Long Broadband connection delay, after phone transfer, when switching!

sterlingsafeguarder

I have been helping a friend to switch her Essentials TV, Broadband & Phone package with TT to a Phone/Broadband package with SSE.
When trying to do this online the SSE website would not recognise her LL number as a BT line, which it is.
On being directed to phone instead, we were told by a sales team member that after the phone transfer date, the broadband connection could take up to 14 days! We were told that that was the case with customers coming from TT or Sky.


On consulting the Broadband.co.uk website, it states:
"If you're also switching who you pay for phone calling and line rental at the same time as your broadband (changing to a broadband and phone suppler) then there may be a bit more downtime as an engineer may have to visit your local exchange to make changes to your line, but this shouldn't be long, at most a few hours."


In that case how can TT interfere in such a detrimental way as to delay the execution of a new contract by up to 14 days, when it should only take " at most a few hours."


On checking the Ofcom rules governing the GPL process, under the new regime, there is nothing specific which covers my query, other than "Letters from providers must give details of the switch including a reasonable estimate of the date it will happen."
I assume this relates to the phone transfer date and therefore once this was established why should a customer be so inconvenienced as to lose any internet service for up to 14 days after this when changing service provider. Seems like a deliberate attempt by TT to keep hold of customers because of the extra hassle involved.


Any comments/advice would be very welcome. In the meantime I have advised my friend to hold off the switch for the time being.

iniltous

If the current provider is Talk Talk it's a fully unbundled MPF (LLU) line , so isn't a 'BT' line as such, although it uses an Openreach cable to get from the exchange to the property
It would appear they want to convert from LLU to WLR ( a 'BT' line) and only when that's done, convert to broadband
There is the option on the ordering system that all service providers use, that instructs OR to move from LLU lines to WLR with broadband in one step, but it looks like SSE don't use that order type and prefer to use a 2 stage process, it's nothing to do with TT , as other providers can do a one stage changeover,

brewerdave

Even worse -it appears that SSE cause a broadband "cease" to be placed by moving the phone first so that the existing broadband service has nothing to run over! This leads to the infamous £30 cease fee .
This has been reported for a switch from Plusnet to SSE, which isn't even an LLU style switch:(

sterlingsafeguarder

iniltous wrote: »

If the current provider is Talk Talk it's a fully unbundled MPF (LLU) line , so isn't a 'BT' line as such, although it uses an Openreach cable to get from the exchange to the property
It would appear they want to convert from LLU to WLR ( a 'BT' line) and only when that's done, convert to broadband
There is the option on the ordering system that all service providers use, that instructs OR to move from LLU lines to WLR with broadband in one step, but it looks like SSE don't use that order type and prefer to use a 2 stage process, it's nothing to do with TT , as other providers can do a one stage changeover,

Thanks iniltous for your reply


"Even worse -it appears that SSE cause a broadband "cease" to be placed by moving the phone first so that the existing broadband service has nothing to run over! This leads to the infamous £30 cease fee .
This has been reported for a switch from Plusnet to SSE, which isn't even an LLU style switch."
Similarly I am grateful for brewerdave's input above.


I was accusatory about TT because SSE were naming them as one of the "bogeymen." And brewerdave's point seems to bear this out, especially if it is true that a cease fee is charged, even on a non LLU style switch.


I return to my basic premise, that a consumer decides to switch to gain an advantage compared with their previous provider. In switching to someone like SSE this advantage is seriously compromised if you can be denied internet access for up to 2 weeks and, perhaps, be plied with charges created out of the technical complexities of switching that are a mystery to most of us!


In all probability I'll advise my friend to look to another provider.


I have already made a complaint by email to SSE's CEO. I'll keep you posted on any positive outcome, if any.