UPDATE Virgin Media UK Warns of 1st October 2013 Broadband Price Hike

Customers of Virgin Media’s superfast 30Mbps and legacy 20Mbps cable broadband packages have been advised that the monthly price they pay will, effective from 1st October 2013, rise by an extra £2.50 a month.

The move, which has caused anger among some of the cable giants customer base, follows on from a similar rise in February 2013 (here). It means that some people will soon by paying around +17% more than they did in January 2013.

Indeed the older 20Mbps and current 30Mbps options are generally intended for entry-level users, which traditionally represents the more budget conscious and thus vocal crowd (Virgin’s Support Forum).

Extract from Virgin’s Letter

We wanted to let you know that, from 1st October 2013, the price of your Virgin Media broadband is going up by £2.50 a month. It’s never nice when prices increase so we wanted to reassure you that you’re still getting a great broadband service.

You’re getting an award winning service – and it’s not just us saying it.

For the fifth year running Ofcom has said we deliver the fastest widely available home broadband service*, and we offer a service that’s at least twice as fast as the UK average±. Plus, uSwitch has voted us top for speed with an award for the Fastest Home Broadband, and given us their overall award for being the Best Broadband Provider. On top of that, Netflix has rated our service above our competitors when it comes to providing Netflix members the best streaming experience.

Here’s how you’re getting great value.

When you’re with us you don’t need to pay for a phone line to get superfast fibre optic broadband, and we’re the only provider to give you that flexibility. You also have the freedom of unlimited downloads – with no extra charges no matter how much you download. And for the whole time you’re with us, you get completely free technical support, servicing and repairs.

At present it’s unclear whether any other customers have received a similar letter, although most of those affected appear to be customers of Virgin Media’s standalone broadband packages. Meanwhile the operator still has various cut-price and half-price offers on their range of bundles and these seem to be unaffected. We’re currently trying to confirm.

UPDATE 4:39pm

Virgin Media has informed us that the increase will impact “all” of their solus (standalone) broadband subscribers, not just the 20Mbps and 30Mbps ones.

A Virgin Media spokesperson told ISPreview.co.uk:

“As part of a review of our services, we’re changing the price for people taking just broadband from us and we’re talking to customers now to explain what’s happening. With our unique cable network, we’re the only provider able to supply broadband without needing a phone line and with the fastest widely available speeds and unbeatable service, Virgin Media remains great value for money.”

The rise will also impact student broadband packages.