Thanks for taking the time to respond — but I’d like to correct several of your points and add some important context before drawing any conclusions about responsibility.
- My original cancellation and Virgin’s handling
It’s true that I manually requested cancellation to prevent my bill from rising from £72 to £180 — a reasonable and necessary action. That triggered the standard 30-day notice period, with disconnection originally scheduled for 12 June.
During that time, I received multiple calls from Virgin sales agents, none of whom appeared to know I’d already given notice. They continued offering “discounted” deals between £90–£140, based on the inflated £180 renewal price — not on my actual bill. That only reinforced my decision to switch providers entirely.
- The OTS process was initiated — and acknowledged by Virgin
Once I signed up with Toob, they initiated a One Touch Switch (OTS) request, which Virgin formally acknowledged in writing. I received an email with switching reference 5569941108, stating:
“Toob let us know that you’re switching your Broadband and Telephone over to them on 16 June 2025.”
While 16 June may be a placeholder or system-generated date (Toob’s actual installation is scheduled for 24 June), the key point is that Virgin accepted and processed the switch request — which means this had moved from being a purely customer-driven cancellation to a provider-to-provider coordinated transfer.
- Virgin staff advised that service would continue
I spoke to a Virgin Media agent on 9 June who assured me that I would be billed daily until the switch was complete. That clearly indicated my service would remain active beyond 12 June, which aligned with what Toob told me about the OTS process ensuring continuity.
- Virgin’s own OTS description contradicts what happened
According to Virgin Media’s own website:
“Because the providers communicate directly and coordinate activation and deactivation dates, the transition happens without any noticeable gap in service.”
Source: Virgin Media Glossary – One Touch Switch
Yet despite having both an existing cancellation date (12 June) and an OTS notification date (16 June), Virgin went ahead and disconnected my service on 12 June — neither aligning with their own documentation nor what I was told by customer support.
- What happens if you cancel first? (Key clarification with sources)
There’s no official regulation or published policy from Ofcom, TOTSCo, or Virgin that says a customer-initiated cancellation automatically nullifies a subsequent OTS request. In fact, both industry guidance and the technical process documentation say the opposite: OTS should take priority, and the losing provider must coordinate internally to prevent a loss of service.
ISPA OTS Industry Guidance (April 2024):
"If a cease order is already placed on the line, the gaining provider can still submit an OTS switch request. The losing provider is expected to coordinate internally to ensure that the cease order does not result in an unplanned loss of service." (Section 4.3 – Conflicting Orders)
While ISPA has since removed the April 2024 guidance from their public site, it was widely circulated and aligns directly with TOTSCo’s own technical specification.
TOTSCo – Open Orders Best Practice Guide v1.0 (Oct 2023):
“OTS takes priority over customer-initiated ceases.” https://totsco.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/One-Touch-Switch-Open-Orders-Best-Practice-Guide-v1.0-for-publication-CLEAN.pdf
TOTSCo – One Touch Switch Industry Process v4.3 (Aug 2023):
https://totsco.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/One-Touch-Switch-Industry-Process-v4.3-Draft-20230809-Clean.pdf
Even if I initiated a cancellation first, once Toob submitted the OTS request — and Virgin acknowledged it — Virgin had an obligation to manage any conflict internally and ensure the cease didn’t disrupt the switchover. Disconnecting me anyway goes against this guidance.
In summary:
- I acted in good faith, first by cancelling to avoid an unreasonable price increase, and then by relying on the OTS process once it was initiated.
- Virgin Media acknowledged the OTS switch, but still disconnected my services early.
- There is no publicly available guidance stating that a prior cancellation invalidates OTS.
- Virgin Media’s own agent told me service would continue until the switchover — which turned out not to be true.
- I’ve now been left without broadband at a crucial time, both for work and for my son’s GCSE exams.
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I made decisions based on the guidance given to me by both Toob and Virgin Media — as well as the information published on Virgin’s own website regarding the One Touch Switch process. If that guidance was incomplete or contradictory, then the fault lies with how the process was communicated and handled — not with me as the customer simply following what I was told.
So ironically, the only misinformation in this thread appears to have come from the person accusing others of being misinformed. Based on everything I’ve read, it seems Toob were entirely correct — their explanation aligns with the official OTS guidance.
