Seems BT is in for a bashing at moment

coupleuk

Try to make this brief....

Applied for new BT line installation - given a date 3 weeks later.

That day was yesterday and engineer arrived.

Advised we wanted the new line into spare bedroom but BT man states he can only re-connect the existing line/socket thats 40 years old.

BT man goes off for two hours so I ring "customer services".

Passed thru 3 different depts and end up speaking to Indian call centre.

Guy INSISTS that BT are not responsible for installing any cables etc inside property and they would just bring new line to property boundary.

Had a bit of a wind-up with him when I asked how far down the road I had to go to plug in my phone/broadband etc.

Eventually, he gives me various numbers and I give up will to live - 40 minutes after starting call.

BT man returns and states all new line cabling and box must be within 3 metres of front door.

Great I said - the place I want the socket is 2.5 metres away.

Oh no, we must use the existing socket.
But your email states you will fit socket where we want it.
Oh no, we cant do that - it will cost extra.

I want the socket in spare room, 2.5m from front door.
Oh no, cant do that.

I get his supervisor number of him as "he will say same thing".
I explain it to supervisor and he speaks with BT man.

OK, there is a new policy which comes with new line installation - you get an extra hour installation time free - where do you want your socket sir.

No problem, I will do that for you.

TWO HOURS later, the BT man has managed to fit a run of approx 10 metres cable up/over/around door frame etc.

Phone line now installed after a wait of 3 weeks, 40 minutes of crap customer service calls and an idiot of a BT engineer.

Way to go BT - great first impression !!!

spike7451

BT are only responsible for connecting to the NTE box in the house & not fitting extensions or relocating an existing NTE,so be prepared for a charge on your next bill.
As to this bit;

BT man returns and states all new line cabling and box must be within 3 metres of front door.

I suspect he was trying to dodge changing the cable over from external to internal as you can only use a certain length of external cable in a living space,as it gives off a toxic fume in a fire.

macman

If the existing line is serviceable then they are perfectly entitled to reuse it to the same location. He would have fitted a modern NTE 5 to replace the existing master socket if it was really 40 years old-but not move it.
You can expect a surcharge of around £130 for the extra hour.

TonyMMM

Had my BB upgraded yesterday - the BT engineer couldn't have been more helpful- said I could have the connection moved to wherever I wanted. After some discussion he put a new cable into my upstairs office and installed modem/router there..

Connection now gone up from 6 to 75 meg ....very pleased.

macman

That's an Infinity install-different rules apply, as it's an engineer install.

duchy

If there is already an existing socket it's different to a new socket install.

Open Reach fitted me a new master socket in a room at the back of the house as I needed to connect the router to a PC there with ethernet for security purposes but had I had an existing socket they would have wanted to charge about £130 to do so. I still needed to be firm about where I wanted it though. It never ceases to amaze me however how many people let the OR engineers fit the socket somewhere completely unsuitable and then ring up to complain later.

(Oh and they are OpenReach engineers not BT engineers )

ioscorpio

Well when I had an OpenReach engineer at my house on Friday, he stated that "you don't want your master socket in the porch". The master socket was in the lounge. Without discussing with me, even though I was in the house, decided to put the master socket on the outside porch wall, where an old extention socket was, that I told him had been disconnected. Unfortunately the only electric socket in the porch is on the opposite wall to the master socket. He did put a cable through to the old master socket and converted it to an extension socket, but I thought that you had to have your router connected to your master socket? So now I have to have wires across the floor of the porch or round the corner into the lounge, but cannot shut the door as it was trap the wires.

hareng

Moved my master socket myself twenty odd years ago from hall to living room, plus two extensions.
OpenReach engineer arrives last year and updates to latest face plate!