Virgin Media may have some of the speediest internet around, but the price of that fast broadband connection is about to go up for new and existing customers.
The company has announced a price hike which it says will see the majority of customers’ bills increase by between £1.99 and £3.99 per month.
The changes could result in a hike of up to £48 a year for those with broadband, phone, and TV packages, while broadband customers can expect to pay up to £36 a year more.
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Those on a special deal that allows them a monthly discount will apparently be able to keep their arrangement, but will see the increase added on top of their deal.
Price increases will come into effect from November, though some subscribers who pay in advance will see the changes on their October bill.
Virgin says the price increase is necessary to improve its service, and will be writing to customers in the coming months.
A Virgin Media spokesperson told The Express: “We do everything we can to balance keeping our prices competitive while investing to meet the ever-increasing appetite for broadband and content.
“Online usage increased by more than 35% in the last year and streaming now accounts for nearly 60% of the total traffic on Virgin Media’s network.
“We’re investing more in our ultrafast network to continue offering the UK’s fastest widely-available speeds.”
Beat the hike
If you’re an existing customer wondering how to beat the price hike, you’ll be pleased to hear you’ll have 30 days from receiving written notification of the changes to cancel your contract without having to pay an exit fee.
The fact that customers can choose to leave without paying also means you should be able to haggle with the company and try to negotiate a better deal.
Benchmarking Virgin against competitors and asking to speak to the retentions team when contacting the company are two good ways of giving you a better chance at negotiating successfully.
New customers will also be affected by the changes, following previous price increases introduced by Virgin for its superfast fibre broadband packages.
What do you think of the price hike? Tweet us @trustedreviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.