LEAVING VIRGIN AFTER 16 YEARS

[MissGrace]

Sadly I am having to leave Virgin after being a loyal customer of 16 years, I am a low user just emails and facebook, my package included free calls of weekend even though friends always call me it is nice to have the comfort of a landline. as my 13 year old Nokia mobile is out of the ark!  The reason I am leaving is because my monthly payment is going up from £19 to £53 as contract ends in 2 days, I called retention team but they could only offer £35 a month, which is much too much as I am small income as a new pensioner, because I am not on benefits I cannot get help even though my internet connection is important for me for hospital appointments, doctors appointments etc.. 

So I am panicking now trying to find another service provider, but worry about all my emails when i go with another provider, how do I set up another email address and transfer my old emails that have photos attached?  

Virgin offer new customers good deals, but if you are a loyal customer they cannot match it.  Very naughty when I have never changed since I first had a laptop in 2008.  So now I have this worry how to change, I have a heart condition so not to have stress but tonight I am STRESSED.

Also I want to keep my landline so have to find a provider who still can provide this service, most have broadband only which is limiting my choices, PLUSNET are phasing out landlines because most people use mobile phones.  That is not good for those who don't have a mobile, if elderly.

 I need advice now if I can find a cheap broadband and landline provider, what I do next, this is scary for me as wherever I worked I had IT back up.  I don't want to change but have to as finances are dictating.

A couple of weeks ago there was outage for 48 hours on my emails I kept getting updates on the status on my mobile,, should I have had a reduction on my bill?  

Does anyone have recommendations which provider is best?

Any advice greatly received.

Thank you.

[Graham_A]

@MissGrace  There are details about a way to backup your existing emails in this thread: https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Forum-Archive/Backing-up-your-Emails-One-of-many-solutions/m-p/...

I don't know if there are any broadband internet suppliers left who also provide an email service so you really need to create a new email address with one of the free email service providers that are out there such as Gmail and MS Outlook.  There are others available as well.

As for your choice of a new broadband supplier that will depend on what is available in your area.  You do need to be aware that all UK landline phones are being switched to a connection via broadband within the next two years.  So switching to a new isp will likely come with this type of landline delivery.

You should get 90 days access to your VM email address after your broadband account closes.

[Roger_Gooner · Accepted solution]

Once your contract expires I believe it goes onto a rolling 30-day contract for which you give 30 days to get out of it.

You should stop using an ISP's email, I use Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook and Gmail is the best.

You can check out options for broadband and phone on Moneysupermarket.com, and the lowest average monthly cost I see is Now's £21.83 for 12 months (but phone is PAYG).

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadband/ 

[MarkVM777]

Hello MissGrace,

Firstly after reading your post I feel for you, try not to be too stressed.

I'm sorry to read about your situation.

Have you tried to ask VM if you can lower your broadband speed hopefully lowering your monthly payment?

Just a thought

[MissGrace]

Thank you I will look at the link you have sent me, I do have a gmail account but it is so basic, I tried to create folders last night but it just would let not me, no facility to do this.  Most of my emails are in folders.  My landline was changed over to internet connection last year I had to buy a ring capacitor to plus into the router otherwise my telephone would not audibly ring,, but the lad that switched me over left me with no audible ring, if it wasn't for this community I would have been left with a landline that people could hear when ringing me but I never knew if they were ringing me as there was no audible sound.  I have a Thunderbird account, but is linked to my Virgin connection, when I change provider will I have to change settings somehow?  Phew this is so stressful for me. worrying about losing emails, losing my email address too worries me as so many people, that I would not even remember, have that email address, so I will lose that link.  I will check your link now.  Thanks so much.

[unisoft]

---

@Roger_Gooner wrote:

Once your contract expires I believe it goes onto a rolling 30-day contract for which you give 30 days to get out of it.

You should stop using an ISP's email, I use Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook and Gmail is the best.

You can check out options for broadband and phone on Moneysupermarket.com, and the lowest average monthly cost I see is Now's £21.83 for 12 months (but phone is PAYG).

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/broadband/ 

---

Gmail is best for you, but for others who have Microsoft 365 (Office 365) then hotmail/outlook.com may be a better option for them (like me).

[MissGrace]

I have spoken to retentions team, they can reduce to £35 but that is without calls, that still is too high for me on my income but I need broadband and my telephone line, which was switched over last year, but I had to buy a ring capacitor for it to ring out audibly as the VM engineer did not know about that little device, which only cost £4.  Thank you for your concern.  After 16 years loyal constant customer and low user they could not even match it to new customer prices, which is not good customer service.  Thanks again.

[MissGrace]

Thank you for this help.  I have a gmail account but find it so basic and not user friendly, I file my emails under folders, last night I tried to add a new folder but couldn't do it.   I have Thunderbird account too, can I have as many emails accounts as I want, some are easier to negotiate than others, Gmail keeps wanting me to change over to Outlook, shall I set up a separate outlook account for my emails?  I had problems with Virgin emails earlier in the year they said my old email address was obsolete it turned into a nightmare, took a couple of weeks to change server settings, incoming and outgoing, I still don't know how I did it and worry I could not go through that again.  Especially as you all on this community cannot help me.  Some of the small broadband providers like NOW I have no idea what they are like, no reviews.  I have done all the compare broadband with landlines.  Was up till all hours bombarding my brain with ones that are reliable and trustworthy at a good price, probably better I think for longer that 12 months, as I will have to go through this again in 12 months time looking for a good deal.  I feel it is naughty of Virgin when you are a loyal customer of 16 years to not match deals as they do for new customers especially as I am a low user.  I am on such a limited income but not on benefits to get social tariffs.  Thanks for your help.  

[MissGrace]

Sorry meant to say I am on the lowest speed.

[Roger_Gooner]

Gmail uses labels, not folders. Next to the Labels heading there is a + button for creating labels.

 I suspect the best thing would be to switch your VM email to Gmail (this will include exporting of contacts and forwarding of emails to Gmail) and exporting your Thunderbird emails to Gmail (I understand the Thunderbird folders will become Gmail labels). You'd have to notify your contacts about your Gmail address that you want them to use.

Community members can only be helpful up to a point, and I think you may need to get someone next to you to get the above done.