Status gone from "live in a few days" to "not available".

[RedHodor]

Status availability checker has gone from going live innanfew days back to not available sign up to be notified...

Backstory...

Back in around Sept/Oct last year I saw virgin fibre engineers working on our street.  I asked them if they had done our road.  The answer was yes.

Great I thought, not long until I can be rid of our lowly 30/12mb service.

So I register for updates on the signup page.

Around end of November when checking the check your postcode page changes the message to "coming soon"

In early January I get an email saying the service will be switched on in a "few days"

Now when I use the postcode checker it's gone back to "sorry not available in your area, sign up to bebkept informed"...

Have virgin forgotten they've installed the cable? Decided not to use it... anyone any ideas what has happened?

[Martin_N]

Hi RedHodor,

Thank you for your post. I'm sorry that has changed. 

What I will do is private message you to get some details and send them off to try get more information. 

^Martin

[RedHodor]

Hopefully you will be able to find out some information.  I appreciate you've found that there is nothing showing about it coning soon.

However i definitely spoke with the virgin engineers that were installing the cable, I could probably lift the inspection hatches in the pavement and see the virgin fibre, I've had the emails confirming it was being switched on... then it appears to have disappeared off the checker...

[RedHodor]

Just to make matters even more confusing I tried the postcode/phone number checker again this morning out of sheer blind hope.

Imagine my surprise when it now says "good news our services are nearly in your area".....  again...

Yet according to one person making enquiries at virgin, they had no details of work to install service what so ever for our area...

[Client62]

Recent installation from Virgin Media tend to be RFoG.  

The initial work installs street cabinets - do you see those ?

Also service hatches at the boundary of the property containing an empty micro fibre tube.

Do you have a hatch similar to these at the boundary of your property ?  

[John_GS]

Hi @RedHodor 

I can see my colleague is helping you on PM. If you could respond to his PM that would be great 🙂

Best wishes.

[RedHodor]

There isnt a specific access point outside my home, but as luck would have it an engineer was there again over the weekend so I asked whether it was work for virgin underway.  He said yes it was, and they were just testing the links up to the cabinet up the street.

Confirmed that they had already installed to the pole outside my house (next to the junction box), and given the location of my property it would either likely come off the pole (that they have used to link over to the other side of the street to access the ducting over there), or possibly route a cable across the garden to the house - either way he was quite amused that Virgin apparently have no knowledge of fibre coming to the area any time soon, as he was in the process of installing it in the junction box in the pavement outside my boundary.

[Martyn]

It's annoying isn't it, you call Virgin trying to get some answers and nothing, even for my installation they had no idea that it would come from the pole, kept asking about my drive, next day it was being pulled in. I been following the installation of Virgin in my area for over a year now, and it seems like your getting your internet via the PIA system, which is over the Open Reach poles, (handy IMO, zero digging)

Do you have these on nearby poles?

when they get moved to the top, you're getting closer, keep a lookout for a rep nearby, they will go to certain areas trying to get people on to trial it, I have my install on Friday to trial this. I've added some pictures for you. Also I have a post over at ispreview https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/how-long-does-it-take-for-virgin-pia-installs.39218/

[RedHodor]

Hi,  Thanks for the info.  Yes - that first picture ouve posted of the black box - there is one of those now at the top of the pole that my current line comes from.

Although an install from the pole would be a lote easier, for aesthetics, id rather have a buried one.  We do conveniently already have a conduit route all the way to our home where the line could be installed.  If it has to be a cable from the pole then Id like to take it a different route to the current line, can prune any trees that may be in the way.

The only people Ive seen are engineers, and most recently the one working in the junction box next to the pole that now has the box on.  They were working quite late on it last night (well later than Id expect for contractors), didnt leave until around 7pm.  I assume they must be on some sort of deadline to be pulling those hours.

[Martyn]

Had my install cancelled due to external work not complete, yet my external work was complete 14/4 (as confirmed via the texts from virgin). 

you may end up seeing someone driving around in a virgin van, he might be offering trials out, which is what I'm on, although it's not looking good, now another 3 weeks wait, for them to say external work, still not completed, there internal systems must be shocking honestly. also you will have zero support/people to talk to about the any issues, normal customer services have zero clue, and you email people about the trial and they just pass it on? 4 days I've had zero response from anyone with half a clue of what it's going on, I've had virgin before, and it been ok, but it's the same thing with the support side of it that lets it down, I really thought this new network would get rid of that.