Cable point in new house but virgin don't know anything about it?

Bigsy · 28 Oct 2008 at 20:08

Currently moving into a new house.... there is a telewest box and phone point on wall in the living room, so I log onto virgin media site to try and order services, only my house number doesn't appear in their postcode search, it has plenty of other people on my street however...

Check on samknows with my house number and postcode, confirms I can get cable.

So I phone virgin media who tell me I can't get cable, the house isn;t in their system, I tell them I'm looking at a cable box on my wall, so they past me on to an automated line for what they call a 'spotter' which apparently gets someone to come out and just check for a cable to my house and it can take 10 days to confirm.

Anyone experience anything like this before? Just worrying a bit as I had banked on being able to get cable in this house it's some distance from a telephone exchange.

Werewolf · 28 Oct 2008 at 20:30

IIRC it's not massively uncommon, i think the system they use has changed a few times over the years and may not be the best at actually knowing the road layout.

Is it a "new" new house, or new to you?
If it's a new build (or relatively new build) it's possible they ran cable to it during construction but the system hasn't updated to reflect it.

I suspect all the spotter will need to do is confirm the house is actually on the cabled street (and not half a mile back from it, via a dirt road

), and has a cable access point in the street.

Bigsy · 28 Oct 2008 at 20:44

Thanks, the house is 10 years+ old, I don't think the last person to live their was using any cable services by the looks of it and as it is a telewest branded box on the wall I'm hoping when virgin bought up the cable it didn't get added as their system as there was no current service to the house. Least that's what I'm hoping.

I can't imagine virgin would just revoke services somehow if the house had clearly had cable at some point. Shame I have to wait 10 days, and I fully expect to have to do all the chasing on this as well, just hope it doesn;t turn into a major battle on my part like the adsl line on my last house.

Werewolf · 28 Oct 2008 at 20:49

if it was a telewest cable point i'd imagine it's just a case of their system not recognising it, i don't think they've discontinued services anywhere (although in some areas* they can't supply digital TV at the moment as the cabling isn't up to scratch).

*mainly London.

mrgubby · 28 Oct 2008 at 22:01

It took NTL/Virgin 4 years to admit I had cable broadband in my house even though they had installed it for me and were charging me for it.

The only problem was if I tried to report a fault or get upgraded they denied I had it :rolleyes:

dave-lew99 · 28 Oct 2008 at 22:08

Good luck to you, i used to live in a house which had been converted into flats and the flat whose front door was less than 3m away from mine could have cable, mine couldn't - madness!

s0ck · 28 Oct 2008 at 23:08

mrgubby said:
It took NTL/Virgin 4 years to admit I had cable broadband in my house even though they had installed it for me and were charging me for it.

The only problem was if I tried to report a fault or get upgraded they denied I had it

Comedy gold.

ps3ud0 · 29 Oct 2008 at 00:32

Werewolf said:
IIRC it's not massively uncommon, i think the system they use has changed a few times over the years and may not be the best at actually knowing the road layout.

Is it a "new" new house, or new to you?
If it's a new build (or relatively new build) it's possible they ran cable to it during construction but the system hasn't updated to reflect it.

I suspect all the spotter will need to do is confirm the house is actually on the cabled street (and not half a mile back from it, via a dirt road), and has a cable access point in the street.

Theres also a chance that it might have been setup by one of the many regional cable providers before they got swallowed up and somehow 'lost'. Its probably safer for them to assume such properties arent provisioned than if they are and then they go out and find out it actually isnt a (cost effective) serviceable property...

If they come and check the cable box and theres space in the cabinet to actual connect you then they will - otherwise its just a wasted provisioned property and doesnt have the same connection issues ADSL would (distance and quality and the like)...

ps3ud0 :cool:

MrMoonX · 29 Oct 2008 at 19:27

when I took over the virgin from my ex wife, virgin told me I couldnt get cable in my area, i was phoning them from their line and on their cable modem LOL their systems can be pants for the postcodes etc

tehgazza · 30 Oct 2008 at 21:49

erm see if its active mate, wire up a peice of coax, f connector on one end and a normal belling lee (bog standard aerial connector) on the other, whack it in the back of the tv and try and tune in, if it works you will get bbc etc, like analogue tv, additionally you may also get some things that are channels that spin and roll all the time, these are encrypted.

If this happens the cable is definitely live. if it doesnt you will have to have them out.

I believe if you have a active line you can get round paying installation and they will send out "quickstart" equipment.