VM Tosh......
I too am a recently disgruntled VM customer. I understand this issue is slightly different to that of the physical restrictions which apply to an ADSL LLU connection however I thought it relevant.
I recently downgraded my Connection with VM to their lowest 2Mb service. This was as a result of the recent 'Traffic Management' policy. Whether you want to call it capping or not, in my eyes it is an intentional restriction. When you apply such a restriction to a service which is advertised as 'Unlimited' you impose a limit (key word).
I have been a United Artists/Telewest/VM customer for around 12 years now (under whichever guise) and have allways subscribed to the largest package available for both Broadband, TV and Telephone. So my conversation with their representative went something like this....
Me: Hello, I have been a customer now for around 12 years and have always felt that the services you provide have been great value for money, however this is no longer the case.
VM: Oh, we're sorry to hear that sir, why do you feel that this is the case?
Me: We 3 things really....
1. The loss of chanels such as Sky Sports News, Sky News and Sky One without a direct replacement/compensating price reduction - (I dont see Virgin Central as a direct replacement as the nature of the content is completely differednt).
2. The recent implementation of the 'Traffic Management' policy on your broadband service - This being the my Major Complaint
3. The fact that new customers are recieveing rates far superior to myself for the very same services does not provide any incentive for loyalty.
VM: Ah, I understand your complaint sir. With regards to the broadband service we have just provided with you a free upgrade from a 10Mb to a 20Mb service.
Me: Is this the free upgrade that resulted in (£2/month) added to my bill? Doesnt seem free to me. Is this the free upgrade that runs hand in hand with a new policy that sees me for 8 hours (thats 33%) of every day only able to use 25% of that service a deliberate 75% redution?
VM: Ah but sir here we believe that all our customers should be treated equally and one should not have a larger share of the service than another.
Me: To be honest it is not really my concern how you treat the rest of your customers, this is for you (the supplier) to be concerned with. My concern is that you do not provide me with the for which service you charge me. So how about for a third of each billing cycle I only pay 25% of the advertised chage?
VM: Sorry sir thats not an option. How about you use the service out side of restricted hours if you have demanding requireements?
Me: Well to be honest the reason I subscribe to your highest band service is to enable me to recieve content on demand, this content is invariably greater than the 3GB triger for your 'Trafic Management' policy. If I am unable to recieve this content on demand and have download this whilst I am at work or over night I might as well downgrade to the minimum package which is about half the price.
VM: Ah I see thats no problem sir.
Me: And in fact whilst you're on the line you might as well cancel my subscription to Sky Sports and Movies and remove the second CableBox from the other room.
To cut an already long story short(er)......
This conversation resulted in VM loosing half their monthly revenue from me. I wonder how many other customers will realise the above and have the same conversation?