Downtime when switching from VM to Plusnet (+Sky)

[Scam]

Hi guys. I have a BT engineer coming to switch me over from VM to Plusnet fibre. On the same day a Sky engineer is booked to install my dish/Q etc.

My VM contract doesn't expire for another 2 weeks after this date, and I read that the Sky engineer needs a working internet connection to check everything is ok.

I was hoping somebody could talk me through what exactly is going to happen here. Will my VM connection cease to work once the BT engineer flips his switch for Plusnet or will I in effect be able to run both connections simultaneously?

I wanted to book them on the same day so I only have to work from home once, but now slightly paranoid the Sky guy is going to want to check everything and my VM will be dead and the Plusnet not up and running

 

[ChrisD.]

Is it Virgin fibre or the old DSL service?

 

[Scam]

VM fibre to Plusnet fibre.

 

[z10m]

You will have both connections working simultaneously as they are using different cables (they are independent from each other).

 

[andy_mk3]

Yeah Virgin Fibre is on their own network. Plusnet/Sky are on the BT network via your phone line so they are completely separate.

 

[ChrisD.]

Watch that the Openreach engineer doesn't cut the cable for Virgin, it's been known to happen. Say it's your business line and to leave it alone.

 

[Avalon]

Watch that the Openreach engineer doesn't cut the cable for Virgin, it's been known to happen. Say it's your business line and to leave it alone.

Legally they can’t touch the master socket of a non openreach provider and in order to ‘cut the line’ they’d have to butcher the coax... if they manage that you have much bigger issues as they have no need to touch it, let alone cut it.

Sky engineer wise they won’t fail the install if you have no connection, just like they don’t fail them if you haven’t got a phone line.

 

[Scam]

Great thanks everyone. Now that I'm at home I can see obviously the VM cable going in to my router

I'm assuming the Sky guy will need to drill a hole in the wall to wire in the dish. My TV unit is pretty much right up against the wall, I'm guessing I will need to give him some space?

 

[The1nonly1]

Depends where you want the cables running to the dish. If the most obvious way is behind the TV unit, I would move it beforehand.

 

[Scam]

Cool. Now, discussing this with my girlfriend she is sure that when the landlords refurbished the flat they mentioned that they'd put in cabling for VM or Sky. At the time we were annoyed because they neglected to wire up the TV aerial (we just wanted Freeview) but hey we went with VM

The faceplate we have is here, looks to be err.. two coax cables? They're the same, the one on the left is VM currently plugged in. By any stretch of the imagination will this be the right cabling for Sky as they suggested? It would be lovely if he can avoid drilling a new hole in the wall and installing some fugly faceplate. https://imgur.com/cf7kYg4

What does a SkyQ faceplate look like?

 

[Avalon]

SkyQ uses WBC (as opposed to FBC which would have been much more scalable), with that they became slightly more discerning about installs, the coax used is WF100 from memory - the RG56 Virgin used to use was generally thicker core/higher quality. The issue is simple, if the cable in situ is usable, the engineer gets penalised for post install faults, so they aren’t going to take any chances and usually want to wire it themselves from LNB to box.

 

[Scam]

Do you think he could repurpose the same faceplate/hole in the wall?

 

[Avalon]

You have a number of obvious problems here:

Is the cable the correct spec?
Has the cable been run to an appropriate location for a dish install?
Is the cable still serviceable?

However the proverbial large grey mammal with wrinkly skin and tusks is that SkyQ uses two feeds, you don’t have two spare connectors to use that faceplate even if you wanted to.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

I'm going to put my query here as to not to duplicate this thread:

I'm going to switch from VM to PlusNet as well. If I tell VM that I have already switched providers, will they try and be difficult with me? I have hearing problems and just very wary that they'll try it on with me. By late April, I will have had PlusNet installed, and so when I ring VM to cancel, I will be telling them the truth - that I have a new provider.

 

[Avalon]

I'm going to put my query here as to not to duplicate this thread:

I'm going to switch from VM to PlusNet as well. If I tell VM that I have already switched providers, will they try and be difficult with me? I have hearing problems and just very wary that they'll try it on with me. By late April, I will have had PlusNet installed, and so when I ring VM to cancel, I will be telling them the truth - that I have a new provider.

Why would you think it matters if you have or haven’t had another provider installed? If you wish to cancel and are out of contract, then call them, choose the appropriate option and give 30 days notice (assuming you aren’t porting a phone like). It really doesn’t matter why you want to cancel and 100% they will book a disconnection for you, they may also make you a favourable offer to stay, but you are under no obligation to accept it.

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Why would you think it matters if you have or haven’t had another provider installed? If you wish to cancel and are out of contract, then call them, choose the appropriate option and give 30 days notice (assuming you aren’t posting a phone like). It really doesn’t matter why you want to cancel and 100% they will book a disconnection for you, they may also make you a favourable offer to stay, but you are under no obligation to accept it.

Ah okies thanks. It's just that I had the impression that providers will aggressively try to keep you on the call to make you change your mind even if you have switched.

 

[Avalon]

Ah okies thanks. It's just that I had the impression that providers will aggressively try to keep you on the call to make you change your mind even if you have switched.

They will try to retain your custom by making you an offer of a better deal and placating any issue you may have, but they cannot agressively do anything, it’s a breach of both company policy and against the code of conduct that all providers have to abide by.

 

[Scam]

And by the way, you need to give VM 30 days notice so make sure you do that otherwise you'll end up paying twice in one month.

 

[mrgubby]

I ended up having to extend my VM contract because BT are ****wits and the Sky engineer refused to install the dish as there are trees on the edge of the garden...

Two months later I've now got Sky internet and TV (they knocked another £8 of the monthly bill and refunded me the VM costs)

 

[Pawnless Endgame]

Thanks Avalon and Scam. It's mid April that I'm cancelling, so will call them next week. I guess someone will pop around to collect the VM modem-router shortly after that.