Best strategy for virgin to BT switch?

hiohaa

scenario: currently have virgin media 50mb. 12 months left on the contract. Moving to an area where VM don't supply fibre optic - but BT do (infinity).

VM tell me when I move the current contract is torn up and would be replaced with a new 12 month contract. I have no issue with the cancellation fees for the landline contract as its much lower (i think its something like 8 quid a month around there so i'd only have to pay 100 odd quid to cancel - a small price to pay if i want 25mbps internet with BT, instead of 6mbps normal ADSL speed with VM)

What should i do? Move house, stay with VM, then cancel as soon as I'm moved in?

Or once I've moved in with my new VM landline contract, phone BT instead and get myself switched over to BT?

is there any best way to do this?

Mark_In_Hampshire

If you move with Virgin Media you'll be on a 12 month contract at your new property and thus won't be able to migrate to a FTTC service from BT or anyone else unless you want to pay off the balance. Which is a full 12 months.

So if you have less than 12 months to run where you are, I'd presume it's cheaper to cancel now, not have them involved with the home move, pay off the balance of whatever it is, and then contact whichever provider you want to go with for the fibre service at your new address to get the phone line and VDSL (fibre based service) set up there.

hiohaa

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

If you move with Virgin Media you'll be on a 12 month contract at your new property and thus won't be able to migrate to a FTTC service from BT or anyone else unless you want to pay off the balance. Which is a full 12 months.

I know............i realised this in my original post.

Mark_In_Hampshire wrote: »

So if you have less than 12 months to run where you are, I'd presume it's cheaper to cancel now

*sigh* i thought i'd made the scenario as clear cut as possible. i give up with forums.

bod1467

To be fair, the two options you make in your original post sound like just the same thing? In other words not options but the same thing written differently. Mark was actually making it clear that you do have another option, which is to cancel with VM before/when you move (not AFTER you move). That way you won't be in a NEW contract with VM and will only have to pay up the remainder of your CURRENT contract.

Note: You'll likely still be liable for the remainder of your VM fibre contract when you move, even if you take up a new phone contract with them. (Unless VM have told you differently, in which case taking a new phone-only contract may give you the cheapest exit cost).

Another note - at your new property you will still need a phone line (thus rental) to be able to get BT Infinity, as it is only Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), not to the home. The last stretch of the signal comes over your phone like, just like ADSL. (It's faster because the last stretch of phone line is far shorter than the whole line to the exchange).

I hope you find this reply useful, and that your mood has improved.

Mark_In_Hampshire

To be fair I didn't read that properly. It's odd as I remember scanning to see how long was left. Anyway - where you're moving to:

If you want BT Infnity I have a feeling you have to have BT line rental. So if you move with Virgin you then need to immediately break a 12 month contract. In that respect the original advice applies.

If you want Fibre to the cabinet with someone else other than BT - just as one example Aquiss - then I believe you can have line rental from someone else. What you would need to clarify with Virgin Media is if they can move you, then stop just the broadband, so you can switch just that, and keep the line rental with them. But it strikes me that then you're still breaking a 12 month contract just in that example for only one of the two services.

If you were not going to keep anything with VM then I don't see the point of moving with them since it immediately limits your options. It strikes me as "cleaner" to start afresh with whatever new configuration you want.

macman

You can't 'switch' from VM to Infinity-it runs on a different network.
To get BT Infinity, you'll need to get a standard BT ASDSL landline installed at the property (or reconnected if a line is already physically installed).