Virgin Media pre-installation
Discussion
Has anyone had much experience with this?
Currently renovating an old mid-terrace before moving in, probably in a few months time. The house doesn't have, and hasn't previously had, proper internet, only an old phone line and mobile / 4G internet.
Plan is to have VM fibre when I'm in the house, so I don't need it setup yet, but knowing it will likely need installing to the property (which may require digging / drilling, an some general mess) I wanted to hopefully get this part sorted while the house is in it's current state.
Trying to get this across to VM online chat was somewhat difficult, but we eventually came to the conclusion / agreement that I sign up for whatever package I want, book an engineer installation (£30) 'close to the move-in date' or as far ahead as possible, then call the pre-installation team to arrange a visit to assess the installation options / method. If that presents any issues, I can move the installation date forward further, or cancel altogether (worse case obviously).
Ideally I would just want the pre-installation done before signing up for the package, as I'd like to know exactly how and if they can install it to the property, but this wasn't possible 'without being a customer'.
Trouble is I've read some iffy stories on the customer forums about the pre-installation work, ranging from turning up unannounced and digging a trench through a garden, to declaring the installation too difficult and delaying the install for 6 months...
So has anyone dealt with this pre-install team and managed to get an 'inspection' done prior to the actual installation and setup of the service?
Currently renovating an old mid-terrace before moving in, probably in a few months time. The house doesn't have, and hasn't previously had, proper internet, only an old phone line and mobile / 4G internet.
Plan is to have VM fibre when I'm in the house, so I don't need it setup yet, but knowing it will likely need installing to the property (which may require digging / drilling, an some general mess) I wanted to hopefully get this part sorted while the house is in it's current state.
Trying to get this across to VM online chat was somewhat difficult, but we eventually came to the conclusion / agreement that I sign up for whatever package I want, book an engineer installation (£30) 'close to the move-in date' or as far ahead as possible, then call the pre-installation team to arrange a visit to assess the installation options / method. If that presents any issues, I can move the installation date forward further, or cancel altogether (worse case obviously).
Ideally I would just want the pre-installation done before signing up for the package, as I'd like to know exactly how and if they can install it to the property, but this wasn't possible 'without being a customer'.
Trouble is I've read some iffy stories on the customer forums about the pre-installation work, ranging from turning up unannounced and digging a trench through a garden, to declaring the installation too difficult and delaying the install for 6 months...
So has anyone dealt with this pre-install team and managed to get an 'inspection' done prior to the actual installation and setup of the service?
It's unlikely you'll get them to do anything without putting in an order and thus being a (potential) customer.
Is is cable or fibre in the street ? Underground or overhead, if fibre ? If underground, is there a termination point outside the house ? What's between the front of the house and the street (garden, yard, ?) ? Do any of your neighbours have VM so you could see how theirs is installed ?
If you're already doing renovations, then installing your own cable duct, where you want it, would seem to be the obvious solution.
I can't remember all the details as to how I agreed this, so this isn't much help, but I had something along those lines done by Virgin.
We were doing a bungalow conversion (more like complete re-build). I wanted the cables brought to the house so they could be hidden under the driveway/planters at front of house, but this had to happen before the internals were ready. Virgin did the install in two parts.
- Pull cable from street to front of house and left coiled up.
- Bring into house and complete install.
We also had a two box/two room setup. I got the electrician to run the cables to the second room, rather than Virgin trying to do it once all the walls and ceilings were finished.
We were doing a bungalow conversion (more like complete re-build). I wanted the cables brought to the house so they could be hidden under the driveway/planters at front of house, but this had to happen before the internals were ready. Virgin did the install in two parts.
- Pull cable from street to front of house and left coiled up.
- Bring into house and complete install.
We also had a two box/two room setup. I got the electrician to run the cables to the second room, rather than Virgin trying to do it once all the walls and ceilings were finished.
outnumbered said:
It's unlikely you'll get them to do anything without putting in an order and thus being a (potential) customer.
Is is cable or fibre in the street ? Underground or overhead, if fibre ? If underground, is there a termination point outside the house ? What's between the front of the house and the street (garden, yard, ?) ? Do any of your neighbours have VM so you could see how theirs is installed ?
If you're already doing renovations, then installing your own cable duct, where you want it, would seem to be the obvious solution.
