Virgin Media - Remember to cancel broadband yourself

[locutus]

Hi

Recently switched my phone & broadband bundle from Virgin Media to O2. I contacted O2 who managed the transfer. Since I have done this with 3 other providers over the years I assumed this would work the same way and that O2 would cancel both phone AND broadband!!

 

After two bills and the joy of customer service ... I have discovered that the transfer is not actually a transfer in the case of VM broadband. Because VM is on their own fibre network, the broadband with the new provider is a new connection AND DOES NOT replace the VM broadband.

So, it stayed active ... even though I was now on O2 broadband.

 

I explained this to Virgin, and questioned that they were charging me for two months of non-existent usage, but was told it was my fault for not cancelling broadband when my phone was stopped - the fact that my phone had moved and that my broadband usage was zero made no difference to Customer Services.

 

Well, that got me instantly ranting at the poor VM person, so I got nowhere fast after that.

Have formally complained to Ofcom and to Virgin, and now warning others on various sites - hopefully someone will be helped by this post.

 

I wonder how much VM makes from this little 'loophole', especially given many people won't know the difference between the networks. I doubt this is offset much by customers who won't go back to them again.

O2 really should've told you that if you were transfering from VirginMedia that you needed to cancel this service yourself. I don't see what VM actually did wrong here. I feel the fact that it would cost them more to have the complaint escalated to CISAS rather than make a small refund has swayed this in your favour. Personally, I'd make a complaint to o2, as I feel VM have done nothing wrong to you (how are they supposed to know that you didn't only want the phone line cancelling? and just because you don't use the broadband... maybe you're on holliday? They just didn't have any information from you)

 

If you move broadband using the MAC (Migration Access Code) process then your old broadband gets cancelled when your new broadband gets set up, however if you transfer your line to a provider that does not support the MAC process (Virgin Media, or From TalkTalk or Sky (or any other LLU)to any other BT line based boradband, or vice versa), then you need to cancel the old account.

 

It's important to note that this can affect anyone, not just those switching from Virgin cable/fibre optic to another provider's regular ADSL.

I'm currently fighting with Virgin over charges I recieved after migrating from Virgin phone+ADSL to BT phone+ADSL.

Was this a charge for changing providers within a minimum contracted term? If not follow the process that sitsandthinks followed (page 10 onwards of this booklet here)