Is there too much choice in the UK, and not enough benefit via choosing?
Posted by Icy_Help_8380@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 128 comments
Virgin are my BB provider. Bunch of liberty takers. Got new bill - up to £80 from £35 for the broadband. Went online, their deals are like £30 a month. So I phoned them - those deals are for new customers only.
So now we have to change provider, get a new router, swap settings on every device in the house, probably breaking the doorbell and the fucking thermostat, and everything else hooked up to the internet cause its important to be able to turn on the Dishwasher when I am in outer Mongolia...
…and then in a years time go through the same shit when the new provider does the same thing. Choice is wonderful hey?! This is seemingly EVERYWHERE in the uk. Every service or product has loads of options, very little between them. Often the only thing having more choice is actually giving us is more life admin as we have to switch lanes every now and then to avoid being completely shafted. Am I the only person who feels like this? Am I going insane?
Chance_Way5601@reddit
if you do move provider, just change your new router network name and password to the same as your old router and then all your devices will just connect as normal
cgknight1@reddit
ot Just use your own gear and never take their crap out of the box.
BandicootTreeline@reddit
Virgin you need to put router into modem mode, as it’s on its own fibre network to use your own equipment with it. Openreach providers yes, that’s what I do.
As for everyone else, it’s easy to log into your new router and change information to old details. Far less hassle than sorting a multitude of devices.
hhfugrr3@reddit
I found out last week that you don't need to put Virgin into modem mode. Had an engineer come to sort issues out. He replaced the router, plugged my Deco device in and it just worked fine without being in modem mode.
tarpdetarp@reddit
It works but creates a double NAT which can cause issues with things like gaming and voice chat.
Fit-Kaleidoscope8518@reddit
Depends. According to the quick Google it just did, if youre on the old coax cables it has an ONT on the wall whoch is the modem, you can directly plug a router into it and itll work. The newer fttp doesn't have an ont so you need the virgin hub to work as a modem
hhfugrr3@reddit
Sorry what's a NAT?
VolcanicBear@reddit
Network Address Translation.
Happy to help.
hhfugrr3@reddit
Thank you.
BandicootTreeline@reddit
It appears much of my experience with them is out of date, I thought this was still a thing. Cheers for the info, always good to learn something new
izplus@reddit
You can still plug your own router to their hub. It should be zero change most the time.
cgknight1@reddit
I am with Giffgaff which uses the virgin network - there is an ONT (or whatever they might call it) but I have never plugged their router in.
BandicootTreeline@reddit
I didn’t know that, I thought they were exclusive to their own. Glad there’s other companies using it; Virgin is unfortunately the only high speed option where I live.
City Fibre laid cables in my street 2 years ago and no sign of that being available yet, so it’s Virgin or OpenReach’s current snail pace setup
Due-Donut-2208@reddit
u/BandicootTreeline and u/Icy_Help_8380 I'm with Sky, and due to a change in circumstances, I'm on the social tariff, so I only pay £20p/m for broadband and a landline, plus they gave me a free sim to use for a year, then renewed it for free for another year too.
This tariff applies to existing customers (so sign up first, then contact customer service) who receive UC, Pension Tax Credits and other benefits, it lasts for 24 months, you have to give them your NI number and call back before the end of the contract to remain on the same tariff, when they remind you that your tariff is about to rise.
Their phone, tablet and laptop deals are pretty good, whatever your budget and if you use my referral link, we both receive vouchers. You do have to remember to go back to this page or another link that they email you to add the account numbers for each product, once you've received them: https://refer.sky.com/sandrah-2286
BandicootTreeline@reddit
No, they’re by far the worst company I’ve had the misfortune of dealing with.
Typical_Rip_1818@reddit
Preach! Had to ask the guy to cancel 9 times to cancel before he actioned it too
Splodge89@reddit
Not all of us get the social tariff. And being on the social tariff they’re obliged to look after you somewhat - or they get in bother and legal issues. Honestly, anyone that can get a social tariff should get one and look after it!
