New line installation - only BT?

Heinz

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iniltous

jm2k wrote: »

so basically if she wants a line installed, she is stuffed into staying with BT ?

No this isnt true, any service provider can order new lines for its customers, if say Sky had ordered this line on behalf of this person the delay would be exactly the same as there is obviously a problem with providing service, and sometimes its a Health and Safety issue
If for arguments sake an overhead wire has to be errected to service the property it has to be a minimum height above the road, if that cannot be acheived (even if older 'lower'wires exist) a solution has to be surveyed, planned and executed, so it can take a while.

Dinah93

Our new line is being put in with the post office, who we've going with as they have no minimum contract.

jm2k

I have yet to go and look at where this new post has been installed in order for the line to be attached to the building (there is a shop below her place so that needed a phone regardless).

ok, so we are now saying that she can sign with ANY company (sky or post office etc) and they can authorise the work of a new line installation including new posts and lines etc as needed?

iniltous

The way it works is, any service provider can order a new line for a customer, they ( the service provider) will be charged a set 'fee' for this ( about £88, but that may be an old figure), the service provider can then chose to pass this on to their customer..(and add a bit for their own admin), or absorb either the whole or part of the amount, usually by insisting on some sort of minimum term contract or by selling serveral services at the same time TV,Broadband,Calls....the problem is the service provider can make an appointment without knowing if its possible or not to give service, its only when BT/Openreach turn up and find a problem delays can happen....
BT/Openreach have a universal obligation to provide service, so will do whatever is required to install the line (new poles, duct, cable etc) upto a set figure after this the end user (or service provider) has to pay the difference...so again figures may be old but if the new plant cost £8000, minus BT USO £4000 so end user/SP charged £4088, in this case if you havent been told of anything else to pay the new plant must be less than £4000 (thats labour/parts)
All service providers can order lines but some chose not to, but that isnt BT's fault its the SP's decision,
You ask can she sign with another provider ?, if by this you mean can she cancel with BT and order with someone else ?, yes (subject to any cancel fee) but you would be starting again so the delay would be longer not shorter, as the BT order would be cancelled, and say a Sky order issued would go through the same process but be weeks later being done

jm2k

update!!!!!

cancelled BT, no problem (no fees)
signed with SKY (£39 connection fee), yippeee we thought, ok, we were told 2 weeks waiting time, heck thats nothing to worry about.

BT put the cable to the house last week, installation date was today. When I rang just to query the installation I was told there were 3 DATES booked in??? and they would ring me back this morning (even though it was booked today).

Phonecall off Sky this morning - not being connected until 9th OCTOBER!!!!!!!

Now what can we do???
this is the biggest and worse pile of @r@p off NOTH companies, BT for the months of messing around and waiting in the first place, and SKY to wait 2 months and 2 weeks just to put the cable through from the exterior wall to the little box inside - hands up to both companies for being the worse we have ever had to deal with (((

Mark_In_Hampshire

Newbuilds frequently have the phone socket on the wall which might make you think the line was laid when the development was done, but that's rarely the case. Thus the amount of work required is greater than it appears. The common factor with all line suppliers is Openreach, a privatised monopoly, and who aren't in any particular hurry it seems; you just "get what you're given".

jm2k

there isnt a box inside. i meant to put the line into through the wall and put it and a little box on the wall!

macman

You seem to be missing the point that regardless of whether you sign up with Sky or BT, it's still OpenReach who have to do the physical work to install the line. If you want a line, and you don't have a cable option, then it is ultimately down to OpenReach. It's not anything Sky can circumvent. By cancelling with BT, you've simply put yourself to the back of the queue again wth OpenReach.

jm2k

actually - i got that point in post #2!
rather be tied into an 18mth contract with Sky rather than BT regardless as they caused no end of problems when trying to change the phoneline at the old address from them to sky so at least we wont have their 'hold' over the line again!