changing internet/tv providers - dream or nightmare?

Paul_CPaul_C Frets: 7672

While I'm more than happy to swap my car insurance provider every year to save a few quid, and I've swapped gas/electric in the past, I've never changed my phone/tv/broadband supplier.

I can't recall who the first company were, but after a number of take-overs I've ended up with Virgin Media. Other than one or two occasions when they really annoyed me, they've been pretty trouble free, but having had a couple of offers of Sky TV/phone/Bband for £26 a month, and an email today from Virgin telling me their price is going to rise £3 from the current £46, I'm seriously considering making a change - even if it's to keep Virgin Media on their toes by leaving them for a couple of years.

So, is changing provider relatively smooth these days? Any companies that lots of you would suggest are best avoided ?

Thanks in advance.
"I'll probably be in the bins at Newport Pagnell services."  fretmeister
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Comments

  • oafoaf Frets: 300
    A few weeks ago my Virgin Media discount expired. I called, picked the "Thinking of leaving us" option and expected to get through to someone who would give me another discount (as has happened for years). I didn't, I got the least motivated person in the world. The next day I received an email asking what I thought of the call I'd had. I gave very negative but measured feedback saying I was very disappointed and as a longstanding customer had hoped for much better.

    A day or two later I had a call from a very helpful Virgin Media person who reduced my bill to slightly less than I'd been paying pre price increase. Once they get to the lowest price the system provides they can add a recurring credit to your bill (too) reducing it further. Just be nice and reasonable/cheeky/restate how disappointed you were!

    If the first retentions person you speak to isn't helpful then give negative feedback and wait/or try again a few days later.

    I've heard that if you initiate a transfer they are likely to be more interested in being competitive too, but that's a bit more of a gamble.

    Hope this helps!
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  • boogiemanboogieman Frets: 12315
    Is the Sky deal just regular broadband or fibre? You’ll notice the difference if you’re used to Virgin fibre. As said above, ring Virgin and they’ll normally drop the price. We do it every time there’s an increase or the contract expires, never had to pay what they ask.  
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  • steveledzepsteveledzep Frets: 1172
    Just last week I initiated the change from BT to SSE (the electricity people).  It's too recent for me to report the outcome, but here are some details:
    I'm in a very rural area and have struggled with broadband speed.  Last year BT brought fibre to my local cabinet (one mile away) and we got connected by copper from the home.  BT promised me 35 Mbps download, but we only achieve 20 Mbps.  I pay BT £46 per month and SSE were offering it for £23, this got me looking.  The SSE deal includes my line, but not calls....we'll just use our mobiles.  My BT deal expires early next year, but because they are not delivering the speed promised I can escape the contract without penalty (they've had a number of opportunities to fix it, but failed).
    I've never been so popular with BT, receiving emails, texts, letters and phone calls pleading with me to stay with them.
    Here's the irony....SSE told me they could do my broadband for half price (£11.50) if I switched to a certain electricity tariff with them, this got me looking too !  I discovered that I could save £13 a month by switching my electricity supply from SSE, so they have now lost me as an electric customer.  I wouldn't be happy having both broadband and electricity with the same supplier and the prices for both services being inter-dependent.
    Hope this helps.
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  • Switching isn't usually a hassle for this as it would be for gas/electric etc.. as it's 2 different services, you could have both Sky and VM at the same address unlike a gas/electric provider. 

    Can you manage without VM bband? 5 of us in the house and many MANY always connected devices I don't think I could go under 200mb now. 
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  • spark240spark240 Frets: 2073
    My experience of Sky BB was bad....BT have been fine for me but no doubt others have had issues.


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  • wibblewibble Frets: 1083
    I've not switched from VM because a) I would have to get a BT land line installed b) speeds available are a lot slower than what I'm used to with VM
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  • LodiousLodious Frets: 1942
    Switching to a new provider was easy, leaving Virgin Media  was extremely difficult. They kept on taking payments, then when I did what they suggested to recover the money they handed a £7 debt which they had promised to write off over to a debit collection agency on the day before I was applying for a mortgage. Scumbags. I hate them. 

    I moved to Sky and they have been great, apart from increasing fees midway through the agreement as a way to get you to stay with them. 
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  • SouthpawMarkSouthpawMark Frets: 620
    We had VM when we lived in London. The broadband was ridiculously quick when it worked (200mb). Sadly, that wasn’t as often as it should have been. The tv was fine, but the user interface was a bit clunky, and the lack of Sky Atlantic was rather annoying.

    we now have Sky+. Tv is fine, but the fibre broadband sucks. It’s 60mb, which is still plenty quick enough for streaming and downloading porn, but the range of the hub is shocking, and the signal seems to drop at least 2-3 times every day.
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  • tone1tone1 Frets: 5112
    edited July 2019
    I’ve just changed from BT broadband and tv to Sky. For the same price as BT I now get Sky TV which records 5 channels and watch another, 4K HD stuff, with a 2nd box in the Conservatory, all with Netflix, kids, boxsets etc... the broadband range wasn’t as good as BT’s so the engineer put a booster thing in the kitchen. Now it’s just as good... No football though... which is a positive in my eyes. 18 month contract which will be eye watering when the deal ends.. B)
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