Other So I'm staying with Virgin Media

So I've had enough of paying £132 a month for TV/Fibre/Phone and I'm looking to save some bunce.

I'm going to call VM tonight to see what their retentions department can offer me, If I'm not satisfied with their offerings I will leave (being a long standing customer with VM and NTL World before them).

TBH, I'm 99% satisfied with their services in general, its been pretty reliable up until Nov/Dec last year when we started to get picture breakup on a few HD channels but occasionally on SD channels too. I tightened up all internal coax cables (from wall outlet to splitter, then to the Superhub and both Tivos).

It didn't make a lot of difference if I'm being honest, they've performed remote diagnostics but no issues detected, they said they'll escalate to 2nd line team (twice) but I've had no response (twice).

So I'm looking at the alternatives and it looks as though I've got a lot of choice in terms of fibre.

I'm currently on 152Mb but I get on average about 168Mb. I don't need that amount of bandwidth for gaming\game downloads\streaming but I think I'd miss it if I were to go lower that 76Mb. My 3 kids make good use of the telly, PCs and PS4, and the missus loves streaming Netflix when in the kitchen (generally background noise).

Now I also have Sky Sports\F1\Movies bundle from VM, I can also register 2 devices to use Sky Sports on my iPhone\iPad which is bloody handy if the F1 is on and we're out and about.

The landline barely gets used except when the mother-in-law rings and to make calls to 0345 numbers etc...

I'm looking at a bundle from Sky for £84.50 per month which is The Family Bundle with Sky Movies & Sky Sports and Sky Fibre Unlimited and Sky talk evenings/weekends.

So, to the questions!... is it worth waiting to get Sky Q? I don't have a 4K telly yet... but I'm sure it won't be too long before I do.

Are their any alternatives that I've overlooked?

Cheers

 

Sounds like you are paying a lot for your package - so if anything get them to make it cheaper.

I have 200 internet, XL Tv and Medium phone and it's about 82 quid a month.

 

Frankly its a bloody obscene amount of money to be shelling out each month, my flipping council tax isn't that much cheaper (although arguably I probably get better value for money with VM) retentions is my 1st port of call!!

 

If you do go to Sky make sure you use topcashback to click through for the new signer deal. You get the same deal you get going direct only you will also get cashback for doing it. That will make your new deal a bit sweeter. You might get anywhere from £50 to £100 on the bundle you will be taking.

Shameless plug: if you don't already have TCB I will get a referal fee if you click my link, but don't feel you have to, just have the cashback if you do it!

 

Cheers Zoon, I might just do that

Although..... I just spoke to Sky and it doesn't look like my exchange has been upgraded despite Uswitch Fibre checker saying that it has.... I can't go from Fibre to ADSL.... there would be murders!!

 

I think your virgin will be cheaper if you switch to the vivid 200 plan - mine got expensive on the 152 internet with XL TV, but when I switched to the vivid 200 one I got the same TV and phone with the faster 200 internet and it was cheaper.

 

Defiantly call them up and say you are leaving because it's too expensive and you are going to move to sky, you will get a discount from their retentions dept.

Just look at how much sky would be before you phone and they will beat sky's price by giving you a loyalty discount for 18 months.

I did just that with mine and saved £10 on a just a £35 phone/broadband, they can haggle much more when you have TV as well.

 

Just got off the phone to retentions, they can upgrade me to 200Mb but overall I'd only save about £9 a month. dropping down to 100Mb would save about £16 a month which is pretty pathetic. My best bet is to cancel and re-join as a new customer after a 3 month cool off.

 

132 quid a month for telly and tinternet bloody hell, I don't pay much more for my car lol

 

It's bloody obscene, the more I think about it the more embarrassed I feel!!

 

I didn't want to comment on it, I didn't realise people paid that much for that kind of thing!

I think £40 a month for internet is crazy, and definitely wouldn't be doing it if it wasn't split between 4 of us.

In general I think Virgin are pretty good at lowering prices to long term customers, I remember considering switching my phone account to my own name, rather than it being with the rest of the family, but it wouldn't almost double in price as I'd lose the long-term discount.

 

It's the Sports and Movies that drive up the cost, once you remove those it's £57.99 for phone/tv/broadband.

 

100mb Internet, XL TV and phone I dont recall (free weekends/evenings) for ~£50-60 from VM

Never look at US / Canada prices then.... FM those prices are insane, and its not even FO

 

If you want to go for Sky. Message me and I'll hook you up with 50% off your package for a year.

 

I removed the movies and sport from mine as well. Don't waych much TV and my ball and chain much prefers comedy TV shows.

 

Crap.... I've only gone and signed up for Sky already

£73.15 a month for the Family Bundle with Sky Sports and Movies (2 boxes), Sky BB unlimited which will change to Sky Fibre when available (Fibre not available in my area despite what www.telephone-exchange.co.uk says) and Weekend + Evening Extra phone.

I'm gonna cancel the TV and Phone with Virgin, not sure if they'll downgrade my broadband to 50Mb without signing up for another year. As Sky couldn't confirm when I could expect Fibre, I wanted to keep the VM connection in case Sky BB is turd....

This coupled with switching my Gas\Electric from EON to British Gas, I'm looking to save about £900 this year!

 

Sky use BT for their Fibre so are 100% reliant on them unfortunately. I use Virgin for Internet because I can't get Fibre either.

 

My boggo £32 a month base tv and fibre a month is up for contract, is it worth a cheeky squeak to retention's?

 

I thought that Sky put their own equipment in the exchange as per LLU?

 

They do but they don't do the street boxes that fiber requires.