Hard to haggle when you’re hard of hearing

Further to the ongoing conversation regarding haggling, I’d like to point out how hard it is to haggle over the phone when you have hearing difficulties.

I was a happy Virgin broadband customer, paying £60 a month for fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and a TV package. They told me my contract was coming to an end, so I decided to phone them to switch to a broadband-only package – though I was reluctant to do so because I wear hearing aids in both ears.

When the call-centre assistant was unable to help, I was put on hold to speak to someone else. I hung up thinking I was being put through to cancel my package, which I didn’t want to do. While the assistant was helpful, I felt they were constrained in what they could offer because of a ‘do it now’ culture of haggling.

I gave up after a second call where I was on hold for 30 minutes and ordered a new package from BT. A further call to Virgin to cancel was conducted with my phone on speaker and my son beside me, to ensure the message got through. I was told I’d receive an email confirming my cancellation within 24 hours, but that never arrived. I then sent a letter of cancellation via registered post, but that was sent back to me. Virgin then phoned me twice offering a price reduction, but by then it was too late. David Hughes

I wasn’t happy with Virgin Media’s forthcoming price increase, but after shopping around I realised that only Virgin provides high-speed fibre broadband in my neighbourhood. I decided to see what they would do to reduce how much I pay.

I rejected the first offer via an automated menu, which was a discount of £3.50 for six months. I then went online and after a day’s wait and many Whatsapp messages they offered me a package saving me £13 a month, plus a 10GB SIM card for my phone with worldwide roaming included. They also gave me Wi-fi pods to boost my signal. It adds up to further proof that it’s well worth the hassle of haggling. Gareth Johnstone

CA SAYS Judging by the emails we’ve received, readers have had more success haggling with Virgin Media than with any other broadband provider. This is backed up by a survey from Moneysavingexpert (www.snipca.com/45225), which found that 85 per cent of Virgin customers managed to

negotiate a better deal – higher than any other broadband firm. However, David’s experience shows that some Virgin customers who are keen to haggle are let down by poor service. Please let us know how you’ve got on when haggling, whichever provider you use.