Advice about Virgin cancellation following bereavement

JELLYBABY_2

Hello all, 

Hoping someone here can help please. 

Sadly my husband died recently and I still haven't updated our Virgin broadband only contract. It is in his name only but I still have access to his emails. We only had Virgin fibre installed in August last year so the contract runs until Feb 26, then doubles in price. It's M250 fibre broadband. I don't work from home, there's only me here now so I don't need mega fast anything. The payment comes out of what was our joint account, which is now in my name only so that is straightforward. 

From what I understand I can easily transfer the existing package into my own name. However, this would mean I would then not qualify to get a new customer contract and I certainly don't want to pay over £60 per month for broadband only come February! 

My other option is to cancel the contract outright, which means I have to return equipment then apply after 30 days (is this right?) to get my own contract - this seems to be the best course of action from what I've read online, due to lots of people being less than happy with Virgin' customer service actioning agreed changes etc or simply answering. 

So I know 'how' to contact them but not which option to choose for the best and the least hassle. 

My problem with the 2nd option is I will have a gap in internet of 30 days, unless I've completely misunderstood the process. What do I do in the meantime? I need to be able to get emails etc due to so many companies etc still contacting me re: the bereavement plus I can't be without the distraction of TV over Christmas this year. 

How easy is it to get a hotspot thingy going on with my mobile? Or does it need to be a second mobile? You can see how a lot of this goes straight over my head, I am finding it very confusing. 

If anyone can make sense of the above and suggest something relatively simple I would be really grateful. It's essentially a what would you do I suppose. 

Thanks  

Ms_Chocaholic

Hi

Sorry to hear of your bereavement.  

I'm with Virgin on this package too.  How much are you currently paying? If it's reasonable it's worth continuing with it until the end of the contract and give 30 days notice to cancel (it might be 31 days, you will need to double check).  At that point I would contact them and negotiate a new deal, when we initially took out our broadband it was £38 pcm for this package but on renewal it's now only £24 with an increase to £26 next April and then £28 in April 2027.

I've heard stories about the poor customer service too but when I re-negotiated my contract about two months ago I just did it via chat on the app and it was easy and they were helpful.  Bear in mind that you hear more about negative reviews, people who have positive experiences tend not to leave reviews.

Detail_Merchant

Sorry for your loss.

I did read this article recently - https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/11/virgin-media-transfer-account

In the article someone in a similar situation says "I was told I would have to cancel the existing contract and wait 14 days before signing up to a new deal."
But then later in the article, after Virgin Media were contacted by the paper: "It transpires you should have been able to close the old account and start a new deal with potential service interruption of an hour, not 14 days."

I think the 14 days thing is just scare tactics that they say. But in your situation I might be tempted to leave things as they are until about a month before the price is due to double, and then get in touch, explaining then situation and potentially giving notice to leave. Quite likely after a day or two they will call back and you should be able to get a good deal then, potentially even cheaper than a new customer deal.

JSmithy45AD

Sorry for your loss.

As the post above says, just give them a call when you're around a month from the end. Don't forget that there are other suppliers and if you don't use it much then 75Mbps or so up will more than suit you. I'd be looking for around £20 a month from anyone.

JELLYBABY_2

Thank you all. 

Ms_Chocaholic

I am paying just over £30 per month until February when it doubles. So I would be happy enough to continue until then if I can negotiate successfully. You are right about happy people not leaving reviews, I think I was trying too hard to make sure I'm doing the right thing. 

Detail_Merchant
Ah I saw that Guardian headline but assumed it would be blocked so didn't click on it! That will be very useful if they become difficult, so thank you, I've saved it. 
Obviously broadband providers was low on my priorities but have been worried I'd put it off for a bit and got to thinking they might wonder/question why I hadn't let them know already. 

JSmithy45AD 
We used to be with Sky, who we, well I, have a package with currently, that's next on the list the be reduced. So I've seen they could provide me with broadband for about £20 like you say, so I could quote that to Virgin I guess if they don't offer me a good enough deal. 

I really appreciate you all responding to reassure me. I feel a little lighter this evening.