At that point we were so frustrated with our bill going up every few months by a few pounds each time.  If they carried on we’d probably be paying over £100 for the same service by now!

It would appear our 18 months of discount were up and rather than just putting us back to £50 a month, they also added another £4.50 making our bill a whopping £15.50 higher than we had been used to paying each month.

Needless to say we weren’t happy at all.

Especially not after we checked ismybillfair.com and discovered other people in the area paid as low as £29 for the same Virgin bundle as us!

Of course I know some people get special sign up offers and discounts, but it also seems ridiculous to me that loyal customers of several years should have to have prices hiked several times a year and be paying over £25 more than other people who get the same service!

It’s a bit of a joke.

So I got my husband on it as the account is in his name and he rang their customer service.

How to negotiate with Virgin Media and save money on your bill

The first chap he spoke to seemed resistant to do anything.  Ben tried to argue his case, but the guy wasn’t budging.  We don’t even use the landline or the TV package so he asked if we could have a cheaper price without these.  All we need is the broadband, but the guy was adamant he couldn’t get a cheaper price.

I mouthed to Ben ‘ask for the customer retention team’ which he did and was promptly put through.

This guy seemed a lot more understanding.  Ben explained he wasn’t happy our bill had reverted to the old amount with an additional £4.50 on top.  He also said he knows others pay as little as £29 for the same bundle and we don’t even need the TV or the landline so what could this customer retention person do for us to stop us leaving.

He was put on hold for a short while and the man came back and offered us broadband only for £34 per month.

‘How much after 12 months?’ asked Ben, making sure our bill doesn’t suddenly leap up to over £50 per month and the man replied to say £34.

Boom!

So now we are paying even less than what we paid before!  We were paying £39 per month, which went up to £54.40 and now we are down to £34 per month so have just saved ourselves another fiver a month.

What a result!

We saved £20.50 per month on our Virgin Media bill

My advice?  If your bill keeps being put up and you are a loyal customer then call them and let them know you are not happy.

Overall, we have saved £20.50 per month compared to the £54.50 they had billed us!

If you are getting nowhere with customer services then ask to speak to the customer retention team and threaten to leave.  Don’t get angry and shout, but stay calm and firm.

Check ismybillfair.com to see what other people in your area are paying, or just ask friends and family.  That way you have a comparison for your bill that you can tell them.

I know companies have to make money and most prices go up each year, but my issue with things like broadband packages is that there is no set price.  Everyone is paying different!  Why should one person pay £80 for the same service as someone else in the same area paying only £30.  It’s not fair.

It’s totally ridiculous that we all pay different prices.  There should be one fair competitive price for everyone and they should be transparent about it.

Until then, make sure you haggle for the best price.  You could knock £20.50 a month off your bill like we just have!