Us usual profit paying customers, they couldn’t give a shit about and treat us like money trees.
analogueamos@reddit
I had such a ball ache when I tried this with the hub 4 that I gave up. I should probably try again now I have a newer router
Worth_Gap4226@reddit
I've had Virgin fibre for a couple of years and their router hasn't caused me any issues. I get the speed advertised (more in fact), so would there be any benefit to using my own router?
VolcanicBear@reddit
Not if you don't fuck around with your own network much, no. Most ISP routers do port forwarding out of the box which is generally the most people who don't tinker would ever need.
Worth_Gap4226@reddit
Yeah the only change I did was make sure 5ghz was on.
CodeToManagement@reddit
This is what I do.
Wired network through the house plus my own wifi access points in a mesh
The Virgin modem is just in modem only mode and that’s all it does
b1gb00tych33ks@reddit
Reddit moment
Top-Significance8791@reddit
Why did I not see this last month when I had to go and reconnect about a hundred devices!!!!!
Chance_Way5601@reddit
at least you know for next time 🙂
Mental_Art3336@reddit
Whoa does this work? It looks for the name not some sort of hidden id? That’s wild
ChickenPijja@reddit
Yep, I’ve had the same wifi name for 4 routers (about 15 years) now, and the same password for 3 of them. Talktalk sent a new router last year and the first thing I do was setup the same wifi and password as the last one. Everything connects to it perfectly.
GrumpChorlton@reddit
This is the way(As long as you have a decent password that isn’t Password123 or Abcd1234)
ChickenPijja@reddit
Nowhere near something simple like that. It looks like someone dropped a keyboard down the stairs.
No-Jicama-6523@reddit
Why is that wild?
I recognise most people aren’t aware they can log into it and change settings themselves, but how did you think it got its name in the first place?
mattl1698@reddit
yup. my phone's hotspot is even set to the same settings as my home WiFi so even that just picks up and works on any of my devices that work at home
UselessDood@reddit
The public name is the ID.
Suspicious_Garlic_79@reddit
Yes and yes
tom56@reddit
Yes and yes. The name is the ID (it's called an SSID).
No-Jicama-6523@reddit
That works a lot of the time, but often something will fail on security protocols. It may have taken less time to get out a ladder and redo every smart bulb (should have done a better job of keeping the QR codes) than it did to restore my printer to functionality.
BandicootTreeline@reddit
Printers are the spawn of the devil. Never think you’re having a good day, you’re just one printer deciding to go on strike away from a nightmare few days.
Dodgydel@reddit
I've just had a new router from Virgin and did exactly this , it didn't work . I still had to go round and choose the same network and put the same password back in. Had to factory reset the Ring doorbell and camera because god knows .
Zool375@reddit
This! If you've already set the dozens upon dozens of you IoT devices with your virgin WiFi details. Just do exactly this. Use the SSID and password of your Virgin router on the new providers router then you don't need to change everything in the house.
and1927@reddit
You are making the process more complicated. I normally steer clear of companies like Virgin as they don’t over competitive packages. In my area Openreach has a good “reach” with FTTH, so I just move around with providers that offer their services via OR. I’m perfectly satisfied with the 1Gbps offering.
I use my own gear so all I need to do is add the ISP credentials in the router. Everything else keeps working and won’t notice the change of ISP.
If you don’t have your own gear, just explore the router settings and change it to the same SSID and password as your previous one.
Suspicious-Rub8976@reddit
If you threaten to leave for a different company they usually change their tune
BandicootTreeline@reddit
They didn’t even push back when I tried that 😂
Splodge89@reddit
Vodafone were similar for me when I switched my phone sim. They were like “OK, fine, Bye!”
Then I noticed a debt on my credit file. They never collected the last bill and decided I should be in arrears. That took some getting rid of as they’d basically deleted me from their systems!
lost_send_berries@reddit
If you do this, log in and allow marketing communications a few days prior, otherwise they can't send you any offers
HereticLaserHaggis@reddit
Yep, it's frustrating that you need to do once or twice a year to get a fair price.
