Virgin Media Community

[JRF88]

Hi I am hoping someone can help please. I currently have a landline phone and broadband package with Virgin and will shortly be moving out of my family home. My ideal plan is to only take the broadband with me although I will probably transfer both across initially as I am still in contract for about a month after I move.

My issue is that my parents have always had the same landline number for many years and it's vital they keep the number after I've moved out and taken the services with me as elderly relatives rely on this number as a means of keeping in contact. Can anyone please explain in simple terms what I need to do in order to achieve this?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[jem101]

Honestly I can’t see a way for this to be done which isn’t fraught with difficulties.

Firstly your parents would need to arrange an alternative phone service, this would have to be via an Openreach connection, ie BT as VM won’t install another service to the same property - well I suppose they could but the number of hoops which would need to be jumped through, doesn’t bear thinking about! This line would have a new number so they would next need to arrange a number port of the old VM number across to the new line, but I can see issues here as, presumably, the accounts would be in two different names. For this to even have any chance of happening, you must NOT cancel the VM landline or tell them you are moving as that will immediately put a stop to the number port. If (and it really is a massive if), that goes ahead smoothly then by its nature it will cancel your existing VM phone provision but as that is a contractual change it will start you on a new 18 month contract for broadband only. Finally you can move and take the broadband only service with you to the new property.

As you can see there are so many points at which this can all go horribly wrong and, realistically, I just can’t see it working out at all.

So, I can see two possibilities here.

1) Your parents get a new line installed with a new number and spend the time before you move, informing all of their contacts etc of the new number.

2) You don’t transfer the service to the new property, you sign up as a new user which gives you the new user deals. When the existing contracts minimum term ends, then cancel the broadband provision on it - as above this will probably start a new 18 month phone only contract (although I am not 100% sure that such a thing even exists), you will end up losing any VM email addresses you currently have but you will have about three months to make alternative arrangements and let all of your email contacts know of the new address. Technically you will be the account holder for your parents telephone provision and be responsible for paying for it - you would need to work out the practicalities with your parents, also in the event of any issues VM won’t deal with them, on the not unreasonable grounds that they are not the customer, and you would need to handle all of that.

Personally, I’d go for option 1

[Vikki_M]

Hi @JRF88

Thank you for your post and welcome back to our community.

I have taken a look at things from our side and can see that unfortunately the property you are moving to isn't in a Virgin Media serviceable area.

This means that you would unfortunately need to cancel the service and not transfer. 

Just to clarify what your parents need please, do they only require a land line when you leave the property or will they require a phone and broadband package?

Would they want to remain as Virgin customers with their own account or do they want to move providers?

Please pop me a reply when you can. 

[JRF88]

Hi Vikki

Thank you for your reply and sorry for the delay in responding.

I have had confirmation from the builder that your services are available in my new property but that the final connection can only take place once I have physically moved in, can you please advise that is the case?

My parents will require landline phone (same number we have now must be retained) and a broadband service.

I don't think they have any real preference for who their provider will be. I'm sure if Virgin can provide them with the best deal and service they will be happy to stay where they are.

Many thanks.

[Kain_W]

Hi JRF88,

Thanks for your post and welcome back to the community!

With regard to the landline, I can't guarantee whether our team will allow the number to be kept at the property however I've dropped you a PM so we can go through some further details for both points.

Thanks,

[Kath_F]

Hi JRF88, 

Thanks for coming back to Kain via private message on this. He is out of the office so I've picked this up in his absence. 

Checking things our side, I can see the latest notes from the National Home Builders team is that this is still in construction and there are no confirmed dates on when service will be provided for the new address so it is worth noting this. 

In terms of your telephone number, regardless of whether your parents take a phone service with us or another provider, they will be able to keep the number. We can only do this as a number port though so the change needs to be done whilst your current account is active. 

Your parents would need to speak to the Sales team to get an account in their name if they wish to stay with Virgin Media. If they wish to go with another provider then a number port will need to be requested and the other provider will raise this directly with us. 

If you have any further queries, pop back and let us know. 

Thanks, 

[JRF88]

Hi Kath

Thanks for the message this was the latest update I got from the builder - can you please advise if this makes sense?

"In terms of Virgin Media, all of the internal wiring has been done within your apartment, however, the final connection is done once you move in.  You will need to book the final installation/connection with Virgin Media once you have taken ownership of the apartment."

With regards to the phone service for my parents, I think that will only be an issue depending on the answer to the above for doing a home move.

Regards

Jonathan

[JRF88]

Hi

Can someone please come back to me on this?

Regards

[Kath_F]

Hi JRF88, 

Thanks for coming back to us via the thread. I can see since posting you have been having a conversation with my colleague Tom. 

I will leave this in his capable hands 🙂

Thanks,