@virginmedia Virgin Mobile downgrading VIP Tarif from Unlimited to 2GB

[newbie5001]

Just had a letter from Virgin Media saying they are switching a 24 month contract phone (Still 10 months to run) from Unlimited to 2GB as it is Uneconomical for them to continue to offer it.

 

The options are

 

1 To cancel with no penalties and keep the phone.

2 Accept the new terms and pay extra if you go above the 2GB and still pay the same price as unlimited.

 

Whilst some may find Option 1 appealing there's not much to be gained with the age of the phone. Can they actually do this and force people to accept these terms, especially since trying to find a truly unlimited tariff would be difficult.

 

If i wanted to cancel because it was uneconomical for me to keep it i would probably have to pay a large fee, even if i gave the phone back.

[mikeymack2002]

A significant change to the T&C's then you can walk away from the contract and go else where. They should not be doing this to the customer because they are losing money. They have been doing this for years now the law has changed so watch out Virgin you WILL lose loads of customers.

 

 

I left them for this very reason just 3 weeks in to a new contract. BYE-BYE to them....

 

 

Virgin also do this to their home users as well, upgrade their connection speed then up their rental without the customer seeing this... bad business practise

[CraigMcK]

Have a look at three, they have some great unlimited data packages which offer 4G free if in a 4G area

[havinastella]

Have a look at three, they have some great unlimited data packages which offer 4G free if in a 4G area

 

This +1

 

What phone do you have?

[tobyjugg2]

I wouldn't touch 3 with a bargepole.

TPO (uses EE) offers unlimited text + minutes + 31GB data for £19.99 a month with 10% of the 19.99 going to the charity of your choice on a 30 day rolling contract

 

If the 2GB VM offer now is not enough - then you really have no option but to leave.

 

How much does the VM package cost you so we know what price range we are looking at?

 

If its the £15 sim only one, its gone from great to poor value in one fell swoop.

TPO do better for £12, and their 14.99 one is

 

• Unlimited* mins
  
• Unlimited* texts
  
• 6 GB (3x the VM amount)
  

 

 

(The Peoples Operator)

[maroondevo52]

Virgin sent me their bumf offering unlimited data a while ago, when I got round to phoning them to take up their offer they moved the goalposts and said they don't do unlimited now.

[CraigMcK]

Family have phones on three, good value and no issues. Son can use 50Gb a month with no caps, he's recently updated contracts to sim only £12 / month think it's 300mins, unlimited texts, unlimited data with 4g

 

Sadly I'm on business O2 and would not recommend them at all.

[tobyjugg2]

Family have phones on three, good value and no issues. Son can use 50Gb a month with no caps, he's recently updated contracts to sim only £12 / month think it's 300mins, unlimited texts, unlimited data with 4g

 

Sadly I'm on business O2 and would not recommend them at all.

 

I think that recently 3 work well in particular locations, but poorly in most others, and they may have improved since I used them, but it was so bad I would never risk it again.

 

.. and getting out if it does work poorly is beyond npower territory bad from my experience.

[newbie5001]

Issue is i renewed my broadband taking into account that the mobile phones i had the prices would rise if i did not renew. If i knew that this would happen i probably would have moved to another service provider. I am now tied into Broadband until May 2016. Do you think i have grounds to be able to leave the broadband without penalties

[tobyjugg2]

Issue is i renewed my broadband taking into account that the mobile phones i had the prices would rise if i did not renew. If i knew that this would happen i probably would have moved to another service provider. I am now tied into Broadband until May 2016. Do you think i have grounds to be able to leave the broadband without penalties

 

 

VM will in my experience say NO.

Even if you buy telephone and BB together as they give a special deal if you take the BB with a line, and they then change one they try to tell you that you can only cancel the one that changes - usually ending up paying the same or even more for whats left.

 

I challenged this and with some effort, cancelled them all as at every stage I insisted i had (and I had) taken everything as a package deal. It isn't easy.

But at no time did I try to pick and choose what I kept, it was negotiate a new PACKAGE or they were all cancelled.

IT WAS NOT EASY.

 

I would suggest you contact them with something like:

Hi, I have a package deal with you and you have changed the terms of part of that package which significantly reduces the worth of that package to me, in effect the whole deal is now not the value it was and does not meet the needs it did before you changed it. (cost/service value is of course a major part of any deal)

 

You have changed the terms of the mobile part of my package, and that was the key reason for me buying the whole lot.

I'd like to see if we can come to some mutually agreeable package deal or I'm afraid I need the whole package cancelled as is my right.

 

First be sure that you do consider you bought them as a package, and there is no good reason for them to say otherwise (eg you added the mobile at a later date without a package negotiation).

 

Others here may offer better advice but the above did ork for me although it was a real struggle.

You will need to notify them in writing/email after the telephone acll. I suggest you record the telephone call and just say i insist we record them when there system notifies you that the calls may be recorded.

Don't feel the need to repeat that to their operator, as they don't feel the need for their operator to confirm its ok.

 

Others may come with more solid advice, but the above eventually worked for me.

 

It will be highly unlikely you will get your unlimited mobile back as part of the deal, but you may get an acceptable BB deal. If not - then cancel.

Follow up with an email + VM contact form detailed the package agreed including the terms (or cancellation of the whole package) as soon as you are done on the phone.

[newbie5001]

Just sent a request asking them to release from my commitments with Virginmedia. Since it would no longer be economical for me to stay with they once the mobile contract ended. Reply should be interesting

[tobyjugg2]

Just sent a request asking them to release from my commitments with Virginmedia. Since it would no longer be economical for me to stay with they once the mobile contract ended. Reply should be interesting

 

Odds are they will either

* Ignore it

* Cancel only the mobile despite your instructions and bump up the price of the remaining as its no longer has PACKAGE discounts (LOL - despite denying this in another breath) - make sure you note this.

* Reply saying you HAVE to call them to amend your contract

[newbie5001]

As expected they refused my offer stating it was 2 separate companies etc. I will be moving it an official written complaint asking for an adequate cancellation fee as they would me if i cancelled. Will wait on their reply on this matter before looking at further options. Stupid thing is i spend over £100 a month with them and they will be loosing future business from friends and family over this matter who cannot believe they have taken this cause of action.

[tobyjugg2]

As expected they refused my offer stating it was 2 separate companies etc. I will be moving it an official written complaint asking for an adequate cancellation fee as they would me if i cancelled. Will wait on their reply on this matter before looking at further options. Stupid thing is i spend over £100 a month with them and they will be loosing future business from friends and family over this matter who cannot believe they have taken this cause of action.

 

The second of the probable responses then.

Did you tell them that the whole package you took must be considered cancelled then and ask what offers could be made for you to sign up to a new package deal ?

 

I'm sure you are aware that a cat would stand better chance in the fires of hell than you will getting any compensation for early termination, and that they will only use that to confuse matters.

 

Experience tells me that your only two options are

* Cancel the lot - in writing and keep the evidence of your notifications and raise a formal complaint the second it strays one micron from the expected path.

* Negotiate a new package deal if they can offer one which is worthwhile to you.

 

 

In either case do not expect it to go smoothly. Potential pitfalls I have experienced:

 

* Agreed deals just vanish without notice or warning a couple of months down the line (or simply don't appear), with 'no notes to support that there was a deal' when you ring up or claims that it was just a x month discount

* Cancellations are not actioned - and claims of no notes that there was any cancellation

* They tell you you must ring them else Nothing actioned, and then you get run around

 

Good luck and please keep us informed.