MercatorLondon@reddit
VM doubled my bill so I call them and asked them to lower it. I was not unreasonable. I just asked to go back (or close) to the previous bill. I was not asking to match deal for a new customers. They did nothing - just tried to sell me more stuff from their call-centre abroad. So I cancelled. And then things started happening after the new provider started transfer on the line.
I got a call from VM and gentleman offered me a really good deal. It was much cheaper than what they offer to new customers. I said no. I am not into silly games and I was just so annoyed at that point.
AffectionateJump7896@reddit
Usually works once or twice. In the third or fourth year they realise that you'll always insist on a decent deal, and they will let you go as they are really just interested in customers they can rip off.
inurworld@reddit
That wasn’t my experience. I moved to sky. BB £22 a month and I’m very happy
cragglerock93@reddit
Yes, I agree. Choice can be overwhelming. When it comes to basic things, I reckon most of us don't really want choice - we just want a service that works well and is a reasonable price.
Top-Cat-a@reddit
You can often take out a new contract instead of paying the exorbitant rate. I had the same problem with Gigaclear and got my £85 rate reduced to less than half that
LinuxMage@reddit
Please, please go on /r/VirginMedia.
On there is a ton of advice about retentions. There is a UK number to ring which you will find there.
Once you ring them, you should easily be able to renew for £35 a month on a 24 month contract with netflix bundled in.
AlGunner@reddit
Late last year BT/EE/Openreach finally installed their BB in my road. Prior to that it was Virgin or a max speed of 34mbps via copper wire BB. Last year I left VM because they were ripping me off for 125mbps broadband when 500mbps was cheaper for new customers. They knew there was nothing else decent available so I went to using my phone hotspot for a month. It had a little bit of lag that made gaming unwinnable so I went back and singed up with them again on a new customer deal. I only did the new contract after checking and Openreach saying they would be installing fibre by December 2026, but then the bastards went and did it a year earlier. I would have waited to move away from Virgin but am stuck in a contract with them until the end of the year now.
Rossco1874@reddit
Good luck finding supplier offering 12 months was only able to get 2 year contract when ours was up for renewal and had the same dance with BT. Told them how much sky were offering and they said we can't match it. Got endless phone calls and each time they kept saying couldn't match it
FeelThePainJr@reddit
Define "choice" - there's loads of broadband providers, but no many backhaul providers. Most run on openreach, then you've got ITS and Hyperoptic who operate their own backhaul, but both with drawbacks, as do Virgin.
With the openreach providers, you're basically just choosing between customer service at that point.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
I don’t WANT to choose! I want the internet in my house. And I want to not get mugged every 2 years when they decide it’s time I pay more than I used to, more than a new customer would
FeelThePainJr@reddit
Blame OpenReach. Business rates aren't much cheaper than what consumers get, so the flat rate fee from OR is what keeps it expensive. You used to get charged a minimum of £15 cause of line rental, thats since gone, so they just charge you whatever for whatever. I don't agree with it, but ITS and HyperOptic aren't cheap, either.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Bah. Might bin it all off and go live in a cave.
AromaticVacation3077@reddit
YES. The idea that a market system is appropriate for every single thing under the sun is completely absurd. Electricity isn't a pair of shoes. Nobody has ever uttered the sentence 'I really like this new electricity we've started buying - it's so much better than the electricity we had before' or 'Ooo I like your gas, where did you get it?' Having to 'shop around' for basic utilities and services is ridiculous and depressing. People who actually enjoy that type of activity are always insufferable w-----rs and the fact that everyone has to do it is turning everyone into an insufferable w-----r too. Same goes for transport. It's absurd. You end up with ads on TV advertising one tramline - 'Hey everybody - try Southeastern trains! It's a great way to travel!'. Well I will try Southeastern trains.... NEXT TIME I WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE SOUTHEASTERN TRAINS GOES TO. 100% agree - too much choice makes the world feel stupid.
billsmithers2@reddit
Pick a company that doesn't do this stupid marketing shite.They will be a little more expensive to start with but worth it in the end. Try Cuckoo broadband for example.
