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Can I keep my current hub if I don't want fibre phone? Need clarity about VM email, please.

madoldbat
On our wavelength

Hi,

I've had the VM email about needing to change hubs if I want to be able to use fibre phone. 

My landline is never used, and so I've decided that losing my VM phone service won't be an issue. I'd like to keep my current Superhub 3, which (touch wood!) has always been problem-free.

However, I'm not clear about whether or not I can do this, given what the email says below (bold added by me). I'm not sure how to interpret this; does "any connected devices" refer specifically to devices connected to the landline (eg care alarms), or does it refer to everything I have connected to the hub itself?

In short, is my current hub going to be unusable for any purpose after April 15, leaving me with no choice but to get a new one? Or just unusable as far as a phone line's concerned?

What happens if I don’t arrange to get a new Hub?
After 15 April you will only be able to receive inbound calls and dial 999. If you try to make an outbound call it will be diverted to our contact centre to arrange for the new Hub to be swapped over. Any connected devices will no longer work. It’s really important that you arrange to get a new Hub to avoid disruption.
14 REPLIES 14

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@madoldbat wrote:

Hi,

I've had the VM email about needing to change hubs if I want to be able to use fibre phone. <snip>


You should be able to continue using the Hub 3 as it has a phone socket.

VM seems to be in the process of gradually retiring the Hub 3 though as VM no longer requires these back during equipment returns, it seems.

There have been a few queries like yours. Past responses seem to suggest an admin error by VM.

Wait for one of the VM forum team to reply here and advise (usually within a few days).

madoldbat
On our wavelength

Thanks for the quick reply.

I no longer want the phoneline, so whether or not the Superhub 3 has a phone socket is of no consequence to me. As long as I can keep my hub and all the rest of my services after the date cited in the email, I'll be happy!

Andrew-G
Alessandro Volta

Don't worry!  You can find out what equipment to return on Virgin Media's helpful website: https://www.virginmedia.com/help/return-or-recycle-equipment

Oh, on second thoughts, you can't, because just like the cancelling Virgin Media web page the important detail is missing, and despite having been told, it seems nobody at VM gives a flying duck.  But I suppose those two examples are like quite a bit of the rest of VM's online help, and indeed countless similarly aged and uninteresting archaeological sites that have also been abandoned and then looted. 

Quite who'd steal the VM cancellation address, or the list of equipment to return I can't imagine, but the fact they have been stolen is tribute to human nature's more larcenary side.

goslow
Alessandro Volta

@madoldbat wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply.

I no longer want the phoneline, so whether or not the Superhub 3 has a phone socket is of no consequence to me. As long as I can keep my hub and all the rest of my services after the date cited in the email, I'll be happy!


This is only a personal opinion, so make of it what you will ...

If you are paying for a landline as part of your VM package, it is worth having the landline in working order and having the ability to test/check it every so often using a simple, cheap corded phone.

There are regular topics on here where a VM phone line falls into disuse, or is never used, and develops a fault which has resulted in 'phantom call' charges being applied to the account. The customer is unaware of these because the line is never used and has no means of checking the condition of the line. The only time they find out about the issue is when they get a (sometimes large) phone bill for calls they know nothing about and have not made.

Wait until the forum team reply here to advise on the status of the Hub 3 and you can then decide what to do from there.

madoldbat
On our wavelength

Thanks for drawing my attention to that potential issue with an unused line! I wasn't aware of that.

madoldbat
On our wavelength

Error in OP - just checked and it's a Superhub 2 I have, not 3.

Well, you'd need a Hub 3, 4 or 5 to have a digital phone line, but even if you didn't want that, the SH2 is of such antiquity that you really ought to accept whatever "upgrade" VM offer, and donate the SH2 to a museum.  Just make sure that you aren't charged for any "upgrade". 

All things considered (thanks goslow and Andrew-G), and after some discussion with the family, I think the sensible option is to go for VM's offer of a new hub and continue with my phoneline.

Is it possible to arrange an engineer's visit via a forum team member here?

The forum staff can if it's required, but if possible VM will usually prefer to send you a replacement hub by post.  Sometimes takes a day or so for staff to respond, depending on their workloads.