Pre installation visit?

I have just been told again someone is going to come out today, but it’s like they just say that and don’t actually know when a preinstall engineer will visit or what they will actually do if anything?

They will keep telling you new dates until they get round to doing the job. The standard advice on here is not the cancel the previous contract until VM is working, but of course you won't have seen that.

Delays can be days. weeks or months. Read this forum for examples. 

I had a feeling that this may be the case based my experience so far! Do you have any idea who the external company is they use ? Or attempt to use but never turn up?  They have told me to go buy a dongle and they will refund me? WTH? 

The contractors they use depend on the area. You can try calling the Installations number 0800 052 1734 but they can probably not be able to help you because communications both within and outside VM are almost non existent. 

The import of thing now, if you still want to stay with VM, is to keep an accurate record of all correspondence with VM for when you come to claim compensation for delay under the Ofcom scheme. 

https://ofcom.cmail19.com/t/i-l-ckhdkud-wklhinik-m/

Apologies for the errors in my reply above. They have removed the function of editing posts. 

From my recent experience the pre-install pull work is always "tomorrow" from the actual day you order service from VM, that is all they ever tell you on phone or live chat and is what shows online, it just moves forward one day at a time.

I had that confirmed here on the forum.

Luckily for me, after my order on the 18/11 the contractor contacted me by text on the 22/11 to ask it if was convenient that day as I had told VM I wished to be present and they did the work that afternoon.

The following day VM called and brought the main install date forward and I was connected on 26/11.

Cannot complain about that.

VM used the OTS to contact TalkTalk even though I wasn't bringing the phone service across, that all went well and TT disconnected my FTTC service 3 days after the VM service commenced.

I have just received TT's final bill and they have only charged me until the day VM went live.

The OTS should make transfers easier, in both directions. But the fact that VM uses different cables to Openreach customers is always going to cause delays if new customers don't have access to an existing cable. 

When you place an order with VM, they check their records for that address. If they can see a previous installation, they will know the external cable is in place and they can send the internal boxes to the customer for self installation. 

If there is no record of external cables, an order will be sent for a subcontractor to do the work. This involves a delay, which will vary considerably depending on how busy that contractor is and how much digging etc that may be required,  If pavement work is required, that will add a couple of days or so for the Council to give permission.

VM won't advise you of the possible delay, in case it puts you off from ordering. So they will give you a date that isn't too far off and then delay it constantly until it can actually be done.

The great majority of VM connections are still by coaxial cable from an underground point in the street, so I've assumed you would be having one of these.  In a few new areas, the connection is by fibre from a VM box on a pole. Have you been told that your connection will be one of these?

In that case you can forget all the digging business, you should not have to wait indefinitely.