Imaginary-Friend-228@reddit
Surely the problem is that it's a pain in the ass to make a new choice. The choice saves you money. It also saves money for people doing the opposite switch. The easier it becomes to switch and the more competition there is, the better.
Trust me I live in the US with one provider and I pay $200 a month for Internet
BronnOP@reddit
Virgin increased your price because that’s your “out of contract” price. You NEED to call them up and tell them you want to start a new contract.
I did the same last year about a week before my contract ran out and my next two years are £3 cheaper than I was paying before (£30 for a gigabit connection and their best hub).
Virgin are upfront about this too and it’s in all your welcome documents. They TELL YOU what your out of contract price is going to be (£80 in your case).
FenderLord@reddit
Have you tried to cancel yet, or are you hypothesising? At the point you are transferred to their retentions department they will reduce your bill significantly.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
I’ve done all this. Reduction yes. But I shouldn’t HAVE to
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
But you do have to, same as with EVERY provider. You sign a contract for a fixed period, when that runs out you either have to sign a new contract or you will pay at the standard non contract rate. Nobody seems to understand this for some reason. Same with energy bills
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Drunk the Kool aid? You are missing my whole point, ok?
Yes they all work like this. But they shouldn’t.
Ok contracts exist and need renegotiation when complete. This is fine and underpins service provision businesses. I’m cool with that.
But what I am not cool with:
Clear enough? If you’re ok with this I have to assume you are young enough that it’s all just normal to you. It’s a rotten business from my POV
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
I'm 41, so it's been the way it works as long as I've been an adult. I don't agree with it, I think it's a pretty dishonest way of working, even when they do explain it up front, because they know they are banking in people forgetting and just rolling over to the expensive price.
I don't think it SHOULD work that way, but it DOES and I don't see that there's much we can do about it as consumers
BubblerSpesh@reddit
As you say…
Just think that someone should create a business model of just being decent. Wouldnt that work?
I was hoping that getting my rant on via Reddit would plant the seed leading to genuine change for the better. Now fear this is an unlikely outcome 😀
ExcitementKooky418@reddit
These companies didn't get to be giant corporations with only a small number of competitors by being decent and fair
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Guess so!
aesopranger@reddit
I Jumped ship from Virgin to Vodafone BB after 3yrs loyalty and had to cajole Vodafone again the end of my initial price offering to stay the prife increment and double my speed for less than I was paying. Now have nearly 1gb download speeds at a fraction of the price. Sadly the UK market js rigged to punish loyalty so unless you are happy to throw away money needlessly, one must be committed to shop around and yes, that includes the inconvenience of having to change the network settings of all my nearly 30 smart devices. Its worth the hassle! Bring on renewal in a year! Lol
Thomas5020@reddit
I don't think so, no.
There are good ISPs out there. Where i work for example, we've never increased the prices for our residential customers, and we'll come out and set up your router for you so we'll deal with the headache of moving your devices over.
There are good choices for a lot of things, just in my experience customers would rather save £1 a month and go to somebody with terrible service then cry when the service is terrible and the price has gone up.
thesyldon@reddit
Buy your own router so that you don't have to change so much in future. Other than that by not changing, you are showing these scumbags, that what they are doing is working.
ktitten@reddit
Most of these occur because they are natural monopolies. It's where there are massive outset costs in the creation of the network and not much differences between the services offered. Energy, water, transport all fall under this.
Some time ago, a lot of these were nationalised because the government understood that.
You are not going insane, it is by privatisation that this has occurred. From 1980s onwards there was a belief in competition over anything, they believed by giving you choice it would mean the best providers would succeed and prevail. Doesn't really work like that in practice though.
GloomySwitch6297@reddit
"So now we have to change provider, get a new router, swap settings on every device in the house, probably breaking the doorbell and the fucking thermostat, and everything else hooked up to the internet cause its important to be able to turn on the Dishwasher when I am in outer Mongolia..."
Please explain to me... why are you using a router from ISP?
stick your own one. change of ISP is a matter of changing the login details...
