It's not called a lazy tax for nothing

[Archie]

I got my home insurance renewal letter in. Great claims history and all the things they say your home needs. The offer: a 24% increase. I call up Direct Line and, without any comparison quotes, they find a 'discount' that reduces it to a 5% increase. All very quick and straightforward. But they know that busy people will just pay it. How much must they make from this?

It's the same with Virgin. Stupid offers to renew that need multiple calls to get an acceptable deal. Why can't services just have a price? Of course I know the answer.

 

[GibbytheHibby]

It’s a really interesting point.
Most of us would prefer the best price up front every time.

Research says that a lot of customers complain / cancel if they phone up and don’t get a discount. The industry has conditioned people into expecting a discount.

IF everyone got the best price, then you’d probably find your increase would have been maybe 15% (averaging those who phone and those who don’t).

Some companies will provide a genuine save the business discount because it costs a fair whack to recruit a new customer.

Interestingly, my mum’s house insurance went down quite significantly for the first time in years

 

[EH17 Jimmy]

Virgin media are one of the worst lot I've ever had to deal with.

Even trying to speak to a person at Virgin is a task and a half.

 

[Archie]

Virgin media are one of the worst lot I've ever had to deal with.

Even trying to speak to a person at Virgin is a task and a half.

Yup. And it's dominated by 'the computer says no'. Which is all the person on the phone can offer. But it can vary wildly. I was on the verge of chucking them and then got a decent offer after some terrible offers.

 

[EH17 Jimmy]

Yup. And it's dominated by 'the computer says no'. Which is all the person on the phone can offer. But it can vary wildly. I was on the verge of chucking them and then got a decent offer after some terrible offers.

Martin Lewis gives good advice on his website about haggling with VM.

If it wasn't for the broadband I'd have got shot of the fuckers years ago.

 

[Sancho Panza]

Virgin media are one of the worst lot I've ever had to deal with.

Even trying to speak to a person at Virgin is a task and a half.

I finally ditched Virgin this year. Was paying over £100 a month for not very much. Switched to Rise Fibre. £25 a month for much faster Internet speed. Subscribe to 4 streaming channels and still saving loads. Use iPlayer for any live TV or catch up.

 

[EH17 Jimmy]

This is from Martin Lewis' site.......

Our most recent poll, conducted in January 2026, found 85% of Virgin customers who tried to haggle were successful in negotiating a better deal, showing what's possible.

To see who else this works well on, see the Top 10 Firms To Haggle With, but here are some examples of MoneySavers who've managed to slash their Virgin bills by haggling:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/broadband-and-tv/haggle-with-virgin-existing-customer-tips/

 

[GORDONSMITH7]

Martin Lewis gives good advice on his website about haggling with VM.

If it wasn't for the broadband I'd have got shot of the fuckers years ago.

Dinnae start me on these fuckers Jimmy. It took me months to cancel my late wife's subscription. It came as no surprise and some satisfaction when the were fined £28 m by Ofcom.

AI....

Virgin Media was fined £28 million by the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom. This penalty is the largest consumer protection fine ever handed out by the regulator for direct customer harm.

The fine followed an investigation that revealed "systemic and repeated" tactics used to intentionally trap people in their contracts between January 2022 and September 2024.

Why were they fined?
An Ofcom investigation discovered that Virgin Media mishandled millions of cancellation calls using deliberate obstruction tactics:

Deliberate call dropping: Customer service agents routinely hung up on people who stated they wanted to leave.

Excessive holds and transfers: Customers were kept on hold for no reason or forced through a complicated "two-tier" transfer loop designed to wear them down.

Financial incentives for bad behavior: The company used a commission structure that actively rewarded agents for preventing cancellations, essentially incentivizing staff to make leaving as difficult as possible.

Unprocessed requests: In many cases, agents outright failed to log cancellations on the system even after a customer successfully went through the process.


BIG G

 

[emerald green]

Dinnae start me on these fuckers Jimmy. It took me months to cancel my late wife's subscription. It came as no surprise and some satisfaction when the were fined £28 m by Ofcom.

AI....

Virgin Media was fined £28 million by the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom. This penalty is the largest consumer protection fine ever handed out by the regulator for direct customer harm.

The fine followed an investigation that revealed "systemic and repeated" tactics used to intentionally trap people in their contracts between January 2022 and September 2024.

Why were they fined?
An Ofcom investigation discovered that Virgin Media mishandled millions of cancellation calls using deliberate obstruction tactics:

Deliberate call dropping: Customer service agents routinely hung up on people who stated they wanted to leave.

Excessive holds and transfers: Customers were kept on hold for no reason or forced through a complicated "two-tier" transfer loop designed to wear them down.

Financial incentives for bad behavior: The company used a commission structure that actively rewarded agents for preventing cancellations, essentially incentivizing staff to make leaving as difficult as possible.

Unprocessed requests: In many cases, agents outright failed to log cancellations on the system even after a customer successfully went through the process.


BIG G

Absolutely disgusting.

Rip off Britain.

 

[EH17 Jimmy]

At a time when you need things to just run smooth and let you deal with more important things after your loss.

Aye they are *&*^ G. It's all about grabbing the cash.

 

[connerg]

Halifax Home Insurance is good, had it for years.

 

[hibbybilly]

Dinnae start me on these fuckers Jimmy. It took me months to cancel my late wife's subscription. It came as no surprise and some satisfaction when the were fined £28 m by Ofcom.

AI....

Virgin Media was fined £28 million by the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom. This penalty is the largest consumer protection fine ever handed out by the regulator for direct customer harm.

The fine followed an investigation that revealed "systemic and repeated" tactics used to intentionally trap people in their contracts between January 2022 and September 2024.

Why were they fined?
An Ofcom investigation discovered that Virgin Media mishandled millions of cancellation calls using deliberate obstruction tactics:

Deliberate call dropping: Customer service agents routinely hung up on people who stated they wanted to leave.

Excessive holds and transfers: Customers were kept on hold for no reason or forced through a complicated "two-tier" transfer loop designed to wear them down.

Financial incentives for bad behavior: The company used a commission structure that actively rewarded agents for preventing cancellations, essentially incentivizing staff to make leaving as difficult as possible.

Unprocessed requests: In many cases, agents outright failed to log cancellations on the system even after a customer successfully went through the process.


BIG G

Wankers G

 

[EH17 Jimmy]

Halifax Home Insurance is good, had it for years.

Billy has a brilliant system.

If an intruder enters his property his gag ometer kicks in and delivers funny one liners.

As for me I have Cinders the lodger and his ice pick for home insurance.

 

[Dub]

I finally ditched Virgin this year. Was paying over £100 a month for not very much. Switched to Rise Fibre. £25 a month for much faster Internet speed. Subscribe to 4 streaming channels and still saving loads. Use iPlayer for any live TV or catch up.

I'm with Utility Warehouse for broadband having been transferred to them from talk talk without agreeing. I've had a look at Hyperoptic which is easy faster and half the price so I'm going to switch to them.

 

[Forzahibs]

I finally ditched Virgin this year. Was paying over £100 a month for not very much. Switched to Rise Fibre. £25 a month for much faster Internet speed. Subscribe to 4 streaming channels and still saving loads. Use iPlayer for any live TV or catch up.

Mine went up 2 years ago from £15 to £15.50