Virgin doubles your speed, but could it lead to a new contract?

I had a letter saying I’d been doubled, but when I tested the line it was still coming in at under 10mb. There was no mention of needing a new router, although I kinda guessed that that would be part of the problem.

I’m still annoyed that since they started going on about this free doubling, my price has gone up 3x , so to me its not free at all.

Because my bill went up and up, I phoned to ask to be disconnected as I could get a better deal elsewhere, they persuaded me to stay by reducing my bill by nearly £40 a month, I also got a superhub into the bargain. I did have to agree to a new contract, but in the circumstances I think I got an excellent outcome.

I was on 10 MB so supposedly doubled to 20 although it wasn’t. Was getting about 17. When I complained they agreed to send me a new Superhub which I set up myself, therefore no charge. A few weeks later I got an email – I think – saying that if I paid £20 I would be upgraded to 30 MB. After a bit of deliberation I decided it would be worth it so coughed up. Did negotiate a new 2yr contract with extras but for less that I was paying. Was advised to ring at the end of 1yr “to see what they could offer.” Now get between 20.03 and 23.10. Am at end of first year so about to contact them to get a free Tivo which they are offering new subscribers but not loyal clients that have stuck with them for several years.

Been with virgin just over a year on a 18mth contract. They have doubled the speed ages ago in my area and they never charged me a penny more or extend my contract. I check it weekly with speedtest and never falls below 59mbps

Have you noticed that Virgin have put their base prices up at least twice in the last 12 – 14 months. It was not a free upgrade.

I started paying online.
then realised it said month by nonth bill.
that’s why 1 bill was due 15th the next month 13th and the next month 09th.
am I being short changed by virgin media it wasn’t even 28days..or a month.
oI thought when I paid I would make sure the next one was around the same time so I didn’t pay my £5 I owe them for being a day or two late paying..much to my surprise when I logged in it was due ..yes the day before I thought it was due.

I was also told that by taking the super hub to upgrade that i would need a new 12 month contract and like the blog writer i declined the upgrade,in the current financial climate locking into a new contract makes no sense,even if your planning to stay with them as no one knows what can happen 2-3 months down the line

As Virgin contracts are agreed over the phone and a voice contact with Virgin UK is a very rare animal (it is usually a call centre in the Indian sub continent-kindly and efficient but idiomatically challenged) it is as well to know that you have an entitlement to be given a transcript of the phone call on which the contract was made. (According to Which Legal Service). Virgin’s accounting methods are rather unique and that makes keeping track very difficult. I am just about in recovery after changing my mobile contracts eight months ago so I dare not attempt to change my broadband speed until I get the medical all clear.

I was contacted and advised that they would double my speed, no mention of a new contract, my new speed is faster but certainly not double… I have been with Virgin for 5 years so don’t really plan on changing…

Speed doubled from 10Mb/s to 20 with existing equipment – virgin then sent me an email to apply and request a self install new wireless router saying speed would go to 30 Mb/s – I had to prompt them to put it up to 30 by email – at no time was a new 12 month contract mentioned

We downgraded from the Xl tv package to just virgins freeview, broadband and phone in February 2013 and at the same time they offered us to get the superhub and a free speed upgrade from 10mbit to 30. All was fine, until e other week when Sky had such a good offer we wanted to switch. When contacting the call centre we were told we had entered a new 12 month contract in receiving the equipment. This was not made clear to is at all during the “downgrade” conversation. It would cost us over £100 to leave so we decided to stay… Even though the Sky deal really was what we wanted.

Just tried to cancel TV services with Virgin while keeping Broadband and Telephone. I thought no issue as I am out of contract and expected to be able to simply downgrade. No. If I downgrade my services I start a new 12 month contract. I am disgusted. This gives me no choice as I may well be moving in the next few months and it is likely Virgin will not be available.

Hi, I just discovered that the same happened to me. 9 months ago someone from Virgin called me to offer higher speed broadband for free. Given having had lots of problems with Virgin in the past I specifically asked whether there would be any changes to contract term or condition and they person said no (I also took notes from that call). I now found out that they did extend it with 12 month at the time. Having spoken to Virgin media and escalated to a manger they claim that my subsequent bills fine print says that I have entered a new contract. I claimed that for it to be contractually binding they need to let me know at least verbally following up with a written confirmation but didn’t get anywhere with them. When I asked for the phone recording to be retrieved Virgin claimed that they don’t keep recordings for that long (which sounds strange given it was only 9 month ago). From the interaction I have had with Virgin I get the impression that they systematically attempt to exploit customers and then making it difficult to complain. I will write to the Ombudsman as the next step.

I should add that I have also had the problem with incremental price increases. During the last 14 month my bill has gone from £33 to £48 (with no changes to my services during the period, apart from the broadband speed upgrade which was supposed to be free). There has been 5-6 change with the bill going up £1-£3 every couple of months, which doesn’t really makes sense unless the purpose is to make it less noticeable to the customer. In addition, my broadband speed did not increase with the alleged upgrade with landed me with a new 12 month contract (without telling me). For the last 12 months the broadband has been poor in particular after 6pm in the evening, something I have complained repeatedly about with Virgin but no improvement.

I am waiting for the upgrade to 50MB which they said was going to happen last year! then my bill went up, still no extra speed, then they tell me the extra speed will happen this year, and again my bill went up, so this 20MB to 50MB was to happen this month August, its now the 20th and still no better, yet they have had eight months of higher monthly payments from me,
Also had two guys phoned as i have been with them 8 years as a reward if i upgrade to 50MB broadband, tv etc it will only cost me another £5.00 month, I replied can’t afford anymore and what about the free upgrade, if i say yes the extra speed you will get now, but if i don’t upgrade you will have to wait,
They are just a bunch of cowboys!

Virgin are really cheeky as a supplier.

As shown in their CEO’s blog entitled:

“Superfast broadband customers shouldn’t be stuck in slow lane”

on these pages they claim they are leading the market in terms of value and service. However, the reality appears to be somewhat different.

I have friends in Swindon who are signed up to the “Superfast up to 152Mb fibre optic broadband” service.

In reality, their measured speed has never exceeded 50Mb. The latter is only equivalent to the slowest service band offered by Virgin, so arguably they should only have been offered (and charged for) that service, if it is the best that Virgin can actually deliver in their street.

My friends have now started to compile a log of speed test results and will be using these to support a complaint to Virgin about their under-performing broadband connection.

On the 9th February 2016 I was offered and upgrade from L package to XL package for the same price of about £55 (with NO MENTION of a new contract) so of course I jumped at the chance, who wouldn’t?
Toady, 29th February 2016, I logged into my My Virgin Media account online only to see my monthly package price was £61.99.
Highly confused I rang Virgin Media to ask why for them to tell me why it was this price with their reply was stating their prices had risen again then arguing for a bit about how I did not agree to this price.
Then while I was there I asked how long I have left on my contract as I was sick of them rising their prices when they felt like it! For the man to tell me it doesn’t end till February 2017!!! I was in so much shock I asked how this was possible as I joined April 2015 (I thought contracts were only 12 or 18 months) then for him to say I agreed to a new contract on the 9th February 2016! I certainly did not! Yes, I agreed to an upgrade from L to XL for the same price there was no mention of a new contract!!
He then spoke to his manager to come back and tell me to e-mail their home office to find out this didn’t work so I called them again for this new person to tell me the e-mail no longer exists!
So after explaining the whole issue to this new staff member he told me the call might not even have been recorded and if this is the case the contract will stand until the contract end date!

They called me back to confirm they listened to the 9th Feb call and proven I was right!!
I did not agree to a contract. So be warned guys!!!!

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