Cirias@reddit
I just swap everything when it ends and I pick up a nice bit of cashback doing so. Especially good are insurance policies, I always swap to another provider and the cashback payouts are large too.
pwuk@reddit
I dumped VM a couple of years ago, for a CityFibre based ISP, been great.
At renewal time, no price hike, they knocked a fiver off without me asking.
Bibblejw@reddit
It depends on what you're discussing. At a fundamental level, you're basically looking at only a couple of options: Virgin or Openreach (as the backbone that provides the connection).
From an ISP perspective, there are a lot in the market, and there is, admittedly, little difference between them, as they're all operating on the same network. Beyond screwing the technology up to an unholy degree, they really can't offer much to entice you, so the deciding factor comes down to price, deals, service and incentives. It's much of a muchness, but really not a terrible thing.
The alternative is more like the US/Canadian environment, where the providers own the backbone, and you're basically locked in to whoever provides service to your area. At that point you end up being rinsed because you're in a monopoly, and they've got no incentive to develop anything.
Definately prefer the agony of choice.
hhfugrr3@reddit
Totally agree. I was paying Virgin £150 a month but then I was going to leave so my payment was suddenly £70 pm but then it magically went up to £120 when my "deal" ended so I was going to leave again and now I'm paying £75 a month. Sky seem to be just more of the same plus their broadband speeds are pathetic.
Silure@reddit
Just change the SSID and password on your new router to the exact same as the old router. No need to swap any setting on your devices connected to the wifi then.
AbolishIncredible@reddit
but then it won't match the label on the back of the router /s
noodledoodledoo@reddit
This is something that constantly annoys me. Why do I have to "change water companies" when I move house when there's only one company per area? Why are there 5+ electric companies using the same national grid and charging very similar prices? Why are there so many companies using the exact same utilities infrastructure? It does feel like it's a system designed to just rip people off and confuse them.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
EXACTLY!
ThereAndFapAgain2@reddit
When you get a new router you do not have to swap settings on every device, just set the router up and connect one device to it, your laptop or your phone for example, then open a browser and type 192.168.0.1 into the search bar and log into the router settings, the login will typically be something like:
User: admin
Password: admim
If it is not, then look on the back of the router and the info should be there, or just search it up online for your new provider.
Once in just rename the wifi to whatever the old one was called, and change the password to match the old one too. Now all of your other devices will log into the network the same way they always have and you don't need to change them all individually.
4x6x8@reddit
Stop. 🛑 join the virgin sub Reddit. Ring the number pinned at the top. You’ll get straight through to someone probably with a Scottish accent. Say you’d like to renew. Job done. I got 1gb +netflix for like £31
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Tried it. Best they did was still £7 a month more than competition
BasisOk4268@reddit
I thought providing cheaper deals to new customers was banned the other year?
BubblerSpesh@reddit
I just want to slap someone at this point 😂
MrReadilyUnready@reddit
Only for insurance.
BasisOk4268@reddit
What a waste of time then lol
nonotthereta@reddit
Virgin broadband is dreadful anyway, so you'll be winning by switching.
You can sign up to Zen broadband if avoiding having to switch again is the priority. Whatever price you pay when you sign up is the price you pay for life - no increases at all. As you'd expect, that price is significantly higher than intro offers from other companies though, so it'll work out the same if you do want to switch in the future, and I think if you want to switch to a faster package at some point you're back to square one, with the price having gone up in the meantime year on year. Still. It's an option.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Thanks! Will consider
siliconsandwich@reddit
Yeah I know the idea is supposed to be a “competitive market” where the consumer has choice, but all it means is a month of agony every year trying to renegotiate everything so as not to get screwed.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Thank you. Drives me mad! So many people here not getting this
CorpusCalossum@reddit
Racqueteering, market fixing monopolising cluster of swine.
Sea-Payment-8989@reddit
No, you are not going insane, had the same issue with another provider years ago, whose after sales service was abysmal and uncaring.
Switched to BT, (NO, Mod - I'm not advertising),, which are great and just before the end of the contract period they offer free upgades - now on Superfast 900mbs for roughly the same price after inflation.
