Engineer connected Virgin line to BT box

Snooky2 · 16-06-2008, 15:41

Hi, I'm new to these forums but I see some VM techs post here so maybe someone can give me some advice.

I've had cable broadband from NTL and then Virgin for years and always been very happy with it.

Because it was so good I decided to go for Virgin for my home landline as well (currently with BT). Virgin would transfer my existing home number from BT to their system so I could keep the number.

So the engineer turns up and asked where I wanted the phone socket. I asked, is there any chance you can actually connect the Virgin line into the main BT input to the house (little round metal box on the outside wall of the house) so that I can use my existing phone sockets and you don't have to route a new one inside the house ?

He said yes, no problem, in fact it was much easier for him as he was running behind.

Then a thought occurred to me and I told him no, that won't work because as soon as you connect it my original BT number will have no phone connected and I'll have to wait 2 weeks or whatever until BT get round to transferring the number, during which time no-one will be able to contact me or my wife on the number they all have for us.

He said no, as soon as he finishes the job he rings back to base and the BT number will be transferred within 2 hours. I checked twice that he was really saying this, as I'd heard that number ports take weeks. He confirmed it each time. Sounded great so I left him to it.

Sure enough, 4 hours later, the BT number still isn't transferred. So I ring Virgin Media Customer Services and get through to India. They tell me the number port is scheduled for 24 June (i.e. 11 days after the install) and the technician shouldn't have promised that.

I happened to have the tech's mobile number so I rang him and he confirmed what he'd promised me, that the number should get transferred within a couple of hours.

Anyway to cut a long story slightly short, after ringing Virgin customer services many times I'm no further forward. Each time I call, the CS rep agrees to do something and get back to me. Each time they never do. I know people said NTL customer service was appalling (I never found that, the few times I rang them) but this is a different world.

So, firstly - if there are any VM techs out there, was my engineer just spinning me a yarn to get the installation done quickly ? He made it sound like he'd done it many times before and it would work fine.

Secondly, does anyone have any VM contacts I can speak to who might actually look into it properly and try and do something for me rather than promising things they will never actually do ?

Finally, does anyone else have any suggestions (apart from "wait till the number port happens on June 24") ?

I'm soooooo p****ed off with VM at the moment I feel like cancelling all my services with them - and would do, except that the cable broadband was excellent and far better than many of my friends ADSL connections.

All help gratefully received

chickendippers · 16-06-2008, 16:40

When my g/f switched to a VM line their number was ported whilst the installation engineer was there.

WHISTLED · 16-06-2008, 17:10

Even if the port was rescheduled it would take 7 days so not much can do as far as bringing that forward. He shouldnt have rewired the BT master socket as its BT property.

Call CS, complain to installs and say you need someone back out to fix the problem.

BenMcr · 16-06-2008, 17:15

As for how long number ports take, it depends if sales do their jobs right.

Transfer of numbers CAN be done on the same day as the install if the sales agent request it. All that would mean is the install would have to take place at least 7 working days after order (to take account the lead time).

However if for any reason they don't (to get an earlier install date) or forget, then it will take 7 working days to transfer across.

At no point should a VM tech stop another companies service working whether it is phone from BT or TV from Sky

Mcawley · 16-06-2008, 20:20

This is similar to the problem I have. The engineer came to install everything, did all the work inside the house, went to connect to the street box and found there was a fault in the line from the house to the box. He arranged for a construction crew to come and repull the line, but managed to flag the job as completed so a number port went through a day or 2 later our original BT line went dead. Finally after 2 weeks the construction crew came, repulled the line and a new engineer connected the internet and TV. He was unable to connect the phone due to not 'having the settings' with him. So until Wednesday when another engineer is due, we will have had no landline whatsoever for nearly 3 weeks!!

Snooky2 · 17-06-2008, 09:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by WHISTLED

Even if the port was rescheduled it would take 7 days so not much can do as far as bringing that forward. He shouldnt have rewired the BT master socket as its BT property.

Call CS, complain to installs and say you need someone back out to fix the problem.

I already called them and they say there's nothing they can do. I was hoping someone on these forums might know some kind of shortcut or special contacts which would let me get them to fix it quickly.

As far as rewiring the BT box, the engineer didn't do it against my will, it was actually my preferred choice. I didn't know he wasn't allowed to do it though...

