# Getting one (and not paying)



## stonewater (Apr 27, 2011)

Just my experience but I thought I'd share...

Love the Virgin Media tivo but wasn't too keen on paying for it....

so. called on their 0845 454 1111 number - followed the ivr for 'i'm thinking of leaving virgin media' and spoke to someone in customer retentions...

Have been with VM for a while on XL with a VHD box (3 yrs). Pay by DD. Buy a few films a month.

Told them I was moving to sky because of their better STB. Explained that a tivo would probably change my mind. But sadly they refused (sales only at the moment - I guess they have low stock so aren't keen to give them away to actual customers!)

Anyway - after a painful half hour of explaining why it makes no sense for them to lose me as a customer I tried a different approach.

If they wouldn't give me the box; maybe they would give me the XL package for free for a few months.

Kerching. Proposal accepted. Ok so I'll have to pay for the box next month but at least my service will be free for the next 4 !

All in all though... Not too painful except of course, sales are in india so it's always a bit painful and customer retention had to put me through to them to actually order the tivo.

Still it'll be installed early next week.

I suspect that when they release the 500gb box they'll open up tivo to customer retentions but either way - for anyone who has been stuck with the crappy vhd box - a free upgrade to tivo seems like a fair exchange to me !

Good luck folks - David.


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## °Keir° (Feb 25, 2011)

even staff have to pay for the box dude. why would you get a £149 box for free?


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

°Keir°;8494125 said:


> even staff have to pay for the box dude. why would you get a £149 box for free?


Well, some people on here did.....


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

If VM *choose* to give some boxes away for whatever reason (Which they have. 1,000 of them as a special promotion)then that is up to them. This is very different to a normal customer wanting one for free just because they don't want to pay for one.


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## stonewater (Apr 27, 2011)

@ Kier..

Proof positive that you do indeed work for vm.


You clearly mastered their don't listen training lol.

Firstly.

I am a customer who pays for my service. I guess as staff you don't.

Second. I can threaten customer retention with leaving for sky. I guess you probably can't.

Lastly. As I explained. I am paying for the box. They are just zeroing my XL bill for the next 4 months...


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## louis wu (Dec 12, 2010)

stonewater said:


> @ Kier..
> 
> Proof positive that you do indeed work for vm.
> 
> ...


So you got a retention deal which is probably far from unique and the thread title is incorrect although I can see why you see it that way.


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## stonewater (Apr 27, 2011)

Ok.

So to be accurate.

Getting one. Paying for it. Virgin media refunding me the money in installments.

Its not as catchy but I suppose more accurate.

Apologies if anyone was left confused by the original title (and, of course, didn't read the actual message wherein, I explained all of this quite clearly).

And sure. I'm not particularly special which is why I explained my circumstances (DD, XL, term,on demand) so that other people in similar circumstances might benefit from my experience.

Blimey. I thought I was being friendly and helpful.


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## Karnak (Jan 13, 2003)

stonewater said:


> Blimey. I thought I was being friendly and helpful.


The title does sound rather smug 

It's going to be rather too late for anyone on here to try and pull the same stunt I would say.


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> If VM *choose* (Which they have. 1,000 of them as a special promotion)


I think other people got them for free as well.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

1,000 got a "free for life" with personal remote control.
1,000 got free install + no subs for a year.

That's all I know of.


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## stonewater (Apr 27, 2011)

@Karnak.

I guess people on here might already have paid but presumably we all have friends who haven't (yet).

The title wasn't meant to be smug. It was intended to make it clear that the content of the thread was how one might get a tivo for free.

Albeit not free. Because of course I paid; but Virgin are paying me back over the next few months.

Two friends at work achieved exactly the same result as me today; both have XL; one has been a customer for much longer than me (NTL days) and one has only been a customer for a year (although he only got 3 <actually it was 2 - my mistake> months free which doesn't quite cover the tivo costs).

@ kmusgrave + cwaring

Other people clearly did get them for free as well. But presumably the title of the thread would suggest that it wasn't relevent reading for them. That was my intention. Not to suggest that I was in any way particularly special; more than as someone who isn't particularly special; you can save yourself 149 quid through a phone call to an 0845 number that will probably cost you pennies...

@ Everyone. I really don't care if you pay for it or not. In my view the VHD+ boxes were both seriously flawed. Tivo is obviously flawed at the moment but it looks like it will improve quickly.... I think it would be fair and reasonable for Virgin to give good (reliable payers / reasonable spenders on 'extras' / people with a flawed product initially) customers a free upgrade.

They clearly don't. I found a (fairly obvious) way around. Mentioned it in the obvious forum for such discussion and get lcase$('FLAMED') for it.

Seriously bite me and pay. :down:


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> 1,000 got a "free for life" with personal remote control.
> 1,000 got free install + no subs for a year.


Which of these groups are you in, Carl?


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

The second one. Actually there's around eight of us who attended the Sofa Event last year. So I guess that makes 1,008


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> The second one. Actually there's around eight of us who attended the Sofa Event last year. So I guess that makes 1,008


Bet you (and loads of others I imagine!) wer in the 1st group instead
 But better than nothing I guess.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Erm... no.


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> Erm... no.


