How long from placing order to being able to use the service

[VivP]

I am with BT until 24 January, but am connected by copper to the end of the fibre link from the exchange. If I sign up for fibre broadband from Virgin I am wondering when I should place the order to avoid losing access to the internet.

Presumably an engineer will need to install the fibre to my house so it is not quite straightforward changing service providers.

I do not mind having some overlap as a safety measure but it would be useful to know when I should place my order as I have never used Virgin before.

Thanks for your help.

[goslow · Accepted solution]

Usual advice on here is to overlap two services when switching, especially if switching to VM.

You can browse many past topics on this forum where there have been lengthy delays getting VM installed. Nothing to say a long delay will happen in your case but the possibility of a long delay is a real one.

If you keep your existing connection going with an overlap you avoid losing connectivity during the switching period.

If you do not already have a VM cable/connection running to your home, VM should not charge you anything until you are up and running.

The overlap allows you to make best use of the 14 day cooling off period to try out the VM service and make sure it performs as advertised before closing down your existing provider.

[VivP]

Thank you, that seems eminently sensible and I will start thinking about when to commence the switch.