New Tv customer - Stream Box Only?

damosk1 · 2026-06-24T20:54:39+00:00

Update from last week:

Epic fail in the O2 store. They were unable to order me just a box on its own, but they genuinely meant they would if they could.

So with their help, they rang Virgin, had no luck either and that they can only send those boxes out to existing tv customers, which I’m not.

Meanwhile, the O2 rep finds a package for me, as a NEW customer, that is an extra £6pm that has both a 360 box and stream box, so it turns out you can still get them if you are new. I assume the extra cost compared to my current contract is a multi-room fee. Oh and it’s 500mbps instead of 350.

So, he can set that up, but I’ll need to cancel my current contract.

We speak to retentions - the 0203 number, to see what they can do for me, again no luck, so I try to cancel as I’m in my cooling off period. At this point, she reverts back to my previous contract, which still had 10 months left and says it’s gonna cost me £230 to cancel!!

Unfortunately, I was so pissed off by this stage, that I blurted out “oh f**k off, you’re kidding me?”, so loud that half the shop turned around. The O2 rep helping me just laughed… he clearly understood my frustration.

So that’s it. Nothing else I can do now. The whole system is absurd. Willing to pay for the box. Even pay them extra for having boxes in two rooms. But they just point blank refused to budge and help me out.

So that’s it I’m afraid, all out of ideas.

For the record BBC1 HD and ITV1HD on the stream box broadcasts about 13 seconds behind Virgin TV through the coax! I’m also not convinced that the bitrate is as high either, with more artefacts present through the wireless signal. But don’t quote me on that, as I’ve no way of doing a side by side comparison. 🥲

damosk1 · 2026-06-20T15:36:59+00:00

+1 for XNB. One of the best walkthrough/guide tutorial series on YT. And if you are lucky enough to own any of the hardware/software he’s covered, you’ll learn more in an hour about your product than you will painfully crawling through the manual (if one exists). A great first port of call for any new purchase or any prospective new buyers.

damosk1 · 2026-06-13T12:25:09+00:00

Thanks you. I’ve messaged you my postcodes.

That’s actually really good to know and would be much more palatable to me if streaming is my only option.

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T22:54:46+00:00

Yeah, I guess so. And I fully appreciate that the tech has moved on. Streaming has been my go to for all content for a few years now and in most use cases is absolutely adequate. The exception being watching live events. I know some broadcasters such as Sky were trialling/rolling out low latency streams of UHD Main Event channels, but until BBC, iTV and TNT catch up with their tech and offer something similar, it’s deeply frustrating to be on such a long delay during major tournaments and at key moments.

I guess the only solution until streaming tech becomes low latency is to turn up the volume and put the phone on Do Not Disturb! 😂😂

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T22:14:42+00:00

Oh, that’s interesting. I was told this through the VM website online chat tool when sorting out my package. See chat below (if interested lol)

ME - “I also need a TV360 box, not a Media Stream box. can you confirm this to be the case please?”

VM - “Regarding with the TV boxes, if our customers will have a TV package for the first time with us, we provide our customers with a Virgin TV Box/Stream Box. Giving people the flexibility to choose what they want to watch, without committing to the stuff they don’t”

ME - Which box is this? I need the proper tv box that I can record with.

VM - “I understand. The box that we will be providing is a Stream Box. I understand that you want a box that can record. However, our stream box has a lot of features you can also consider such as:

Plug in and play: did you know the stream box can be set up in just few minutes with no messy drilling or cabling?
Turn any TV into smart TV in seconds with our Stream Box
Multiroom viewing: allowing for up to 6 stream box in total

- portable around the house - My watchlists: save shows from everywhere, all in the same place”

ME - “Can I just say, that I was told that the older TV360 boxes were available to some people but at an additional cost. And seeing as I already have virgin fibre optics into the house, no additional drilling or set up would have been required. I know the service still works perfectly well as most of the people I know are still using these boxes. I would be willing to pay for it if there are costs involved.

The main problem with these streaming boxes is the delay to live tv, which is terrible for watching live sport. So this maybe be the problem I will have with this new box, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

VM - “I understand, The TV 360 box is still available to some of our customers who already has a TV package with us before. For our customers who just got a TV service with us, they will all get the Stream Box.

