put it another way, they take their customers for granted. Most suck up the price hike without question. In some ways, you can't blame VM for doing it - they're pushing at an open door...
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
axel_knutt
Posts: 2869
Joined: 11 Jan 2007, 12:20pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by axel_knutt »

It's what economists call Hurdle Discounting.

Any business that has economies of scale faces a dilemma of how to increase sales by offering a discount to the poor without giving the same discount to the rich who can afford full price. The way it's done is by making customers jump a hurdle of some sort in order to get the discount, so that budget conscious people will be willing to jump through hoops to save money, whilst anyone who can easily afford more won't be bothered.

Economist Robert Frank gives an example of a notice he saw behind the desk at a hotel reception: Ask About Our Special Discount Rates.
So he asked.
"You can have 10% off" came the reply
"Great what do I have to do?"
"Nothing, you can have 10% off"
And that was the hurdle: all it took was not being too embarrassed to ask for a discount, just like ringing up Virgin and haggling. Collecting coupons is another example of a hurdle, and so is being prepared to walk around Tesco with a trolley full of garish blue & white striped value brand packets that advertise your price sensitivity.
“I'm not upset that you lied to me, I'm upset that from now on I can't believe you.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche
Tiberius
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Joined: 31 Dec 2014, 8:45am
Location: North East England

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Tiberius »

axel_knutt wrote: 21 Mar 2022, 9:23pm It's what economists call Hurdle Discounting.

Any business that has economies of scale faces a dilemma of how to increase sales by offering a discount to the poor without giving the same discount to the rich who can afford full price. The way it's done is by making customers jump a hurdle of some sort in order to get the discount, so that budget conscious people will be willing to jump through hoops to save money, whilst anyone who can easily afford more won't be bothered.
That's a very good explanation Sir.

BT/Sky/Virgin/AA/Insurance/Whoever - RING THEM !!!....That call is the 'hurdle' and vaulting it is lucrative.
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simonineaston
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Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by simonineaston »

I know it's probably no help to 90% of potential customers, as the company tends to focus on new builds, especially apartment blocks (like mine) but I've bought my broadband supply from HyperOptic (here) and have been v. satisfied - they actually volunteered to put me on a cheaper option, after my first year when I described my exact usage to them!
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Lookrider
Posts: 147
Joined: 1 Aug 2019, 6:10pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Lookrider »

Yes you have to haggle unfortunately
If I see any form of voucher /hurdle advertised then that's the red flag saying they will do discount so just ASK
Many times over years friends and family alike say to me about how I can be bothered haggling almost everything
I would always reply even if it just £10
You would pick it up if tbe floor if you dropped it ..or
You would take a few beers from the pub for nothing ?
I work for my family not s salesman ?
That's an hours pay at work I've saved
Relate the saved money to somethong and you not be shy about haggling

The economic world is on our side in a way now
Everything is expensive so you start by saying I pay rents fuel council tax ....everything else is a luxury I can drop
If the price is not viable
Manc33
Posts: 2217
Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 9:37pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Manc33 »

It reminds me of that bit in Fight Club:

"Take the number of vehicles in the field, (A), and multiply it by the probable rate of failure, (B), then multiply the result by the average out-of-court settlement, (C). A times B times C equals X - if X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one."

That's a fictitious (but probably not) and more extreme example of what Virgin Media are doing, but they would rather have people carrying on having fatal car crashes if they make more money by settling out of court, as opposed to doing the right thing and recalling the dodgy cars.

Virgin Media will have worked out, even if they can make just 0.1% more money by hiking up the prices and causing X amount of people to leave or haggle (along with all the people like us pointing out that they do this) - compared to simply not hiking up the prices... they are going to make the +0.1%.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
toontra
Posts: 1182
Joined: 21 Dec 2007, 11:01am
Location: London

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by toontra »

Yesterday they increased my monthly bill by £4.50 DESPITE me having rung them in January and they agreed to keep my price fixed until December. I made sure it was written in the notes on my account.

