High-open fault...apparently!

wilkies5

TalkTalk are sending an engineer round tomorrow as they think I have this fault. It stems from my complaining that when I use my home phone, I lose internet broadband connectivity!!

Have troubleshooted with them on the phone already and now have both phone & broadband plugged in, with new filter, into the main phone test plate in house.

I have NO other extensions in use.

I have been told that if the engineer thinks it is a fault inside my property then I will receive a bill....!!

However, if both devices are plugged into the main phone socket in the house and the problem still exists, how can this possibly be MY responsibility?

Any advice appreciated.

Mark_In_Hampshire

Yes, it's called a HR-DIS fault I think and matches the symptoms.

Openreach - who are the company responsible for the underlying network to the home - are responsible for getting the service to the master socket and for the master socket itself.

Everything after that is your responsiblity.

The line "a fault inside my property" is completely wrong and invalid. Because the master socket is inside your property. Which you are not, actually, allowed to tamper with. It does not belong to you. There is an exception however, which is reasonable - if for example you dropped a cup of tea onto it causing a short then it's reasonable to be charged for repairs.

So one good idea is to completely remove (and hide) all your devices and extensions and just leave the engineer with the master socket to play with. They have their own diagnostic equipment.

Unfortunately, BT Openreach do have some history of claiming "customer fault" when it is indeed a fault for which they are responsible and this persists to this day. So check your bills carefully and be prepared to dispute if need be.

TalkTalk

Hi wilkies5,

please let us know how you get on?

Ady

macman

wilkies5 wrote: »

TalkTalk are sending an engineer round tomorrow as they think I have this fault. It stems from my complaining that when I use my home phone, I lose internet broadband connectivity!!

Have troubleshooted with them on the phone already and now have both phone & broadband plugged in, with new filter, into the main phone test plate in house.

I have NO other extensions in use.

I have been told that if the engineer thinks it is a fault inside my property then I will receive a bill....!!

However, if both devices are plugged into the main phone socket in the house and the problem still exists, how can this possibly be MY responsibility?

Any advice appreciated.

If you are plugged into the test socket and the fault remains, then you can be confident that it is not chargeable. But get this confirmed by the OR engineer-and make sure you get his name.
The only exception is user-inflicted damage, i.e. if you cut or damage the cabling by allowing a tree to grow into it.

spike7451

A common fault I've came across numerous times are broken faceplate contacts,usually caused when a plug in extension is used (like Sky use) & it's been whacked by the hoover a number of times which has not only broken the extension,but also the copper contacts in the faceplate.

macman

Which would of course justifiably be chargeable, as user-inflicted.

TalkTalk

Hi macman,

unfortunately, it doesn't matter what the engineer tells a customer before he leaves the premises, the only thing that matters is what closure code he uses on the system that determines whether or not a charge is passed on. All too often we hear that the engineer said it wouldn't be chargeable only to find his notes reveal a chargeable closure code.

Always worth gathering the information as you suggested though.

Ady

wilkies5

Ok, I had engineer round. He immediately asked to see ALL the extension sockets around the house. I had taken off all the phones AND filters, based on advice from Talktalk tech dept, when they told me to only use the test plate for one phone and broadband. Engineer was very keen to tell me no socket should be left unfiltered!! Yes, I know that.
He then put a microfilter (my spare one) on test socket and reconnected phone/broadband. He did a speed test and assured me 6.5Mb was good. I am on TalkTalk Essentials which is meant to give me 20Mb (a newly unbundled exchange offers this). He re-set the computer (??!) modem and needed my username and password.
I asked ' had he fixed the High-open fault '?, and he said there wasn't one. He said Tech Dept always say there's a fault to get an engineer out. So I asked the question....are you going to charge me for this then? Of course, it's 'about £50 ' he said.

So I feel a bit miffed that I have to pay £50 for a fix which I could have done with the correct technical advice over the phone !

Your comments are invited Ady.

macman

Oh dear. It's not 'about £50'. A chargeable OR callout is minimum £130...
The OT engineer should not have been allowed near your computer or modem, this is not their brief, nor do they have any training do this. What did he actually do to it?
Did you check to see if the original fault had vanished, because that was the point of his visit?
NB: your exchange does not give 20MBps-it gives up to 20MBps. If your distance from the exchange is such that 6.5MBps is all that the line can support, then that's all you will get.

spike7451

macman wrote: »

Oh dear. It's not 'about £50'. A chargeable OR callout is minimum £130...
The OT engineer should not have been allowed near your computer or modem, this is not their brief, nor do they have any training do this. What did he actually do to it?
Did you check to see if the original fault had vanished, because that was the point of his visit?
NB: your exchange does not give 20MBps-it gives up to 20MBps. If your distance from the exchange is such that 6.5MBps is all that the line can support, then that's all you will get.

I agree with Mac on this,When ever I had a Service Call at VM,we had to get the customer to sign a waiver if they requested we did work on non NTL/VM supplied kit.BT's monkey shouldn'tve touched your PC.

wilkies5

spike7451 wrote: »

I agree with Mac on this,When ever I had a Service Call at VM,we had to get the customer to sign a waiver if they requested we did work on non NTL/VM supplied kit.BT's monkey shouldn'tve touched your PC.

He wore ID badge stating he was a 'cube' engineer covering TalkTalk, Aol, Pipex etc.

He gave me the impression he was more of an internet chap, than phones!

What would you do now, if you were in my position?
His quote of 'about £50' was witnessed by another member of my household, so should I complain?