Problem getting line installed

davey_browning

I'm having a real problem getting a line installed and looking for some help although I think I may have hit a brick wall.

We've built our own house and I originally placed the order for a new line at the end of June. Because it was a new house Openreach couldn't find the address on their system so when BT Retail passed it to them they just cancelled the order and I had to re-place the order but this took about 2 weeks to happen. This happened twice and eventually after I contacted the Chief Exec's office I was so frustrated. A lady there took it on and has been dealing with it since the middle of August and we now have work going on at the exchange which I was told would be completed today. However I have just had a text message saying that this has been delayed and they will give me an update on the 6th of September as to how it's going.

I'm so frustrated! I've contacted Ofcom and all they did was give me a reference number for the complaint. My wife is a doctor and needs to be contactable and since we don't have mobile reception where we are this is a real problem. I've told them this but they don't seem to care.

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

Heinz

No mobile reception? I doubt that applies to all the mobile networks. Have you tried them all?

Have you tried a Burnside unit (a desk phone with a cellular SIM, mains power and external aerial)?

davey_browning

Heinz wrote: »

No mobile reception? I doubt that applies to all the mobile networks. Have you tried them all?

Yup, it's down in a valley. I was on O2 before, now on vodafone so I can use suresignal once we have broadband installed. Friends have Orange and 3 and have yet to see someone with reception at the property. Rural Scotland....

Buzby

If rural, then Openreach is your only hope if mobile is out of the question - however, it is worth checking the coverage of each network online mapping first, then buying a pre-pay SIM to try at first hand before agreeing to any contract. As for internet, BB is simple a value added service to the the provision of a voice line, and is highly dependant on line distance from the exchange, and the availability of plant to provide the required BB connection - this will also restrict you as to the choice of ISP's if not BT.

davey_browning

The issue at the moment isn't who I go with or what contract I take it's trying to get BT/Openreach to actually get the line installed.

iniltous

Is your new house close to existing BT/Openreach services ?, BT have a universal service obligation, but it does have limits, it was (and may still be) the first 100 man hours of work (the equivilent of £4000 ) was included for a standard installation fee (so you got upto £4K of work, for £130), if however the install costs were in excess of this, excess construction costs are applied, so say the true cost to BT/OR is £10K, you would be expected to pay £6130..if you had an order cancelled, its possible that whoever you used to order a line (it would exactly the same if you used Talk Talk or Sky or any other CP) raised an order for a standard install, when what was required was a bespoke 'line plant enquiry' order where a BT/OR survey/planning officer, calculates the true cost of the install, passes that figure to the Telco, who in turn ask you if you are prepared to accept these excess costs, obviously the further away from existing services, the more the excess construction charge will be, also if you happen to be in an area like a National Park where 'construction' restrictions apply, then often an extra delay can occur while permission is sort to install poles, or dig up roads etc..
Strange as it seems, BT/OR's customer is the CP, not you, so they may not speak to you directly, any info you need should be via the CP you are using, because the CP dosnt have to quote you, what OR quote them, so BT/OR will not say to you ' its going to cost £xxx', as the CP may charge you more (or less) than that......BT/OR can sometimes reduce excess constrction charges if you agree to do some of the work on your own land yourself, so say your property was 100 metres from the road, if you installed the underground cable between the house and the road yourself (to BT standards for depth of cover etc) then this could save a bit, (a stab in the dark), if BT charge £30/m for installing cable in ''soft' ground (grass/soil) that could save £3k.. you wouldnt be allowed to do any work in the 'highway'

davey_browning

The main BT line runs across our land about 5m in front of the house. The buillder had it exposed for other work they were doing so ran ducting to the inside of the house with a rope to pull through a cable. The main BT line is still exposed so it's not much of a job to connect it and then pull the line through. It seems they need to do work at the exchange....

The plot thickens though because I spoke to my wife earlier who's at home today and they've been out today (wasn't expecting that) and couldn't do the install 'cause there's water in the hole so they're going to try and connect it further up and run the line back down. Hopefully be done tomorrow (apparently!)

Cheers

Dave