Virgin Media tried to hike my £33 a month bill to £73 but I haggled and I’m now paying LESS than before

ONE Virgin Media customer has revealed how they managed to slash their monthly bill to LESS than what they were paying before.

Virgin Media was set to more than double Adeana Manger’s TV, broadband, and phone bundle, but she haggled the bill to a cheaper price than she had in the first place.

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The 35-year-old document controller from Chorley shared her haggling win on Facebook page Money saving hints, tips and ideas.

But Adeana told The Sun: “I’d been on an offer paying £33 a month which finished on February 14, and Virgin tried to put it up to £73!

“When I got the email with the updated price I made a note of when the new billing period started and phoned up.

“I explained that £73 was too expensive and I’d have to leave unless they matched what I was previously paying.

“I was planning on cancelling as that’s the best way to get a good price – but they were happy to come down, and I’m now paying £32 a month.”

It means Adeana came away only £1 a month better off than before – but she’s over £40 a month better off than she would have been if she’d accepted the hike.

Plenty of other customers will be in Adeana’s shoes after the telecoms company announced last month that it will hike prices for millions from March 1.

In just a week’s time, Virgin Media broadband, TV, and phone customers are set to pay on average £56 a year more for their tariffs.

But anyone affected should always have a shop around for cheaper prices.

If your contract is close to its end it’s worth arming yourself with options to switch to, especially if they’ll save you money on similar services that you were already forking out for.

“I always try to budget my money,” Adeana told The Sun, “Especially now that prices are rising – I need to make my money go further.”

Adeana said that haggling was the best way to slash her broadband costs and more.

Her advice was to: “Always keep an eye on when TV and broadband packages are coming to an end, then you can ring up for a better deal.”

How to haggle your broadband and more

If you’re not happy with what you’re paying, or your bills are due to rise in the next few months, you can always raise the issue with your supplier and see if they’ll come down to what you are willing to pay.

The worst thing they can do is say no, so it can always be worth a shot.

On the other-hand the company might be more than happy to accept your wishes and they’ll bring down your bill, just like Adeana’s.

It’s worth checking what’s available from other providers as well as what your current provider is offering new customers.

Then you can then use this information to ask for a certain price or package, or something that matches a similar offer you’ve seen elsewhere.

That way, if you’re not offered a discount you can always make the switch and move to another provider too.

But check first that you won’t be charged for leaving.

Often you can be charged a penalty or exit fee for leaving early, which is why it’s always best to leave the drastic move until you’re nearing the end of a contract.

Virgin Media customers unhappy about the bill rise were given the right to cancel mid-contract without a fee though, as they had 30 days of being notified about the change.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk