Not wanting to detract from the OPs topic, but also another little bit of info with regards Virgin Media.

Telewest "AUTOMATICALLY" blocked ALL premium rate numbers to any new telephone customer until you ask for the block to be removed.
Since Virgin Media took over, these blocks are still in place.
(Although you can circumvent the block by pressing "Hash followed by your pin number" but that does not work all of the time.

This I discovered recently when I needed to contact Virgin Medias' premium rate internet help-line (of which is also the only way to get internet help from VM) and could not get connected.
So I phoned Virgin Media to complain that I could not access their help-line (and I have been a customer of Telewest/Virgin for 9 years without even knowing it)
As this was on a Saturday evening and it would take 48 hours to remove the block I ended-up using my mobile which then cost £4.35 for 70 seconds.

bazzerfewi wrote on Oct 7^th, 2007 at 5:53pm:


Survey results when trying to access it.
Quote:


Yes I completed that survey some time ago only for the automated reply to tell me that the page "No longer existed" so it also seems that should you ever want to change your mind "either way" you can't.

As for migrating elsewhere, "I just can't wait" even with some sort of restrictions that other ISPs may stipulate, they most certainly can't be any worse than the "Over Priced and Under-rated" service that Virgin Media are dishing out.

Virgin = £25:00 p/m for a 4 MB internet connection which is throttled back by 50% for 25%+ of the day because I am a heavy user.

BeThere.com = £14:00 p/m for a 8 MB connection.
Either way I would have a land-line phone line, so that does not enter into it as an extra cost.
A faster connection also means I would not have to be on-line as long as I am at present, therefore saving bandwidth and headaches.

Actually, thats how I came to be here in the beginning, following-up a link looking for another service provider.