Virgin Media and phone lines

Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you
take another service like broadband? In this day and age they should be
providing a voip-capable cpe. Besides, I only want cable as a second
internet connection. I'll keep the DSL line as a backup, and for that I
need a phone line anyway, not that I use it.

(insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
when it's only fttc)

On 10/06/10 13:01, Chris Hills wrote:
> Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you
> take another service like broadband? In this day and age they should be
> providing a voip-capable cpe. Besides, I only want cable as a second
> internet connection. I'll keep the DSL line as a backup, and for that I
> need a phone line anyway, not that I use it.
>
> (insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
> when it's only fttc)

Well, I had a broadband only connect to virgin, but I cancelled it as it
got too expensive. I thought that they had now gone back to allowing a
bb only connection.

On 10/06/2010 13:22, Ian Pawson wrote:
> Well, I had a broadband only connect to virgin, but I cancelled it as it
> got too expensive. I thought that they had now gone back to allowing a
> bb only connection.

They do allow it, but it costs more than if you get it bundled phone line.

On 10/06/10 13:36, Chris Hills wrote:
> On 10/06/2010 13:22, Ian Pawson wrote:
>> Well, I had a broadband only connect to virgin, but I cancelled it as it
>> got too expensive. I thought that they had now gone back to allowing a
>> bb only connection.
>
> They do allow it, but it costs more than if you get it bundled phone line.

Just been into the Virgin Media shop - they will supply any broadband on
its own. The 50meg is £38 with a 12 month contract and £41 with a phone
line.

Chris Hills <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you
> take another service like broadband? In this day and age they should be
> providing a voip-capable cpe.

It's because they give you an almost-free phone line, but omit to mention
the calls on it are really expensive.

Theo

"Ian Pawson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:huqlee$6ik$(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 10/06/10 13:01, Chris Hills wrote:
>> Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you
>> take another service like broadband? In this day and age they should be
>> providing a voip-capable cpe. Besides, I only want cable as a second
>> internet connection. I'll keep the DSL line as a backup, and for that I
>> need a phone line anyway, not that I use it.
>>
>> (insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
>> when it's only fttc)
>
> Well, I had a broadband only connect to virgin, but I cancelled it as it
> got too expensive. I thought that they had now gone back to allowing a bb
> only connection.

When I asked (and it wasn't called VM then) I was told that as a new
customer they would only connect me if I took a minimum of two services as
they didn't have enough lines available in the "street cabinets" to connect
everyone in the street.

tim

"Chris Hills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:huqk80$u8p$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you take
> another service like broadband?

You don't *have* to, but they make it just as expensive not to. Which, I
agree, is not really very good at all.

> (insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
> when it's only fttc)

And yet they have been cleared (by the ASA or whoever) to do so.

--
Carl Waring

On 11/06/2010 09:55, Carl Waring wrote:
>> (insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
>> when it's only fttc)
>
> And yet they have been cleared (by the ASA or whoever) to do so.

I was one of the complainants. I am unhappy that they rejected my
complaint. I was not aware of any appeal procedures. Maybe the E.U. has
some kind of body governing it.

On 11/06/2010 09:55, Carl Waring wrote:
> "Chris Hills" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:huqk80$u8p$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Why is it VM still want you to sign up for a phone line whenever you
>> take another service like broadband?
>
> You don't *have* to, but they make it just as expensive not to. Which, I
> agree, is not really very good at all.
>
>> (insert rant about VM still advertising fibre-optic consumer broadband
>> when it's only fttc)
>
> And yet they have been cleared (by the ASA or whoever) to do so.
>
Well, they would be OK because their network is and always has been fibre.
As long as they don't say *fibre all the way to the premises* then what
they say is correct, even though the last few metres are co-ax.

George

"Woody" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> As a former NTL employee (we were sold off) we got broadband at
> half price. When we left I decided to keep with NTL and now VM
> feed as, despite the apparent complaining of many, the service is
> solid, reliable and fast.

I would have agreed with yuou until about 6 weeks ago.

> I then had 2Mb, I now have 10Mb for the same price.

My 10 Mb service is now behaving worse than a 2 Mb one. Looking at the VM
forums shows this is not rare.

> All in all not a bad deal really - so long as I remember not to
> make any weekday phone calls!!

If you route your daytime calls via 18185 it's much cheaper. You need to
dial an 'access' number starting 0808... before every call, then dial the
full national number for the call concerned then a #, but 18185's service
does then tell you what the cost of that call will be in pence per minute.
From VM's point of view the call is just a freefone 0808 one.

With the access number and friends' numbers all stored on buttons on the
phone, this isn't as much of a hassle as I expected.

--
Jeremy C B Nicoll - my opinions are my own.

Email sent to my from-address will be deleted. Instead, please reply
to (E-Mail Removed) replacing "aaa" by "284".