Worrying about BT engineer's call out fee

LanaLang

None of our sockets looks like the top one.

Two of them look more like the bottom one (although they are flat ones in the style of normal sockets, which I assume is just a vanity/design thing).

One is the co-ax socket and we assume is some sort of main socket because it's the one the engineer played around with when the line was connected. None of them has a removable panel.

macman

I'm baffled as to why on a 3yr old new build you don't have a proper NTE5 master socket?
The screws may be concealed, but the faceplate must be removable. How else could the OR engineer have accessed it?
I don't think you have anything to worry about by calling BT out. But if you are still concerned and won't remove the faceplate yourself then just get an independent local telecoms engineer out to check for you, that will cost maybe £30 and if it's just a lose connection he can sort it for you. If the fault is upstream then you'll have to get BT out anyway.

LanaLang

Thanks, that's really helpful. We're trying to get our managing agents to tell us what the set up with the building is so that may help a bit with the various connections. Sorry don't think I was very clear, obviously the faceplate can be removed in the sense that any normal socket has two screws to access the wiring and removing the screws on the co-ax socket would (I assume) result in us poking around live wiring, but none has the NTE5 type smaller plate to access the test socket.

macman

The co-ax socket is not 'live' as in 240V, all it carries is a TV signal, presumably from a communal aerial system.

LanaLang

Ok thanks, but based on previous reading, that isn't going to help me test the line, as it isn't the NTE5 master socket. Will see what our agent says about the master socket, but it may well be that the best way is to call someone 'on the cheap' so to speak.

brewerdave

Are you sure that there isn't a "master" socket on the wall outside the property? My daughter lives in a 2.5 yr old new build which has some sort of socket outside the property which includes a test socket.
Believe its called an external NTE socket. All wiring from that external box is her responsibility.

LanaLang

Well by way of an update, we have FINALLY found the master socket. Apparently the most logical and accessible place for it is behind the boiler.

*rolls eyes*

Test socket still not working, so BT has been summoned. Apparently their records show the fault is 'near our property' rather than in it and the engineer doesn't actually have to come into the property to fix it, but I will believe that when I see it!

Thanks for all the help, everyone - I'm sure this isn't the end of it!

diable

LanaLang wrote: »

Well by way of an update, we have FINALLY found the master socket. Apparently the most logical and accessible place for it is behind the boiler.

*rolls eyes*

Test socket still not working, so BT has been summoned. Apparently their records show the fault is 'near our property' rather than in it and the engineer doesn't actually have to come into the property to fix it, but I will believe that when I see it!

Thanks for all the help, everyone - I'm sure this isn't the end of it!

Good luck and maybe get the engineer to move the master socket for you from behind the boiler while he's there.

Cavs_2

I would like to outline my experience, as my husband and I feel that the call out could have been avoided with some simple advice from BT.

For some time our phone line would intermittently burst into loud crackles during phone calls, to the point where the conversation was impossible. We went to the trouble of replacing our 3 handsets believing it to be a fault with the phones. Despite brand new phones, the problem persisted. The next thing we did was replace our BT Home Hub; again the problem persisted.

So over the summer my husband contacted BT and explained the problem. They suggested that a BT engineer should come out, but reminded us that if a fault wasn't found we would be expected to pay the customary £125 + VAT fee. Having told BT that we had renewed all our equipment, my husband said that the fault should surely be with the line. He did stress that as the problem was intermittent, the engineer could come out and possibly not detect the problem; neverthess BT advised a call out.

The engineer came, and surprisingly didn't find a fault. He did make a suggestion that the fault could be at the Exchange, but that BT had no authorisation to check that out!!! His second suggestion was that we could try plugging our phone directly into the line box, and not through the Hub. Then he left!

My husband followed this advice, and much to our delight the problem has disappeared. However we are not so delighted with the recently received telephone bill!

To be very honest, we resent paying £127.99 for the very fact that the Customer Services person on the end of the phone could have suggested to my husband that he change the connection on the phone, and within minutes the problem would have been recitified. Why should we have to pay such an extortionate amount of money when this advice could have been given to us verbally through the help line? Secondly, and this is an aside I feel I have to mention, if the fault had been with the Exchange, then we would have also been charged, but who on earth would have solved the problem? It is a somewhat farcical situation.

I've emailed the BT rep in the hope that he can help us out here. Fingers crossed!

iniltous

Cavs wrote: »

I would like to outline my experience, as my husband and I feel that the call out could have been avoided with some simple advice from BT.

For some time our phone line would intermittently burst into loud crackles during phone calls, to the point where the conversation was impossible. We went to the trouble of replacing our 3 handsets believing it to be a fault with the phones. Despite brand new phones, the problem persisted. The next thing we did was replace our BT Home Hub; again the problem persisted.

So over the summer my husband contacted BT and explained the problem. They suggested that a BT engineer should come out, but reminded us that if a fault wasn't found we would be expected to pay the customary £125 + VAT fee. Having told BT that we had renewed all our equipment, my husband said that the fault should surely be with the line. He did stress that as the problem was intermittent, the engineer could come out and possibly not detect the problem; neverthess BT advised a call out.

The engineer came, and surprisingly didn't find a fault. He did make a suggestion that the fault could be at the Exchange, but that BT had no authorisation to check that out!!! His second suggestion was that we could try plugging our phone directly into the line box, and not through the Hub. Then he left!

My husband followed this advice, and much to our delight the problem has disappeared. However we are not so delighted with the recently received telephone bill!

To be very honest, we resent paying £127.99 for the very fact that the Customer Services person on the end of the phone could have suggested to my husband that he change the connection on the phone, and within minutes the problem would have been recitified. Why should we have to pay such an extortionate amount of money when this advice could have been given to us verbally through the help line? Secondly, and this is an aside I feel I have to mention, if the fault had been with the Exchange, then we would have also been charged, but who on earth would have solved the problem? It is a somewhat farcical situation.

I've emailed the BT rep in the hope that he can help us out here. Fingers crossed!

Although I think the amount BT charge for an abortive visit is way too much, and in excess of what Openreach charge the service provider, the BT rep should have told you try a standard corded telephone direct in the master socket test point, or if an older type master socket, then just the phone and nothing else (no routers/filters/sky boxes etc..) plugged into the main socket, and refered you to the self help resources (there is a section in the phone book, an 0800 number you can call and on-line material) that guides the end user in locating where the fault is, if they did then I'm afraid they have a valid reason to levy the charge.
If OR come out to a fault that isnt anything to do with them, then charging for the visit seems reasonable, the amount charged isnt, but they do tell you in advance that there is the potential for you to be charged ££ if you ask for a visit when the fault isnt on the 'network' or the stuff they are responsible for
I dont know what you mean when you say the BT cannot check out an exchange fault as this would only be true if you were a customer of a full LLU provider like Sky or Talk Talk and obviously if there were a problem in their exchanges then BT couldnt access them, but if you are a BT customer ( dialtone provided by BT) then all the OR engineer would do is pass the fault to BT Operate/wholesale to check out the exchange equipment, I presume the OR engineer either didnt make it clear what he meant, or didnt know what he was talking about or you are not a BT Retail customer, but as you refer to BT home hubs etc, BT are your provider