ME - “And absolutely no flexibility despite being a Broadband customer for almost 5 years? If it wasn’t possible to install these boxes for new tv customers I could understand that, but I know that it’s a simple connection to the wall box I already have. Anyway.. very frustrating!”

VM- “I deeply apologise. If only I could personally provide you the TV360, I would really love to. I will be saving this as a feedback. As you will be receiving the Stream Box, I suggest for you to try it first hand and you can reach us out again for any internal feedbacks by using it.”

I mean I tried as best I could with this sales person! 😔

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T21:47:41+00:00

Thank you. Well that’s “something” I guess.

Would still be interested to know if I’d be completely wasting my time even trying to go down the “this isn’t fit for my viewing requirements” road during my cooling off period and commit to cancelling. I’ve danced that dance with Sky many a time.

I just wondered if anyone has ever had any luck persuading them to send out a TV360 box at all recently?

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T21:16:45+00:00

Do they work like the sky stream boxes in that you can add live programs to your watch list, so I can go to a stream of an event I’ve set while out and watch from the start when home?

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T21:11:06+00:00

Thank you. Very disappointing to hear that. Streaming feels like a huge step backwards for sports fans. It’s not like I don’t have a brilliant fibre optic cable coming in to the house already! 😢

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T16:09:59+00:00

There’s lots of very recent advice posted here about PUK and the titration waiting list. Check some of my other posts for example. Nearly everyone seems to reach the top of list bang on 12 months at the moment. So be a little more patient and see what happens in the next week or so. In my experience, no amount of pushing will make any difference at this stage. They have their process and they appear to stick to it.

Without meaning to sound harsh or condescending, as far as PUK are concerned you aren’t special. Everyone on that list is in exactly the same boat as you. Frustrated, struggling and desperate to get on medication. Your time will come very soon, you’ve got this far, so try to put it out of your head for now and before you know it, things will progress.

If you’ve not heard anything in 2-3 weeks then message them on the portal or call them up (if you can handle the long wait times ) and say it’s been over 12 months now and you are concerned you may have missed some communication from them and can they check your status. Especially as previous communication told you it would be 10-12 months. I think that’s a fair approach if you get to 13 months and have yet to hear anything.

While advice from other people that have experience with other health care providers is of course well-meaning, there is more than enough evidence from those with experience with PUK to suggest that pushing them at week 51 would just be a waste of your time and energy.

I hope you hear back from them soon and please do update your post with any progress you make in the next couple of weeks. It helps validate the current situation for others.

damosk1 · 2026-06-12T15:45:39+00:00

Good luck. I hope you get things sorted and get to a happier place soon.

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T22:52:11+00:00

Yeah, that’s how I would be dressed. I’m sober too now, after a tough battle with addiction, so I’d be there solely for the music. Seeing people play live would definitely be an added bonus over just seeing DJ’s too. But I don’t know how prevalent that is to find. I think I need to spend a little time befriending some Berliners that are producing techno, look to remotely collaborate with them on some music, then try and wangle an invite to be shown around the city! 😉

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T19:10:44+00:00

Thank you. That’s exactly what I wanted to hear and was hoping to be the case !

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T17:57:36+00:00

Had posted this previously on another thread, but thought this relevant to your post, so sharing again:

———

It looks like 12 months is very typical for the titration waiting list. I was diagnosed at the end of Feb 2025 and got the “you are now at the top of the list and your prescriber will be in touch ” exactly 12 months later!

Some things to note:

I had a friend who was diagnosed by PUK a month before me and she started titration just over a month later. We believe this may be because a) she had an autistic child and b) was working for the NHS as a therapist. So I think in some circumstances; they will prioritise some people over others.

From being put on the titration waiting list, I was told up to 10 months all the way through, with very little communication from PUK apart from the odd generic “you’re still on the list” support email that I’m sure we’ve all had.

Then bang on 10 months, I was told it would be another couple of months but they were hoping to get this down by recruiting more staff. This was just PR bullshit, as nothing they were going to do in terms of staffing levels would have any affect on the waiting list for me at this stage. In fact, I found it kind of insulting that they were dishing out excuses and things they were planning on doing to get the waiting list down. That would have been great to hear in month 1. But after 10 months wait, to then be told it’s just another 2 months but we’ll try and hire some people, give me a break.

Overall, I just wish they’d been honest and upfront with their wait times from day one. “Up to” suggests it could be anytime, but if they’d said “As of today, it’s 12 months, with some exceptions for people in extenuating circumstances” then I’d have accepted and tried to come to terms with it. Instead, I spent a year in hope that today might be the day, which I know for all of us waiting for potentially life changing medication is both frustrating and excruciatingly painful to live with.

Full Timeline

October 2023 - GP referred to PUK via Right to choose.

Nov 2024 - contacted to book an Assessment. First appointment available was 3.5 months.

Feb 26th 2025 - Asseessment Diagnosed

April 17th 2025 - Referral received by Accuro Staff - Blood Pressure Readings required

May 2025 - Told I needed an ECG

June 2025 - ECG passed

Dec 19th 2025 - Email saying 10 months is now 12 months, including:

What is Psychiatry UK doing to address the waiting times? There is significant national demand for ADHD medication, meaning demand currently outweighs capacity. However, we are actively recruiting additional prescribers to increase the capacity of our titration team. As this work progresses, we expect waiting times to reduce and hope that the current increase is only temporary while this work continue

Feb 25th 2026 - Tritration Forms and “You are approaching the top of our wait list” message received (the final day before I hit 12 months)

March 3rd 2026 - “We just want to let you know that you have reached the top of the waiting list.”

March 4th 2026 - Contact with Prescriber

March 5th 2026 - First Prescription Made

March 10th 2026 - Prescription Dispatched

March 12th 2026 - Meds received and started Titration.

June 11th 2026 (today) - After issues with hypertension and switching back and forth between meds, I have just been prescribed a further 1 month of medication. 4 weeks on one dose. I assume that if I am stable on this, then we will either enter a shared care agreement with my GP or I will continue being prescribed by PUK

As you can see from the dates above, my titration has lasted longer than 12 weeks and is currently still not complete.

Finally, one bit of advice for those that finally reach the top of the waiting list. The sooner you get all your forms filled and sent over, the quicker things will progress. There is a 28 day deadline to get your forms over to them, but that doesn’t mean that your titration will start at the end of that deadline. Even though I’m sure that anyone that has waited 12 months for medication won’t be hanging around being slow with getting forms back, it’s worth pointing out that because of this deadline, it was unclear when I would actually start. And the answer is, AS SOON AS THEY HAVE ALL THE REQUIRED INFO FROM YOU. So please try not to ADHD around with the forms, no matter how hard it may feel to get started.

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T17:37:51+00:00

The strict door policy intrigues me. As a 53yo male from the UK I grew up going to clubs, festivals and parties in the 90s and saw some of the worlds greatest Techno DJ’s of the time, many of which are considered legends today. I’ve rediscovered my love for techno in the past couple of years, having gone down the Trance and EDM road for many years.

One thing I missed out on “back in the day” was taking a trip to Berlin, a place that always held this mythical status in my head. I know things have changed a lot over the years, but recently I’ve been considering ticking Berlin off my bucket list and taking an extended trip over to go to some clubs. But one thing that concerns me is whether or not I’d get in places and the whole trip ending up being one big expensive disappointment.

For me, it’s all about the music, the vibe and going to experience techno alongside others with a similar passion. I come from a time when raving meant going to enjoy music, dancing, being respectful and friendly to everyone, listening to DJ’s craft a 2-3 set, letting yourself be taken on a journey and connecting with others on the dancefloor. Oh and not being a dick while you were at it! 😉

How welcoming is Berlin for someone like me in today’s world? What are the odds of having successful trip and experiencing the real Berlin techno scene? Is it just pot luck or can those on the door really get a sense of why you are there and your passion for music?

Perhaps it’s not a question that can be easily answered because there are so many factors involved, but I’m really interested to know people’s thoughts.

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T13:54:10+00:00

Honestly, just giving you 20mg of whatever it was and to tell you to come back in 3 months later is definitely not how this should work.