When I rang to complain they apologised and removed the increase. BUT, if I hadn't noticed I'm damn sure I would have been paying over the odds for 9 months. Insert rude word here ......
fastpedaller
Posts: 3433
Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by fastpedaller »

Our Telephone and broadband from Plusnet has been on a fixed price for the last year (we have been with them about 20 years). We received a notification of the price increasing by £11 unless we 'choose a new plan'. When we looked at the options, we were able to reduce the price by just under £2 a month, compared to our existing bill. Ok, not a big saving, but NOT an increase. (effectively £13 off?) Interestingly a new customer 'deal' was £1 more than we are about to pay with the new terms. I've only ever seen companies (for any ongoing customers of any product/service) offering new customers vastly reduced prices compared to those offered to loyal customers. A 'breath of fresh air ' which we didn't expect, and involved no haggling over the 'phone, as the rates could be viewed online.
Lookrider
Posts: 147
Joined: 1 Aug 2019, 6:10pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Lookrider »

You can leave any provider and get out of any contract typically 12/18 months that does a price increase in that time
You may have to give them notice
It be a good time to get them to reduce your bill with a threat of leaving hanging over them
fastpedaller
Posts: 3433
Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by fastpedaller »

axel_knutt wrote: 21 Mar 2022, 9:23pm It's what economists call Hurdle Discounting.

Any business that has economies of scale faces a dilemma of how to increase sales by offering a discount to the poor without giving the same discount to the rich who can afford full price. The way it's done is by making customers jump a hurdle of some sort in order to get the discount, so that budget conscious people will be willing to jump through hoops to save money, whilst anyone who can easily afford more won't be bothered.

Economist Robert Frank gives an example of a notice he saw behind the desk at a hotel reception: Ask About Our Special Discount Rates.
So he asked.
"You can have 10% off" came the reply
"Great what do I have to do?"
"Nothing, you can have 10% off"
And that was the hurdle: all it took was not being too embarrassed to ask for a discount, just like ringing up Virgin and haggling. Collecting coupons is another example of a hurdle, and so is being prepared to walk around Tesco with a trolley full of garish blue & white striped value brand packets that advertise your price sensitivity.
Many years ago when cheap tickets on the ferry to France were all the rage (booze cruise?), a friend phoned one of the ferry lines and asked where he could get the best deal - they freely gave the info that if he bought 2 copies of a certain newspaper to get coupons, he could travel for free.
We were AA breakdown members for over 20 years and each year we would have to haggle the price. Last year we noticed new Members could get the same price that we struggled to haggle down to, in addition to a £60 return using 'topcashback' which we are members of, but couldn't take advantage because we were already customers of AA breakdown. I tried haggling, even suggesting £20 additional discount would recognise our loyalty - all to no avail, so I went to another company. Every 3 months we have had invitations to rejoin AA offering us £20 extra discount off the new member price Maybe they've now seen the error of their ways?
Psamathe
Posts: 17616
Joined: 10 Jan 2014, 8:56pm

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by Psamathe »

Lookrider wrote: 23 Mar 2022, 10:07pm You can leave any provider and get out of any contract typically 12/18 months that does a price increase in that time
You may have to give them notice
It be a good time to get them to reduce your bill with a threat of leaving hanging over them
Several of my contracts (phone/internet as well as mobile) include a clause allowing an inflation rate increase at a specified time of year. I'd assumed that as I've agreed to the contract and thus agreed to that clause the inflation rate increase would not be grounds to break my contract with them

Ian
fastpedaller
Posts: 3433
Joined: 10 Jul 2014, 1:12pm
Location: Norfolk

Re: Attempted rip off by Virgin media.

Post by fastpedaller »

I understand all internet providers are bound by a current ruling (originating via BT/Openreach) which increased all bills by a set percentage in addition to RPI each year in order to facilitate the introduction of new technologies (fibre optic cables etc) to all areas. I'm happy to be corrected/someone to add more detail :oops:
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