Cancel parents' virgin media

collideorscape

My dad has just gone into a care home, leaving my mum who is in her 90s and has never used a computer or a mobile phone. I found out they are paying 120 pounds a month (!) to Virgin Media for broadband and a landline. Quite apart from moral issues around miss-selling of this package in the first place, can anybody think how I can cancel it? Ideally, I want to cancel just the broadband so my mum can use her landline, but failing that the whole caboodle so she can go back to BT or something. My dad only ever used broadband for emails and looking things up online. My mum hasn't ever used it. Neither I nor they have access to any emails now. I cannot visit the house or my dad's care home, due to the lockdown. Neither I nor they have any idea about their Virgin Media username or password. I haven't found a way to email Virgin Media, and to modify or delete the account I need the username and password. Any ideas...?

Neil_Jones

collideorscape said:

My dad has just gone into a care home, leaving my mum who is in her 90s and has never used a computer or a mobile phone. I found out they are paying 120 pounds a month (!) to Virgin Media for broadband and a landline. Quite apart from moral issues around miss-selling of this package in the first place, can anybody think how I can cancel it? Ideally, I want to cancel just the broadband so my mum can use her landline, but failing that the whole caboodle so she can go back to BT or something. My dad only ever used broadband for emails and looking things up online. My mum hasn't ever used it. Neither I nor they have access to any emails now. I cannot visit the house or my dad's care home, due to the lockdown. Neither I nor they have any idea about their Virgin Media username or password. I haven't found a way to email Virgin Media, and to modify or delete the account I need the username and password. Any ideas...?

This "mis-selling" thing comes up quite regularly.  It also is quite not often "mis-selling".  If your parents were sound of mind when they agreed to pay that, that's up to them.  Not for Virgin to decide they're overpaying if they're happy to pay it.  And it sounds like they were.

A lot depends on who the account is in the name of.  But although you can't go into the house, if they have cordless phone nothing to stop you standing in the driveway with it and calling (I think) 150 from it?  If it gets cancelled somebody will have to speak to Virgin anyway.

OrbitHeadache

Reporting a Critical Illness for a Virgin Media account holder

We’re here to help. Simply call our dedicated team on 0800 952 2302.

Don’t worry if you’re not the account holder, we’ll still be able to help, but just make sure you have their details to hand when you call.

You can call us between 8am to 8pm Monday – Friday, and 9am - 5pm on Saturday. We’re not open on Sundays.

https://www.virginmedia.com/help/reporting-critical-illness-for-account-owner#:~:text=Media account holder-,Reporting a Critical Illness for a Virgin Media account holder,to hand when you call.

Appreciate the opening poster might not be referring to a critical illness but it might be worth ringing nonetheless, you don't even need to be the account holder to ring them.

Similar story below and the answer was to ring the critical illness team.
https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Managing-Your-Account-Cable/Parents-Account-Closure/td-p/4577581

Flash32

If your Dad was the account holder and you have Lasting Power of Attorney for your Dad, that could also be a way around the issue, depending on why he is in the care home (e.g. mental capacity).  So far as access is concerned, could you perhaps form a "bubble" with your Mum?  Or if someone else has, can you get them to ring Virgin (see PP) and ask your Mum to speak to them briefly to give them authority to talk with you?  I had to solve this issue when my Father died and I found most organisations quite willing to help.

Bigphil1474

OP, don't forget, someone can visit your mum at home. Whether it's you is up to you and your family, but the Regulations permit a support bubble for a vulnerable person living alone.