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back to article Virgin hails 'free' landline-to-mobe calls

Virgin Media is to offer customers free calls from their Virgin landlines to their Virgin mobile phones. As always, strings are attached. Strictly free calls are reserved for the upcoming weekend-only 'Size M' plan. Add weekday evenings into the mix for 'Size L' and you pay £3.45 a month. For the 24/7 'Size XL' tariff you pay …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    I'm a "single-service" chap

    Even if I wasn't though, I've experienced the "legendary Virgin customer services" more than enough on planes, trains, when they sold records - remember that... with mobile phones - I'd rather not go back, thanks.

    Branson needs to suck on the pineapple.

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Big Brother

    Richard vs Rupert

    Fine. Wonderful. Great. Now if only their broadband didn't stink of "Big Brother knows best" then I'd be on them like a shot. As it is I hold my nose and go with Sky, then have a long shower because I feel all dirty at boosting the Digger's empire.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    in defence of Virgin

    just got of the phone to a CS operator, who streamline my bundle (oo err Mrs !), and saved me £20/month

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  4. Paul Shirley

    Virgin telephony: overpriced beyond belief

    Virgin's landline tariffs are actually higher than using my mobile for ANY charged calls. Just the connection charge is more than 90% of my mobile calls cost and their landline to mobile costs are astronomical.

    Offering free calls to the only person I know on Virgin Mobile, for the 10 hours or so I'll be sober at weekends is too little, too late. And she'll be switching to GiffGaff when the Virgin credit runs out anyway!

    Odd's are they'll forget to actually tell any customers about this change and we'll all carry on avoiding land->mobile calls. Its the Virgin way.

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Happy with Virgin.

    I have got a phone and 10mb connection on Cable for which I pay *£28 a month total with all free National/Local calls. That is not a bad price. Only thing I do NOT like is Virgin's rip off charge of *£5 per month "payment fee" that their customer services could only say was charged "...because everyone else does...". So I pay by Debit Cardm online ontime and still get to pay £5 for the privilege.

    *Plus £5 per month rip off "payment charge" .

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Non Direct Debit Charge

      That fee might be due to not paying by direct debit, and it IS common place to charge for that.

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    2. Gilbert Wham
      Reply Icon

      28 quid a month?

      Be will do you 24down/1 up for 17.50 (to be fair, I get about 16-18 down, 1 up) whilst cheerfully repeat billing your card, not charging you a fiver for the privilege all the while. You can also ring them up for nowt if it goes wrong, at which point a person will answer the phone and politely try to fix it for you, in a refreshingly helpful and intelligent manner The Post Office will do you a phone line for a tenner. None of this money will go towards supporting the appalling, overpriced clusterfuck that is Virgin.

      This is a Good Thing.

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  6. pAnoNymous

    m,l,xl not new

    unless I'm missing something the m,l,xl telephone bundles are not new to VM - although adding free V-to-Vm calls is, as mainly the've been bundling landline calls (at the times mentioned). but generally I do find VM call charges high - even if you do have all their bundles you're better off getting a 3rd party add on to your BT line - which you can't get on VM.

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    1. Piggy and Tazzy
      Reply Icon

      Yes you can

      It's called 'Vonage' or any other of the VOIP services.

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  7. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    Not to rub it in...

    Not to rub it in, but this is one advantage we have in the States -- landlines are not charged extra to call mobiles. Is the call local? It's free. Long distance? The charge is the same to landline or mobile (a few plans don't charge for long distance either.) So, as a caller from a landline, I don't have to decide "so, 319-337-xxxx is a landline. What about 319-400-xxxx, is that a mobile?" Generally for the cell phone owner, the call takes off minutes for both incoming or outgoing calls -- but a few companies (US Cellular for one) have free incoming calls (and texts) on the mobile too.

    The big concern of this would be junk calls on the mobile, but this has not been a problem; I think even companies that break the law calling landlines on the "Do Not Call" list know they'll REALLY piss people off calling mobiles.

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    1. Lawrence 7
      Reply Icon

      Charged for the Incomings

      Junk calls arent really a problem over this side, and we have the 'telephone preference service' which can help alot if you are getting calls.

      aside from this, I just cannot get my head around how it was ever acceptable to be charged for receiving incoming calls AND Texts, so much so it seems to be the norm.

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    2. Alan Thompson
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Up

      More Rubbin' ...

      Several years ago in the US, mobile companies gave up on the whole "caller pays" to mobile. Since 99.9% of all US landline users subscribe to their "extended calling plan" that provides unlimited local area calling - they weren't prepared to pay a toll to call a local mobile. Recently, most local landline telephone service also started offering unlimited domestic (US) long distance for an additional fee. So, now most mobile companies in the US charge for incoming and outgoing calls identically (local or long distance, both directions, no additional charge). While this may seem unfair, there is no requirement to answer an incoming call and if the caller gets pushed to voicemail, there is no airtime charge/minute used.

      I personally have experienced a few telemarketer calls to my mobile and have in no uncertain terms informed them that my mobile IS on the federal DO NOT CALL list and that they will be reported to the FCC. I then go to the fcc.gov website and fill out the complaint form. These calls have all but stopped - one in the last 6 months.

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  8. Jacqui

    BEthere

    Went to BE web site to purchase a new DSL connection (migrate from a dead BT DSL.

    Filled in loads of forms (had to hack the phone number cos BE do not accept short

    <11 digit phone numbers). After 20 minutes of trying various extra digit combos' finally

    got the to DD screen - odd that they will check valid short numbers but will nto accept

    valid short numbers in thier sign up form.

    Yup as well as a DD form, they want a credit card as well. F* that.

    So I called the sales number to see if they really want my non existent credit card...

    Crackle, Crackle splutter splutter - WTF my phone line has iced up!

    Called family in NE of england and neighbours - clear line - no problems.

    Tried BE again - could *just* hear over the third world crackle the "select one for..."

    Pressed one four times to get redirected to "ravindra" who kept repeating the

    same script no matter what I said. I hung up.

    A+A/Zen may be more expensive but at least I can call sales and get a human been.

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  9. pctechxp

    @Henry Wertz 1

    But the poor suckers have to pay for receiving calls even if its a sales call.

    Great NOT

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  10. Barry Mahon
    Paris Hilton

    Is this news??

    In what used to be known as 'backward' France almost all operators offer a deal like this. Many offer 'free' mobiles with an ADSL contract, often with a monthly minutes allowance and free calls from the mob to home.... sells well to the Mummy's.....Of course they make money when the teenager uses the phone to call their friends..... simple really

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