O2 / Virgin Merger Talks

[Oxygen87]

I know that according to the news article I read on Google News, they are only in talks but should an O2 and Virgin merger happen, would this benefit existing O2 customers? I was a T-Mobile customer when the T-Mobile / Orange merger (EE) was happening and it was not a good customer experience at all. Customers faced a hike in plan costs, forced to change plans, upgrade deals were poor, loss of signal when they were switching over the networks. Customer services went down the pan, billing was always wrong. SIM card changes left Orange customers without a phone number as the porting process went stupid and all customer perks were lost such as the once famous Orange Wednesday's. I don't think I can face going through all of that again! I know that Virgin have their own network infrastructure and that they don't just use EE's anymore which is why they are saying when they move over to Vodafone next year that customers won't have to change SIM cards.

I'm wondering what your thoughts are as customers? Would you be happy about this? I'm personally not a fan of Virgin. I guess time will tell what actually happens.

[Bambino]

@Oxygen87 Whenever there are mergers of major companies, the two groups who suffer the most are the employees of both merged companies, and ultimately the customer. This eventual end of this current crisis will most likely see a lot more of that.

[Oxygen87]

Agreed @Bambino

[sheepdog]

Think we can say goodby to the Virgin Media brand if this happens. Basically the brand now has the baggage of Billionaire Beggar Branson which his empire isn't going to last without either collapsing into administration or be sold off at a bargain price so this maybe the last we see of the Virgin brand itself.

Apart from the Vodafone link, its an infrastructure merger in reality as neither has assets in either field but combined, they become a major telcoms prescence. Of course, it depends on a couple of things -

1) What exactly is merging, is the o2 brand and network excluding the masts

2) The entire Telefonica estate and assets in the UK. That if split, doesn't really value o2 as much. I mean, o2 then becomes just a call centre company. Which is outsourced so you then have debt vehicle to pile into and create tax writeoff. 

Also given the state of the financial markets, raising the money i.e. debt to pay for is going to be difficult. So short summary: higher bills forever. 

[Oxygen87]

@sheepdog I'll see when I next upgrade but I'm not prepared to pay much more per month than I'm already paying so if it becomes more expensive, it looks like I'll be off to Three or Vodafone because I hate EE 😞

[Anonymous]

I ported out from Virgin Mobile as then was nearly 15 years ago after being a PAYG customer for four years as I got fed up of the rubbish coverage and, when I did have to ring them, the waits of 40+ minutes only to deal with someone who would be clicking stuff on a screen without any real idea what they were doing.

The long waits were I think par for the course as after 20 minutes the system would ask if you wanted to change the music you were listening to.

While Branson should be applauded for not moving the Virgin Money operation out of Newcastle I can't think of much else he's done except made shedloads of cash from licencing his brand.

[Cleoriff]

So the merger has happened.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52570593 

[TallTrees]

Sadness
Will the merger be scrutinised.
Don't like Virgin
As @sheepdog says...
Especially billionaire beggar Branson

There's something unlikeable about him.

Misery misery 😪😪😪

[sheepdog]

I'm quoting from the BBC link above which is quoted from the release that I've seen yet, so:

"O2 [is] to be transferred into the joint venture on a debt-free basis, while Virgin Media to be contributed with £11.3bn of net debt and debt-like items," the firms said in a joint statement."

So Virgin Media takes on debt and o2 has none? Er, so it is a debt vehicle to be abused then.

More importantly, apart from the impending name rebrand of o2 & VM, isn't the question really: are we living in the last days of the o2 forum?

[Oxygen87]

Doesn't it have to go through Ofcom etc first?

[Oxygen87]

If not then it's RIP O2 2001-2020 😞 sad times.