Their after sales service is brilliant and it;s quick to get a human on the other end of the phone when they quickly arranged an engineer's visit when I accidentally pulled the fibre cable from the connecting box outside and fully expected I'd have to pay for the work and said so from the outset. As it was there was no extra charge and my next free update was a gadget that allows me to connect via a mobile signal if the cable gets damaged.
bradclark2001@reddit
No I agree.
Switching is still a massive inconvenience for a couple of quid cheaper a month, especially when you rely on Wi-Fi working from home
melancholyy-scorpio@reddit
I don't think so honestly, choice means competition which means low prices. If you look at water prices, which are one company per area, they will rinse you for everything you have because they know you can't go anywhere else.
xeroksuk@reddit
Couple of things:
When you change provider, assuming you’re getting a new router with wifi: you can change the wifi password on your new router to the same thing on your old router. That way you don’t have to go round resetting everything.
The Secondly the point of having competition in service providers isn’t so much that one is cheaper or provides a better service. It’s more that if you didn’t have a choice, then inevitable the service provider would bump up the price/degrade the service. This is why monopolies are bad.
In the US the internet provision is almost universally terrible. This is because large swathes of the country effectively have a monopoly. The providers won’t connect you, or charge you a lot for not much, or they’ll only connect you at great expense - even if you do the work yourself. And they get away with it because each area only has one provider. For a country so gung-ho about competition, they’re weird about some things.
fussyfella@reddit
Get a router you own. Learn enough about networking to set it up so you can change supplier and your devices need never be changed.
seeyoujim@reddit
No, just play them at their own game tell them that if they don’t give you their new customer prices then you will cancel and your ‘housemate’ will then sign up for new customer prices.
Also, virgin seem to have call centres in India and Scotland. The Indian call centre staff are very rigid in their scripts and tend not to give an inch.
The Scottish call centre staff always feel more realistic and pragmatic.
Keep making calls until you get a Scottish call centre and then say your piece. I have known several people who use this tactic as a means of trying to skip the dance and it often works as it’s just easier for all parties
Sage-Freke-@reddit
Yeah it’s the same with insurance companies, breakdown cover, savings accounts. Everyone just relies on people forgetting and letting it roll over to much worse deal. No loyalty rates anymore, just new customer deals.
thegentleduck@reddit
You gotta make the threat, buddy!
"I want the £30 deal"
"That's for new customers only, sir"
"Then I want a different £30 deal"
"I'm sorry sir, I can't do that."
"Then I'd like to know how to cancel, as [other network] is offering a £30 deal for new customers, and I'd rather switch to them."
"Can you hold for a moment while I talk to my manager? [performative hold] Hi there, sir, I've spoke to my manager and we CAN keep you on the £30 rate for another year if you choose to stay..."
That's how it usually goes anyway.
chronicbint@reddit
You should get a renewal offer online now, I have the last few times and its been similar to new customer pricing. VM broadband has been excellent for me.
ClassicFun2175@reddit
Virgin are a joke. We used to have them years ago, and they were brilliant. I think this was around the time they were new. They used to give us free upgrades year on year and had amazing customer service. We moved house and got a brilliant new customer deal with them, at time of renewal they want 60 quid which was a joke and this was only for 250 down. I promptly switch to Vodafone full fibre 910 down and up. Got myself a mesh system and haven't looked back since. Currently paying £26 a month.
scotiaboy10@reddit
Virgin are the worst providers in the UK. Im on the cityfibre network and pay 30.a.month for download speeds at 600
sleepyprojectionist@reddit
I’m with Virgin.
I signed up for an 18-month contract at £35 a month that doubled at the end of the term.
About a month or so before the deal expired I logged into my Virgin Media account and was presented with a handful of new deals that I could move to before the price increase.
In the end I kept my gigabit line and I’m actually paying around £1 a month less than I was.
I didn’t have to go through any of the faff of threatening to leave or even speaking to another person. You just have to be aware of when your deal is ending and select a new deal before the original one expires.
CoverResponsible5040@reddit
Exactly what I do withPlusnet.