APS · 17-06-2008, 12:18

What he did might not have been illegal, as it depends who paid for the original wiring in the house. I know this because I have a newish house that was wired by the builders throughout with telephone sockets - at my expense as ultimately I paid for it in the price of the house. Cables were installed to the front of the house both by BT and NTL. When I took over the BT cable was connected (but not functional) to the telecon junction outside the house. I went with NTL (partly because BT wanted to charge 99 GBP for connection) and told the engineer to unwire the BT wire and connect his line directly to the internal wiring.

Somewhile later a BT salesman visited and grumbled that NTL should not have done that. I asked him did BT pay for the wiring in my house, which they had not, so he went away and I haven't heard from them since.

APS

BenMcr · 17-06-2008, 12:49

That is different though, because the BT line was not connected.

If BT (or another BT based provider) has an active line in a property, Virgin cannot disconnect the Master Socket from that line. They HAVE to install their own.

motion · 17-06-2008, 16:18

We dont connect to bt's master socket. Our procedure is to install a virgin master socket next to the bt if needed. We can however take the bt extensions and plug them into our master socket to enable you to have virgin throughout your house. Bt supply a service whereby even if you are disconnected you can still dial emergency services, virgin dont provision for this on there disconnected fones. This is why we install a new master and leave the bt master in situ.
Bt number ports can be done instantly whilst we are there, unless the date of install has been brought forward then the port over will be the original install day. Engineers are not responsible for the port over and we are not told what day the port is booked for. We install and dial the bt exchange and request the number be moved, usually take about 15mins providing there are no "other" issues.

Graham M · 17-06-2008, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by motion

We dont connect to bt's master socket.

Yes you do (maybe not "you" personally, but, you did it here in my house. Leaving me liable for an install charge if we ever want BT back.

motion · 17-06-2008, 16:35

heh sorry let me re-phrase.

we shouldnt disconnet the bt master but install our next to it.

bad use of the word dont on my part. Sorry

Graham M · 17-06-2008, 16:37

No worries, it does happen however unfortunately for some

Snooky2 · 17-06-2008, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by motion

We dont connect to bt's master socket. Our procedure is to install a virgin master socket next to the bt if needed. We can however take the bt extensions and plug them into our master socket to enable you to have virgin throughout your house. Bt supply a service whereby even if you are disconnected you can still dial emergency services, virgin dont provision for this on there disconnected fones. This is why we install a new master and leave the bt master in situ.
Bt number ports can be done instantly whilst we are there, unless the date of install has been brought forward then the port over will be the original install day. Engineers are not responsible for the port over and we are not told what day the port is booked for. We install and dial the bt exchange and request the number be moved, usually take about 15mins providing there are no "other" issues.

Well I wish you'd come to do my install. The guy who did it definitely put it straight into the BT box on the outside wall of the house (black cylindrical thing with a "lid" that unscrews) - I saw him do it!

He never mentioned that he could install a separate Virgin master socket AND connect that to all my indoors BT sockets.

Having said all that, I don't feel I can criticise the chap who did the install too much - he was very polite and friendly and appeared to be trying to achieve what I needed, which was for the Virgin line to feed all my existing sockets yet still be able to use my previous BT number post-install. It's just that what he obviously expected to happen (and may well have happened every time he did it before) clearly didn't happen this time.

I even called him on his mobile later on to double check that he really meant what he said. He sounded baffled that the number port hadn't happened and apologised but said it was with the porting dept and beyond his control.

I kind of see both sides but it doesn't help me at all.

I'm interested to hear you confirm what he seemed to claiming about the same-day number ports. This is clearly what the engineer was referring to, although Virgin Media customer services vehemently deny that such a thing could ever happen. I wonder if you know any way that I can get this to be done for me, i.e. get them to contact BT and have the port done tomorrow, for example ?

Feeling very very frustrated over something that really should have been very simple

My previously good opinion of Virgin Media (based, admittedly, on a long, reliable broadband service from NTL and then VM) has been severely dented.

motion · 17-06-2008, 17:05

i can only speak really for the area i do, which is cambridgeshire, but you should be able to fone CS and get them to to get in contact with bt and see if they can move your port to an earlier day. We did used to have to wait 7-10 days for the numbers to move over and it usually did itself automatically. There are lead times for number ports and generally they do try to conicide the install with the number port.
Sorry i cant provide a number for you to fone with regards to this, all i can suggest is another call to CS, but you should be able to get a date for the number port, or maybe try BT's CS.

hairy_mick · 17-06-2008, 17:28

christ m8 you need to get back on the phone to VM what they have done is not legal they could be fined for what the engineer has done something to with Telecomms act you should not be without phone as you will still be paying BT rental also if you decided to go back to BT that will be 150 quid please.