Switching from BT Broadband to Virgin - a bit confused with the process

Eirambler

Hi - my broadband contract with BT has just ended and having looked around at current offers I have decided to switch to the current MSE Virgin offer with the £100 credit (going to try and suffer their customer service as am used to poor service from BT at this stage anyway...)

My question is with the switching process away from an Openreach provider to Virgin. According to the Virgin website I need to cancel my old service with BT separately. Their switching page says:

"We recommend securing a Virgin Media broadband deal before cancelling your services with your current provider. This avoids any stress in looking for a new deal when your current one ends. We can always let you move your installation date if the cancellation period with your old provider goes on longer than you thought."

So after I signed up to the Virgin offer I phoned BT to cancel but the person at BT said that was the wrong thing to do and it would happen automatically as I'm taking my phone number with me as part of the switch. His advice was that putting through a cancellation over the phone would cause issues with this and I should leave it to Virgin to do the leg work for me. He did also note that Virgin hadn't contacted them yet, although it was only a couple of hours after I signed up so maybe not a huge surprise that they wouldn't have been in touch with BT that soon.

Is that information that he gave me correct? It's obviously easier if they will do it but that isn't what their website suggests and I don't want to end up paying for an extra 30 days BT service because they gave me the wrong advice.

Any help appreciated - thanks!

prowla

I would've expected the new provider to handle the transaction.

iniltous

Because Virgin Media is a totally separate network to Openreach ( which BT and pretty much everyone else use ) starting service on one network doesn’t automatically cease the service on the other , if porting the phone number it should cease the phone service , but not necessarily the broadband which doesn’t have to be tied to the phone number.
As your BT service is associated with a phone number and you are apparently going to take the number with you to VM , then it should cancel the BT service , the issues are when consumers move the other way , as VM broadband would likely stay and be charged for until separately ceased.
If you leave it to VM , then the notice is served by them , if VM don’t serve notice obviously the service remains until you cease it yourself, if you are fearful of paying for a month of unnecessary BT service , and simply give a date to BT to cease service yourself ( the date VM give you that VM will start ) and there is a delay from VM , you obviously will have no service , and no complaint that BT cut you off ‘early’ and potentially could mess  up the number port….BT haven’t misled you , if VM do their job properly, your BT service should stop on the day VM tell them, but obviously you won’t know for sure until that date arrives 

Eirambler

That's really helpful, thank you. I will just let Virgin progress things then and hopefully I will get a "sorry you're leaving" or similar email from BT in the next few days so that I know they've done it.