Current_Thing2244@reddit
Virgin media are a bunch of jokers. I was with them for years and on top of constant price rises, the internet got slower the longer I was with them, even cutting out for a few seconds at a time multiple times a day, just long enough to be booted from game session due to being offline. By the time I managed to switch (they kept threatening insane fees to leave and it took forever to get it sortedK), the internet was at a snails pace and I was paying £93 a month for it. I moved to Sky's ultimate broadband, or whatever the heavy use one is called, and it's a million times better and cheaper. I'm hoping they don't end up as bad as virgin but so far it's great.
Possible_Chipmunk_95@reddit
You can cancel and sign up online to the new deal for new customers on the same day. I never let the contract roll on I just cancel and rejoin.
CoffeeIgnoramus@reddit
Just change your new network name and password to the old one and all your devices won't even notice.
No-Jicama-6523@reddit
Choice isn’t wonderful, there is plenty of research that shows humans are happier with less choice.
RaymondBumcheese@reddit
You're just going to have to make peace with it, unfortunately. Its not even worth doing the retention dance when your contract ends now, just cancel immediately and go with another provider for the new customer discounts and then rotate back to them when that contract ends. Phone, TV, broadband, the lot. Just get rid because they don't care.
And if you set up a mesh wifi network or something you can just plug the new router into it without rekeying all of your devices.
Not_a_real_ghost@reddit
Virgin Media is the only one in my entire area that offers fibre optics.... I'm in Zone 3, London...
Grenvallion@reddit
I've been with talk talk for over 15 years and apart from the odd outages every now and then. Maybe once or twice for a few hours per year. I've never had any issues with them. I pay £57 a month for 1GB speeds and though I see other companies offer similar speeds for around 25-30 quid. I'm reluctant to switch because my connection has almost always been stable and reliable and when I've had an actual problem like some random mouse that lives in next doors garden eating the cable on the wall, I've always had reliable services where they came and replaced the cables.
Single-Position-4194@reddit
Good for you! I can only get 65 MB but I'm still with TalkTalk for the time being because I really appreciate their call screening package Call Safe, which as far as I know is unique amongst ISPs at the moment.
420Journey@reddit
This is a pain. My best advice is to get a mesh network that plugs directly into your router. That way the router changes but the mesh doesn't care where it gets its internet and just carries on. Another benefit is that you can take your mesh devices away with you and connect it to the holiday router and everything will just work.
MrReadilyUnready@reddit
Downside is a good mesh system is expensive.
smackdealer1@reddit
You don't have to leave VM. You tell the customer service rep you are leaving and they will connect you to retentions. You then do the "i'm leaving dance" with them and get your bill down to £35. Life the in the UK is just a game. All of it. Pretty depressing honestly.
whistlingdogg@reddit
You normally keep your router. Just go elsewhere and then provide the details of your new provider to your router. There will be many online resources to help you do this.
analogueamos@reddit
There's a whole sub on the pain that is virgin media, but they have tactics to get around this problem.
Usually once you give notice about a week or so before you leave someone from the UK call centre gets in touch and offers you a deal like they would a new customer. I've done this twice and even called them direct in the past saying I missed a call from them (I didn't) - but I can't remember the number. Suggest you look on that sub.
Icy_Help_8380@reddit (OP)
Cheers !
Greedy-Nature-826@reddit
Be sure to turn on marketing communications in your online portal.
leonormski@reddit
Can you not name the SSID of your new ruuter to be the same as your old one? Likewise for the Wifi password? Then none of your connected devices have to change.
smb3something@reddit
I've done this before, some devices were OK, some were not (though better than all of them).
MercatorLondon@reddit
It is called the Paradox of Choice.
Barry Schwartz wrote a nice book about it. This is a quick video about it.
BubblerSpesh@reddit
Thanks I’ll check it out
Huge_Age9120@reddit
Bunch of Liberty Global takers
You don't have to change anything - Just set the new router up with the same SSID and password as the current router - and it will all just work.
HelloReddit54321@reddit
Just open account in your partners name as a new customer
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