This only really occurred to me whilst writing the previous entry and working out exactly how long it could be before I’m back online.
Virgin are not the cheapest ISP around but they are ok. I went with them originally because they offered a month-to-month contract when everyone else wanted a 12-month minimum. Bear in mind that in my mind I was leaving the flat in 6 months or less. Of course I’ve been leaving the flat in the next 6 months for at least 3 years, probably 4.
Anyway on moving out the plan was to get my new phoneline, transfer my existing Virgin account so I could keep my email address. Once I moved and found out the phone wasn’t going to be a quick thing, I checked with my old landlord that he had no objection to me keeping the old phone, and therefore broadband, connectied (he’s not re-renting straight-away, he’s re-furbishing). He said ok and my plan was to have moved everything over before he needs to start showing it (mid feb probably). However given the timescales I just worked out that’s not going to work out. Not only that but I’ll be paying for internet access that I don’t have.
So what I should do is contact Virgin on monday about cancelling broadband and going back to dial-up. That would keep my email account active. Although I have a sneaky suspicion that you can only dial-up from a nominated phoneline and I doubt that will be allowed to be a mobile.
So maybe I should just bite the bullet and cancel Virgin outright. I don’t think any friend has that email address. It may be the email account of various online things. I’d need to trawl through old emails and check. I think it was the official email of my online gas and electricity accounts. However since I’m with a new supplier in the new house that doesn’t matter.
The advantage of this would be I could go with BT for both phone and internet. I think that would a) work out cheaper and b) well, I’ve heard stories where all these delays and removing markers from lines etc, mysteriously get sorted quicker if you’re signing with BT rather than one of their competitors (remember BT still have to activate the line even for other ISPs).