Virgin broadband nightmare

jk451

Hi

I have just moved to a flatshare in Edinburgh and unfortunately the previous Virgin Media broadband account was in the name of one of the previous flatmates who cancelled it without transferring it onto the flatmate that stayed. So basically we have no internet and I have to contect to the internet by tethering via my phone (I have 250 MB limit).

So I called Virgin to set it up again and they initially said they would be able to send the new box tomorrow as the broadband was previously working fine until the 31 April when it stopped due to cancellation. However then they came back and said their system won't allow it saying they need to send a technician with it. No matter how much I tried, they said their system literally won't allow them to send the box until the technican comes even though it was working fine 2 days ago.

So the first possible date when the technician can come and we will be at home is Saturday in a week's time and being for such a long time without internet is crazy.

Do you have a recommendation for any other providers that could set it up sooner possibly? Otherwise I guess I better get an unlimited data booster for my phone...

Thanks

macman

If you have a cable line, then VM is the only game in town. Any other ADSL broadband service will require a BT-based landline to be installed. Which normally requires a 3-4 week lead time.
Saturday week is just 4 working days away, is that really a 'nightmare'? It used to take up to 6 months to get BT to install a line back in the '70's...those were the days.

spud17

macman,

Times have changed, looks like there are now 31 days in April.

jk451

Well Saturday is 8 calendar days away so yes 8 days without internet is pretty much a disaster but I guess there is not much I can do other than try to convince neighbours to let me in on theirs temporarily.

jb66

No broadband for a whole week! How will you survive!


LOL 1 week is a very good timescale, bt and is around 3 weeks.

Roland_Sausage

Having to go 8 days without an internet connection is hardly a "nightmare" is it?

Go and buy a PAYG 3G dongle if it is that much of a disaster. And get some perpective.

macman

You said that Saturday would be the first day you could be home-so that presumably wipes out the 4 working days next week when you are unavailable and they are?
Even VM engineers are entitled to their bank holidays and weekends off.

jk451

To be clear - by disaster I mean something pretty unpleasant, obviously I am not going to die without internet, but I am pretty much dependent on it for most of serious things (besides non-series ones). Especially now for buying all the new junk like rugs etc I need after I've moved in.

Anyways well Saturday is the first day I can be in the whole day. I.e. I will be working in during the day and back in the evenings and at work I do pretty much exclusively work only i.e. no browsing for personal needs.

I am just going to buy a 500 MB payG SIM from t-mobile for 5 pounds and that should carry me over...

DontGiveUp2011

I'm sending you sympathies re no internet - i need it for work, and without it I am stuck. 8 days does seem like a lifetime - those that don't use it everyday just don't understand

Having been through this with Virgin Media, I can say, don't rely on their info, we were told 2 weeks for an engineer to come out when we first ordered broadband. This turned into a loooooooong running saga of 3 months! Including 2 engineers turning up but 'due to a van parked on the cable point' they were unable to do anything and left, never to return.
(Incidentally the van driver that they said was refusing to move his vehicle, didn't know anything about them when I spoke to him. He agreed to move the van no problem.)

Eventually we ditched Virgin altogether and went with Sky, who sent the most professional engineer possible - he was here for 4 hours (we have an old complex building) and we have been trouble free ever since. Highly recommend Sky customer service too.

Good luck, and stick to your guns, I hope you get sorted soon

jk451

Thanks, I will check Sky out. To make life easier, my phone has died today morning so while earlier I could connect via tethering, now I had to buy a wireless dongle for 30 pounds. It's going amazing so far...