UPDATE: I had agreed a switch to EIR in a contract around the 3/4th FEB with an installation date agreed for 27th FEB. Got a text from EIR 26th to confirm engineer 8/3/21? Phoned, no record of agreed date, rescheduled 3/3/21. No show 3/3/21. Phoned, appoint cancelled. No reason why. Finally spoke to a senior EIR staff member, (after umpteen calls to OPEN EIR -the installers with apparently no connection to EIR and who can't do anything re appointments). Open EIR however can connect you to EIR (I'm calling from Spain) where you are put in the EIR hold system.
Anyhow, spoke to senior guy, he assures me the problem is sorted, I'll have an engineer doing full installation on FRI 5/3/21. I then get a message from him to say that there's 'an order outstanding' from some other supplier which needs to be cleared and then I am to contact EIR again to continue? I message SKY the previous company, and they say they have cancelled the line in accordance with my instructions, and I need to get the new company to install a new line? It was patently obvious that I was switching (SKY in fact asked if I would stay if offer/price could be improved - I declined), I even had a follow up call from SKY asking essentially the same thing - so why they cancelled the line is a mystery.
I then had several more calls to EIR. I rebooked the package, I was assured all was in order, and then I was then told the engineer would only be installing a line, not the full BB/TV package. I called EIR again, they said 'No full package install - guaranteed.' Open EIR said 'nope, line only.' A number of calls later, I was finally informed by EIR only a line would be installed and it might take several days (up to10 workings days in fact) to see if BB would work and if another appointment would be needed to sort this out. I could have wept. I had spent literally hours on the phone, passed from Billy to Jack, and this was the outcome. I had planned this switch long in advance so there wouldn't be a problem. I thought I had covered every issue, but no. I contacted Virgin Media and arranged a full install next week for 100 EUR set up and 20 EUR more than EIR a month, but still 33 EUR less than SKY.
Now here's the thing. These problems could have been avoided with proper systems. EIR simply needed to have the wherewithal to have all ducks in a row beforehand, to check no line problem, to identify that the problem was the line when the issue arose, and to have in hand a working booking system to make the installation seamless and finally to ensure that staff are knowledgeable enough to correctly answer and handle calls. Because of inadequate systems, EIR have expended money on couriering equipment to me (twice) and incurred the staff costs associated with my multiple calls, not to mention the reputational damage and the effective loss of the contract.
SKY could have simply asked (it was kind of obvious) whether I was switching and the line would not have been cancelled. They have a plethora of questions to establish identity, it would be a simple question to ask if a customer is switching to another provider. Had they done this, I would not feel so irked by their actions / response, and they too could have avoided me needing to contact them. In fact, my initial contact with SKY was to negotiate a reduced price and STAY with them, but their inadequate systems made staying impossible. I have to add that my experience with SKY was undoubtedly the worst customer service experience of my life, and that's saying something. I would not return to them if they offered services for free.
So, the outcome of this saga was: 1. SKY lose a customer incur costs and reputational damage. 2. EIR lose a customer, incur costs and reputational damage. 3. The customer has a week without broadband and TV. Not the end of the world, but all utterly avoidable. And finally, Virgin Media gain a customer having been able to respond very quickly to the customer, using WhatsApp and a slick enough online system with staff able to solve the problems the customer needed solving - i.e. proceeding with a connection without a landline. There surely is a lesson in all of this.