Virgin Media caused loss of BT

d-b_2

I am a landlord so dont regularly visit the house where I am responsible for phone and broadband - esp when overseas on holiday. So when I got an email saying that the BT is about to be cut off at midnight - which by the time I read it was too late to do anything about - and I would be charged for breaking contract (total, as had line rental saver, of about £180) I thought a tenant has applied to move. The house had been without BB and phone for a few days but no one had said. They'd had a virgin media router delivered with all the details for getting online but in the name of a completely unknown person. Can't get to talk to VM from home as we are with them and can't get past the automated system re our own account.
BT accepted the issue and promised I wont be charged for cancellation etc but can only start us up as new contract i.e. another 18 months, more expensive line rental saver and the worst thing is we have to wait over 3 weeks and make a special trip for an Openreach engineer.
So various time on phone and internet trying to sort things out, 2 trips and an afternoon with an engineer and over 3 weeks without a service which we should be providing. Two questions - how much compensation would be fair and how do we claim it and HOW DOES AN UNKNOWN PERSON HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO INTERCEPT OUR PHONE AND BB. Don't they check addresses and names?

diamonds

you been SLAMMED http://ask.ofcom.org.uk/help/telephone/ofcom_and_slamming

Buzby

You don't get compensation - just a credit for service not provided. It can even be a number transposition where he incorrect landline is being taken over - and you need to get BT's anti-slam team to look into this.

d-b_2

Thanks, strangely I'd not heard of slamming before but now see there's a lot of it about. But the new equipment and the account are not in my name and there is even the other persons bank details on the system for direct debit. Well, given that they'd given me the login details I took a look to make sure that in some way it was not being charged to my account. I think it's a genuine mistake but it should not be possible for an account in my name to be changed to one in someone elses. (VM won't deal with me re our home phone even if I were to give them security details as it is only in my husbands name).

d-b_2

And if a number transposition why do they have the correct address?

Ady87

Virgin could have taken over the wrong line by mistake. Are you the landlord of an apartment?

d-b_2

It's not an apartment it's an HMO with individual contracts. It seems once the request was made by Virgin BT couldn't deny it.