Virgin cut off my Dad's landline 30 days early......

FindMyWayBack

Hi, I am moving my elderly Dad from Virgin to BT, I today arranged the cancellation for 1st October so we could set up his new Internet and IP digital phone with BT.
All was arranged for disconnection on 1st Oct, we have confirmation email for disconnection on 1st Oct, so I picked up the phone to arrange the new service with BT literally about 5 minutes later and there was no dial tone, they had immediately cut it off. 
I rang Virgin on my mobile and they said they had cut off the copper line 30 days early and migrated him to digital. She said there was nothing they could do. He is now without a landline and obviously at 85 not very happy. I had deliberately allowed the 30 days to get BT up and running, to plan where the new router would be sited, and to purchase phones which will work with the router. 
I have left him with no landline and clearly upset.
We do have WhatsApp thank goodness.
So much for no elderly people will be left without a phone etc etc, he doesn't like change and I assured him I would make sure all this went smoothly, he doesn't understand how it works, thank goodness I do.
Has this happened to anyone else? How can they say 30 days and then just cut it off?

Ayr_Rage

If he has been migrated to VoIP then have Virgin supplied an adapter to plug in a handset ?

FindMyWayBack

No, because he was not due to be cut off for 30 days. I think you have missed the point. He would have remained on copper until then. He had an email from Virgin that he would go to VOIP in November, but he would have  left by then....

iniltous

We’re you porting the landline number from VM to BT or accepting a ‘new’ number from BT , if the number was being ported then you should leave contacting VM ( regarding the voice service) to BT , if the phone number was unimportant , ( and not being ported ) personally I would have got the BT service in and working first before contacting VM to cancel their all their services

FindMyWayBack

Not porting number. Needed to get a cut off date from VM to arrange suitable start date with BT so there would be slight overlap. 30 days arranged for cut off, have email saying it, 5 mins later...cut off.

jackieblack

Yes, over the last few years Virgin have done the same thing to me, my brother, and my neighbour - I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s their standard practice. Trying to get them to rectify it is a waste of breath, energy and detrimental to blood pressure. Mind you, to be fair, I also know people who have experienced the same when moving away from BT so it may be common practice industry wide…

Promising it would all go smoothly… I take it you’re one of life’s optimists 😁

Would BT be able to bring the start date for the new service forward at all?

iniltous

Because of anecdotal evidence that providers cut lines off immediately when they are advised  by the renter ( rather than another provider ) that their service is no longer wanted , and although it shouldn’t be necessary, I wouldn’t let the old provider know you are leaving , until the new service is in and working, especially if it’s a different network being installed , because even if the old network doesn’t cut you off early, the new network installation could also be delayed , it’s an unnecessary expense but should ensure no break in access.
The losing provider hardly has any disincentive to make the leaving customer ‘happy’ , the punter is leaving anyway , so if they ‘mess up’ the date , what’s the penalty ? the customer that was leaving anyway , and in a couple of years , if that network is being considered again , this episode is probably not going to be sufficient reason not to rejoin , it’s more likely to be price , or poor service  from the ‘new network in the preceding few years .
I’m not condoning this behaviour, it should happen, but because it frequently does,  a cautious approach is recommended