Virgin to ‘Openreach’

ntgreen

I’m currently on a deal with Virgin Media and paying £55 per month for the cheapest line,tv,broadband and weekend calls package.  Virgin are offering this to new customers for £33 per month, £22 per month less than I am paying, they will not offer me this package.

Prior to moving to Virgin I was with BT but I have an out of date terminal box in my property.  In the recent past I have been able to plug a phone into the box and obtain a dial tone, but no longer.  I have checked with a number of companies who use the Openreach service, including BT, but none will give me a quote without me first signing a contract.  I need a quote because I don’t want Openreach digging up my drive to lay a new cable, I need to be assured they can connect with the existing point in my home.

Given the potential issues with moving from Virgin to the  Openreach network (and vice versa) it seems unreasonable to be unable to obtain an alternative quotation without first cancelling my Virgin contract. 

Can Anyone help?

littleboo

If you have had a BT line in the past, then the lack of dial tone will be because the "pair" somewhere in the path between you and exchange has been re-used for someone else. The bit on your property wont be the problem unless its been damaged or happened to go faulty on that short part of the total path.

The_Fat_Controller

BTOR don't cut the cable to a property, it just gets disconnected at a cabinet or in the exchange.

Browntoa

It never actually still worked , it was "soft dial tone" to enable a new owner to ring BT to get connected. 

It remains working like that until the pairs to the exchange are reused.

You are looking at a new line install which does not need any digging up of your drive

dobbiesloan

The scum are charging me twice price for half the speed as they are offering newbies, They took away my discounts know that I could not leave during lockdown as I could no get a BT line fitted and made me sign an 18 month contract. Get away from them as soon as you can .

ntgreen

Thanks all, I get the point about the link at the cabinet being given to someone else.  The main issue for me is why I can’t get a quote until I sign a contract!

Rodders53

A Quote - firm price for the "new line"/"reconnection of old line" can't always be provided without an investigation and check by Openreach... that costs...

Talk Talk publish their fees and charge £60 for a new line (that you need) or takeover of an existing line...  Can't get much clearer than that?  https://community.talktalk.co.uk/t5/Articles/Our-pricing/ta-p/2212258

Other ISPs probably publish the fees in a similar way?

One or two may even do a free new line install?

ntgreen

Of course it costs!  All companies incur costs when giving quotations, it’s all part of running a business.  I’m not aware of other companies who expect you to sign a contract before you know the costs involved.
As an aside, it wouldn’t take Openreach two minutes to check the line at the cabinet.  They’ve had it too easy for too long, we need a regulator with teeth.

onomatopoeia99

ntgreen said:

As an aside, it wouldn’t take Openreach two minutes to check the line at the cabinet.  They’ve had it too easy for too long, we need a regulator with teeth.

You don't, and won't, have a contractual relationship with Openreach.  They are not answerable to you, at all.
If the pair from your house is disconnected at the cabinet then the only way to check it is to send someone out in a van to reconnect it and then run tests.  That takes more than two minutes.  But I expect you to come and explain to me how it can be done in two minutes now to back up your assertion.