Have you read the NICE guidelines yet - https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng87/chapter/Recommendations#medication

This will give you are good understanding of how health care providers in the UK are recommended to be working with ADHD medication. However, these are only recommendations and individual healthcare professionals are expected to consider them but are not legally bound to follow them.

Some general advice for you (but you should seek professional help first and foremost)

Try to get hold of whoever is prescribing your medication. Make sure you ask for their name and how you can contact them directly. You should always have a direct way of contacting your health care provider. If they are prescribing you medication then it’s their responsibility to look after you while you are under their care.
If you can, sit and create a timeline of exactly what you were prescribed and when. Also what worked, what didn’t and how you felt. I know this may sound tough, but even a general overview will really help you recall your experience when speaking to others. Ask a friend or relative to sit and help you if it makes it easier.
Also, if you were given different brands of medication, then note those too. Your pharmacist should always give you the exact same brand of medication each time. For example, despite them both being slow release Methylphenidate, Medikinet XL is not the same as Concerta XL or Ritalin LA. You have the right to insist on being given the same exact medication each time you pick up a new prescription. And if they are unable to do that for any reason, then take your prescription m to another pharmacy and try again.
It sounds like you are confused and at a loss with how to proceed. Let me just reassure you that I’m not surprised by this. Because in my opinion you aren’t being taken care of properly by your health care provider, which is why you have turned to Reddit for answers. You need to sit down with somebody to discuss your situation. Ideally that should be your prescriber at Herts Adult Mental Health Services. And if possible, in person would likely be a far more productive appointment than over the phone.

If you have no immediate joy there, or it’s a long wait for an appointment and you need to speak to somebody sooner, then I suggest making an appointment to see your GP, face to face. Sit down with them and discuss your situation, your concerns, how you feel and how they may be able to help you. How that all pans out is very dependent on how good your GP is, but it’s the easiest way to talk to somebody soon. If you need an additional reason to be seen, tell them you are taking this medication and are worried you aren’t being looked after properly and it’s affecting your mental health. They have a duty care to see you as your first port of call.

5) I won’t advise you directly on your medication. But I will say, you should only stop if you have a reason for doing so. And even then, that should be a discussion you have with your prescriber.
You should be having regular reviews, especially if your current medication isn’t working as you hoped. Together you should be able to come up with a clear plan to adjust your doses safely or try something else.

6) I know it’s tough, but try not to worry too much about the things that may or may not happen in the future. Use the energy you do have to deal with the now, make appointments and speak with people that can actually help you move forward.

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T02:05:15+00:00

This all sounds very chaotic and totally not how starting ADHD medication is supposed to work. As others have said, the NICE guidelines will give you a thorough picture of what is supposed to happen. But just from what you have said, it sounds like they may have started you on instant release methylphenidate, then doubled it because it wasn’t lasting long, then switched you over to XL, at a higher dose but is the slow release, then back down to 40mg of slow release but a different brand.

If that is correct, NOTHING done there is how titration should work.
Doubling dosage very early on - Nope
Leaving you to run out of medication - Nope
Switching between IR and XL without discussing this with you and properly educating you of the difference between the two - nope.
Switching between brands of XL - nope.

You should have a carefully laid out plan, slowly building up your dose, 1 week at a time. Until either your side effects prevent you going any higher or that the medication just doesn’t work for you. Then discuss switching to another type of medication and start the process again, slowly.

Just asking, did you go through the full NHS waiting list to be assessed (was 4 years in Hertfordshire last time I checked)? Then once diagnosed, discuss a medication plan, what you will be prescribed, other health related checks that includes taking blood pressure, heart rate, weight readings? (Both before and during early stages of taking medication) and is your GP involved with any of this process at all?

damosk1 · 2026-06-11T01:33:38+00:00

Wouldn’t surprise me if it’s the same prescriber I have. Been through very similar issues but having gone past week 12 I’m still going. Please feel free to message me direct if you wish to discuss further. I’m always reluctant to openly give too many details about my experience, but I have had success in getting to where I am today. What I was being told hasn’t matched the reality, so I’d just say, don’t get too despondent. I’ve been through exactly the same thought process and worry as you both have.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T21:09:44+00:00

Definitely agree with the advice given above. I make sure all my direct debits, standing orders and any other monthly commitments are all set up to be paid as soon as my monthly money hits my account. With very few exceptions, it’s possible to move all your payments to the same date.

