Phone line switchover.

[Paulyboy]

Hi, I run my 90 year old Mother's Virgin account for her, and recently she received a letter stating that she needed to book an engineer before the 3rd Sept to organise the change .So I called customer services, who immediately  noticed that she didn't have Broadband. I said she has no use for broadband , just TV and landline . I also explained that she needed the phoneline to connect to her Lifeline, which hangs around her neck and is used in case of emergencies, so getting the phoneline changed on time was a priority.

I was told that she would need Broadband as the new phone line upgrade uses the internet connection to work so she would need to pay extra for Broadband  So I quoted the wording on the website that states that it wont cost a penny to make the move from analogue to digital phone. They agreed, but said she would need to pay a £35 install fee to have Broadband fitted. 
Is the experience I've had similar to anyone else ? It seems unfair to charge pensioners a fee to upgrade to something when all she wants is a phone........she'll never use broadband so why should she pay ?

[nodrogd · Accepted solution]

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@goslow wrote:

I did find a previous post which mentioned phone-only customers from @BenMcr one of the forum VIPs and a VM employee

Message #25 here

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Tech-Chatter/Combining-phone-and-V6-line-in-one-modular-box/td-...

which mentions that the customer would get a hub but not have to use/pay for broadband.

Unfortunately, the link he quotes is the same link as I used above. In another recent topic (ref phone extensions), the VM forum team confirmed that the information contained there cannot be relied on. Sadly, another case of what VM say/do being two different things.

I think your difficulty is slightly compounded in so far as your existing package of TV/phone is not one which VM seem to promote and the last time I looked is disadvantageously price compared to TV/phone/BB.

As you say, it is a backdoor route to simply moving customers onto one of the bundled packages at higher cost.

Might be worth finding out from you mother which of the TV channels/services she actually makes use of. An alternative route might be to look at ditching VM and trying to put together an alternative package or using something like Freeview with an aerial or Freesat.

The lifeline alarm company should be able to offer some solutions to deal with the move away from POTS landlines. Many offer mobile technology as an alternative means of connection, inc. personal devices the user wears but the up-front cost for these can be high.

The emergency backup line which VM offer (999 calls only) is based on mobile technology like the ones at the link below. Devices such as the ones below

https://www.burnsidetelecom.com/terminals

allow access to the mobile network using fixed handsets. Some models allow a fail-over connection so that if the landline goes down, the device automatically switches to a mobile service. The lifeline company should be able to offer something with a similar.

I think if I was in your situation, I'd use the 18 months your price is fixed the same to investigate the alternatives and then give VM the boot and switch to an alternative provider or providers.

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I have just re-read the original post on this thread. Quote: “So I called customer services, who immediately  noticed that she didn't have Broadband. I said she has no use for broadband , just TV and landline.”

By that I’m reading (though I could be wrong) that the OPs mother has 2 VM services already. If she has a TiVO or older box, (which by deduction she must) a Broadband hub would also then required for the latest TV boxes, which if re-contracting will be a mandatory requirement as the box she has would be legacy equipment. The cheapest triple play package then more or less tally’s with the prices quoted.

[Roger_Gooner]

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@Paulyboy wrote:

Then to add to it all, I called her Lifeline provider who cannot guarantee that the new fibre phoneline will be compatible with their equipment ! 

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All landlines will be migrated from PSTN, so it's the responsibility of suppliers to deal with this, and those who don't will go bust.

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@Paulyboy wrote:

I feel like this changeover to fibre is a moneymaking scam by Virgin. Getting everyone , especially elderly people who have no requirement for it, to sign up to broadband and mis inform them that it is "free" when it obviously isnt. 

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It isn't a scam as Openreach (and VM) are migrating from PSTN by the end of 2025, a date set by OFCOM.

As advised a hub is required to get landline from VM, and a broadband service will also required for those customers who get their landlines from Openreach.

[crany · Accepted solution]

Hi from reading virgins own website and ofcoms info i would put in a complaint as it clearly says your contract should not change and you should not have to pay anything extra to have a new hub installed or an emargency backup it also says you do not need to take out broadband and your mother should not have been changed anything for this change so if she has been charged anything I would dispute it also the same if they changed her contract as she has been missold

[Paulyboy]

I agree that a broadband connection is required, but their website clearly states that the whole process will be free

I've already paid £35 for an install that hasn't happened yet, and now a new contract with future  extra monthly payments has landed on my mother's doorstep.

I will attempt to call VM and resolve the issue before the two week cooling off period ends. 

[Kath_F]

Hi Paulyboy, 

Thanks for coming back here and updating us with your concerns. 

I'd like to take a closer look at this for you but in order to help I will need to pass data protection with you. I have sent you a private message regarding this and will investigate further once I receive your reply. Just click on the little plum envelope at the top right hand side of the page to access your inbox.

Thanks,

[Eileenlouise]

Will I need a cable. Or will one be provided. As I have no cable from my phone to wall plug. Can't remember what it's called. The white box your cable goes into.

[Lampostboyavfc1]

Hi there it’s not just virgin media doing the switch over it’s also bt i think the government marking them all switch over to the digital line by 2025 so I think the phone line company’s have all started it my mates on bt and they have told him the same to take the phone out of its phone line and put it into the back of the router