So you would rather pay for it than get it free?

Strange person


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

No. I meant I wasn't in the first group of 1,000 who got a "free for life" Tivo with a special, named remote. Myself and the other 8 or so members of the Sofa Event received the same offer as the second set of 1,000 people.


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

What is/was this Sofa event? Sounds interesting (not only coz you happened to get the free year of Tivo). Is it a VM thing? How does anyone get involved?


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8151897

Basically a handful of us were invited down to London to discuss the company's products and services; likes, dislikes, ideas, etc.

The Sofa itself is no more but there's no reason to think such events won't be held again in some form or other.

See also here: http://www.alex-brown.co.uk/2010/09/sofa-shenanigans.html


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## Brangdon (Feb 9, 2001)

kmusgrave said:


> Bet you (and loads of others I imagine!) wer in the 1st group instead
> But better than nothing I guess.


Should "wer" be "wish you were"?


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

cwaring said:


> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?p=8151897
> 
> Basically a handful of us were invited down to London to discuss the company's products and services; likes, dislikes, ideas, etc.
> 
> ...


Thanks Carl


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## kmusgrave (Oct 13, 2000)

Brangdon said:


> Should "wer" be "wish you were"?


Indeed it should! I really wish my fingers would type what my brain was thinking 

That would explain Carl's response then. Apologies for my misunderstanding.


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Worth pointing out that Carl has run an unofficial VM website (I was going to say fan site but thought he'd object!) for years, which is probably why he got the invite.


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## Hambone88 (Feb 7, 2011)

kmusgrave said:


> Indeed it should! I really wish my fingers would type what my brain was thinking
> 
> That would explain Carl's response then. Apologies for my misunderstanding.


Carl jumped the q
He never got the phone call.
He phoned them.
I could be wrong but i was reading the threads at the time
and it seemed that way.
My apologies if i am wrong


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

TCM2007 said:


> Worth pointing out that Carl has run an unofficial VM website (I was going to say fan site but thought he'd object!) for years, which is probably why he got the invite.


Actually, that's not the reason at all. I was simply an active member of the Sofa.

(I thought I mentioned that at the time. Oh well!)

WRT the website, although I got a lot of help from Telewest originally, I have never got *anything* from VM at all. I can't even join an their Affiliate Programme because I have their name in the URL. If it was a sub-domain it would be fine 



Hambone88 said:


> Carl jumped the q


No. I was invited.



> He never got the phone call.


Back in September, there *were* no phone calls. The product hadn't even been seen in public.



> He phoned them.


Wrong.



> ...i was reading the threads at the time


Obviously you weren't because the thread I linked to in post #22 above was the first time I'd even *mentioned* the Sofa Event on here; even though it was all arranged in August.

Incidentally, you've been reading this forum since September last year, but only joined as a member in February this year? You seriously expect us to believe that?



> My apologies if i am wrong


If I thought you meant it, I'd accept it. However, you are simply trolling for a response or to try and undermine me or something.

Nice attempt. Try harder next time.


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Hambone88 said:


> Carl jumped the q
> He never got the phone call.
> He phoned them.
> I could be wrong but i was reading the threads at the time
> ...


A quick search finds he got the call a few days _later _than many of us on 10/2:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=463922&page=2#80

Wasn't aware you got it for free though Carl, do you get the XL package free as well, or is it on a lower package ?

I imagine wishlists work better on non-XL packages, as they are currently broken/swamped by kids programmes 
(XL has lots of kids channels, and the lack of a "channels I receive" menu means wishlists cover all channels)


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

mikerr said:


> Wasn't aware you got it for free though Carl, do you get the XL package free as well, or is it on a lower package ?


Yes. I do have XL TV.

Incidentally, while the chap that called me explained that I would be getting free install and no subs for a year, it took me mentioning, towards the end of the call, that I actually had my CC out ready to pay when he apologised for not mentioning sooner that I was also geting the box free. So it came as a big shock to me too


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## VirginMediaPhil (Nov 27, 2009)

Carl, you should rename VMInfo as UK Cable Today or something, maybe then they would help you? I think UK Cable or Cable UK was going to be the new name for NTL:Telewest before they bought Virgin Mobile and the plans changed.


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Yeah. I was going to go with VMInfo but I had only just renewed the current domain - for two more years - at the time 

Interesting (though not surprising) that a certain poster hasn't been back to this thread although he has been back on the forums


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## Hambone88 (Feb 7, 2011)

cwaring said:


> Yeah. I was going to go with VMInfo but I had only just renewed the current domain - for two more years - at the time
> 
> Interesting (though not surprising) that a certain poster hasn't been back to this thread although he has been back on the forums


This was the thread i was reading
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=463922&page=2#72

And you got the call not long after you were encouraged
to give them a call.
You did seem to be getting fed up.
Just me reading between the lines
I don't doubt you like many others 
should have got the call but didn't (or did)
and gets very frustrating.
Didn't know there was a time frame to reply
And i'm not trying to undermine you
just everyone doesn't always practice what they preach


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## cwaring (Feb 12, 2002)

Hambone88 said:


> This was the thread i was reading
> http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=463922&page=2#72
> Yes, okay.
> 
> ...


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