Yeah that's completely understandable, it's just the way the person in the chat (forgivably probably just a salesperson) was describing the process, it was essentially 'sign up to a package and it will be installed how and when we decide'... I guess because I've been having quotes from different trades recently at the house, I was hoping it'd more like those - 'this is how, where and why we'd do X and Y, and it will cost you Z, let us know if you want to go ahead'..Is is cable or fibre in the street ? Underground or overhead, if fibre ? If underground, is there a termination point outside the house ? What's between the front of the house and the street (garden, yard, ?) ? Do any of your neighbours have VM so you could see how theirs is installed ?
If you're already doing renovations, then installing your own cable duct, where you want it, would seem to be the obvious solution.
I will go and have another look around the street, there doesn't appear to be any evidence of recent installation work to this or the attached cottages either side. I'll speak to the neighbours though to see what their set up is.
James6112 said:
When mine was installed many years ago, the installer just used a spade to cut a slot through the lawn, about 2” deep, the cable exiting into the border at lawn edge cutter height..
I’d put a duct in, will be 100x better than the method they used here!(now Toob fibre from the pole)
The house is down below road level, this is why I wanted someone to essentially come and survey the installation first before having to sign up for a broadband package... I don't want to in the direction of 'install by any means necessary'...I’d put a duct in, will be 100x better than the method they used here!(now Toob fibre from the pole)
This is the house / location for reference:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/nh9adZSdUGwqiswq6
John D. said:
I can't remember all the details as to how I agreed this, so this isn't much help, but I had something along those lines done by Virgin.
We were doing a bungalow conversion (more like complete re-build). I wanted the cables brought to the house so they could be hidden under the driveway/planters at front of house, but this had to happen before the internals were ready. Virgin did the install in two parts.
- Pull cable from street to front of house and left coiled up.
- Bring into house and complete install.
We also had a two box/two room setup. I got the electrician to run the cables to the second room, rather than Virgin trying to do it once all the walls and ceilings were finished.
That sounds like essentially what I want to achieve! Take it from the box / road / path to the house (the messy work); let us crack on with the internals, decorating, finishing etc. then connect and set it up. If it's a few months between those two stages I don't really want to be paying for a service I'm not using..We were doing a bungalow conversion (more like complete re-build). I wanted the cables brought to the house so they could be hidden under the driveway/planters at front of house, but this had to happen before the internals were ready. Virgin did the install in two parts.
- Pull cable from street to front of house and left coiled up.
- Bring into house and complete install.
We also had a two box/two room setup. I got the electrician to run the cables to the second room, rather than Virgin trying to do it once all the walls and ceilings were finished.
Edited by smithyithy on Thursday 9th January 15:07
Am I right that Virgin generally uses coax cable for the line in, before the modem? If so, your sparky might be able to run a load of it themselves.
We did similar with Sky a few months back on our back-to-brick renovation. Unfortunately it was FTTH but basically Openreach came and worked with the builders to get the run of the fibre right and tidy. But I did have to sign up to Sky a few months before we moved back in, as they wouldn't do anything without a live contract of course.
We did similar with Sky a few months back on our back-to-brick renovation. Unfortunately it was FTTH but basically Openreach came and worked with the builders to get the run of the fibre right and tidy. But I did have to sign up to Sky a few months before we moved back in, as they wouldn't do anything without a live contract of course.
That's exactly why I wanted to have the pre-install visit done that way tbh..
I need to wait for the account to be confirmed and then I can contact the pre-installation team.. The installation is booked for a few weeks time but that's just a placeholder so I could finalise the order... Once someone's been to actually inspect and agree the options / method then I can work around that
I need to wait for the account to be confirmed and then I can contact the pre-installation team.. The installation is booked for a few weeks time but that's just a placeholder so I could finalise the order... Once someone's been to actually inspect and agree the options / method then I can work around that
119 said:
I believe new installs are now fibre but I think that depends on what is installed outside the house in the network?
Yes, they obviously have to upgrade their infrastructure from the original Coax cable to fibre, and you'll only be offered what's installed in the street.Around here, a whole load of new small green VM cabinets have appeared next to the original ones, so presumably VM fibre will be offered soon.
In 2002 when we had NTL around here, I approached them to prefit an installation while the house was being renovated, didn't wan't to know unless I signed up a full contract, something I couldn't use for six months.
Later when Virgin took over I inquired for a connection again, to be told that our address wasn't on their route, even though the NTL thing was outside the front.
Forward two years and then they kept sending things through the post inviting to join them.
Later when Virgin took over I inquired for a connection again, to be told that our address wasn't on their route, even though the NTL thing was outside the front.
Forward two years and then they kept sending things through the post inviting to join them.
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