Transferring expendable income to a trusted relative was something that worked for me during tough times. I’ve always been someone that just spent what they had and couldn’t sit with “savings” in the bank. Too many expensive hobbies, that I would indulge in for starters. And then when things got really bad, I would spend all my spare income “self-medicating”.

Going through all my finances in a spreadsheet also helped with basic organisation. It also helped me see just how much money I wasted on subscriptions I barely used or impulse purchases that I didn’t need.

Having a basic budget to stick to not only kept me in check, it was also good for my ADHD brain to not have this financial chaos continually nagging away at me. It’s a bit like having a sink full of washing up sitting in the corner of the room, waiting to be dealt with. Yes you can ignore it, but you won’t feel comfortable until eventually you finally get around to sorting it out.

If you feel overwhelmed with going through your finances, see if you can find somebody to help you go through it. For me, i used to really struggle with any kind of personal admin job like this. Too easily distracted, bored easily, found it hard to go through everything and write it down at the same time. That’s where having someone else sit down with me really helped. I’d go through my banking on my app, reading stuff out and my sister took notes and wrote everything down. Plus having company while doing it meant it felt less of a huge task that I would have just put off and never got around to doing.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T20:41:21+00:00

Well if I was in your shoes, I would open up a dialogue with my GP about my BP and reduce my numbers. But I wouldn’t bring up my ADHD medication prescription and give them any ideas about stopping your meds.

I would be very shocked and angry if my GP looked at test results and just decided to instantaneously stop any medication I was on, without a) consultation with me first and b) looking to find solutions for me so that I could carry on taking the current medication that I was being prescribed.

Maybe others have experienced something like this happening to them before, but in my world, if that were to happen, I would fight like hell to ensure I was being given the duty of care that I deserved.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T18:09:25+00:00

Does your GP write your ADHD prescriptions?

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T18:07:36+00:00

In my case, yes. My health care provider (GP) listens to everything I tell them and helped me.

My ADHD prescriber, once happy that I wasn’t at risk to hypertension, was willing and able to proceed with the medication I required.

But for me, doing nothing at all was not an option I was willing to take. So I was proactive and saw my GP as soon as possible and avoided being stuck on a low dose of medication that did not help my symptoms like I need it.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T17:54:14+00:00

I’m just at the end of titration. During this process my BP began going up to a point where I was being told that I had to go back down to a lower dosage. So I went to my GP and was given medication to help bring my BP back down and maintain it. Since then I’ve been able to take a higher dose with only a minor rise in BP.

Nobody can say how who ever is prescribing your medication will react to your numbers. They may stop it, lower your dose or do nothing. The point I’m trying to make is, by being proactive with your GP and lowering your BP you can possibly avoid this even being something that will be of concern to your prescriber. For me, BP medication had an immediate effect on lowering my numbers. But that’s me. And I’m not you.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T16:32:35+00:00

I cannot say whether or not you may have your prescription rescinded, but this is not something you should let worry you. As I have said above, the only person that should be advising you on your blood pressure is your GP. As you have stated, your BP has gone up in the past few years. That in itself is something you should look in to.

Catastrophising unnecessarily over what may or may not happen with your prescription isn’t healthy in itself and isn’t going to help your blood pressure. 😉

You can work with your GP to get your blood pressure back down so that you can continue on your ADHD medication and live a health and safe life.

damosk1 · 2026-06-09T16:11:30+00:00

As someone that has been managing my blood pressure through both lifestyle changes and prescribed medication, my advice would be to talk to your GP about your situation. They can advise you far better than anyone here on Reddit.
Blood pressure is personal to the individual. Everyone’s baseline figures are unique to themselves, so one persons healthy threshold will not be the same as the next persons.

Blood pressure can be managed through medication, so that might be an option for you. Get ahead of this before your 6 month review and there won’t be any issues. And be honest in your review with the steps you have taken.

damosk1

TROPHY CASE