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Openreach - Is there any way of contacting them?
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neilio
Posts: 286 Forumite
I know the quick and simple answer to this question is No, and that I should go through my service provider. But, my beef with Openreach is bigger than just the broadband service I receive in my home but rather a problem with the infrastructure in the area affecting possibly hundreds of people.
I just moved into a new-build house, in a new housing development. The development, when finished, will have approximately 500 homes. It is currently about three-quarters built. All new homes will be completed within the next two years. When I first reserved the property off-plan in February this year, the developer told me that superfast fibre broadband would be available. Fast forward to the beginning of October, and I was preparing to move in, I contacted BT to see what broadband speed I could get, and they told me it would be approximately 2Mbps, definitely NOT superfast! I queried with the developer, and they told me that Openreach had failed to provide the necessary infrastructure to the new development as they were expecting.
When Openreach activated my line, I was only able to get 0.25Mbps. This is unusable. I complained to BT and the developer about this, and both blamed each other. However, after some discussing with the developer directly, they told me that whilst Openreach was aware of the new development, they hadn't provided the infrastructure. Moreover, the developer (Berkeley Homes, btw) had escalated the issue right up to the Managing Director level to raise with his counterpart at BT, even offering BT that Berkeley would pay to upgrade the infrastructure themselves (so I'm told) but that BT declined this.
Apparently, the increased pressure on the telephone exchange serving the area means that even the established nearby homes are seeing their broadband speeds reduce as more and more people move into the new development.
After some shocking customer service on the part of BT (my internet service provider), an Openreach engineer came to my home last week and spent two hours trying to figure out how I can get a better connection. He managed to get me just over 1Mbps, but this immediately deteriorated and now I'm averaging at 0.25Mbps again.
At this point, I don't care about having superfast fibre. All I want right now, as a minimum, is enough to be able to do the things I need to do. I was alright at around 4Mbps in my old home. At the moment, I'm prevented from working from home (which I have to do often) and streaming any music, film and on-demand media. I'm now wasting money on subscriptions I can't use, I'm considering cancelling the contracts.
This is why I want to contact Openreach directly to complain that there is insufficient infrastructure feeding the whole area.
I just moved into a new-build house, in a new housing development. The development, when finished, will have approximately 500 homes. It is currently about three-quarters built. All new homes will be completed within the next two years. When I first reserved the property off-plan in February this year, the developer told me that superfast fibre broadband would be available. Fast forward to the beginning of October, and I was preparing to move in, I contacted BT to see what broadband speed I could get, and they told me it would be approximately 2Mbps, definitely NOT superfast! I queried with the developer, and they told me that Openreach had failed to provide the necessary infrastructure to the new development as they were expecting.
When Openreach activated my line, I was only able to get 0.25Mbps. This is unusable. I complained to BT and the developer about this, and both blamed each other. However, after some discussing with the developer directly, they told me that whilst Openreach was aware of the new development, they hadn't provided the infrastructure. Moreover, the developer (Berkeley Homes, btw) had escalated the issue right up to the Managing Director level to raise with his counterpart at BT, even offering BT that Berkeley would pay to upgrade the infrastructure themselves (so I'm told) but that BT declined this.
Apparently, the increased pressure on the telephone exchange serving the area means that even the established nearby homes are seeing their broadband speeds reduce as more and more people move into the new development.
After some shocking customer service on the part of BT (my internet service provider), an Openreach engineer came to my home last week and spent two hours trying to figure out how I can get a better connection. He managed to get me just over 1Mbps, but this immediately deteriorated and now I'm averaging at 0.25Mbps again.
At this point, I don't care about having superfast fibre. All I want right now, as a minimum, is enough to be able to do the things I need to do. I was alright at around 4Mbps in my old home. At the moment, I'm prevented from working from home (which I have to do often) and streaming any music, film and on-demand media. I'm now wasting money on subscriptions I can't use, I'm considering cancelling the contracts.
This is why I want to contact Openreach directly to complain that there is insufficient infrastructure feeding the whole area.
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Comments
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Even if you could contact them you'd get nowhere imo.
What you need to do is look at alternatives. I'm assuming there is no VM cable or you'd just be using that which leaves 4G and satellite. 4G may work well but you can forget about streaming video over it unless you are prepared to shell out more than your mortgage on it. That leaves satellite which isn't cheap either.
The story about the exchange being overloaded is BS. BT upgrade the backhaul from exchanges as required and even if they diddn't then LLU providers such as TalkTalk and Sky normally use their own backhaul.
I don't doubt that once the numbers of potential customers increase BT will install a fibre cabinet but that could easily be some time off.0 -
There is no Virgin Media cable. I get television from a communal satellite dish on the estate. What does LLU mean?
Whilst there is near perfect 4G coverage outside, the house is built like a fortress so I get no mobile data inside at all; I'm lucky if I get 3G if I push myself up against a window. I knew mobile coverage indoors would be poor when I visited the finished house a week before I moved in, so I bought a Vodafone Sure Signal. This was before I realised there would be practically no broadband, which the Sure Signal needs to work in the first place! So, I have no mobile data coverage either.
I'm afraid I'm not tech-savvy enough to understand all of this properly. Surely all the other broadband providers still use the same infrastructure as what my current poor BT service runs on. Doesn't this mean I'd have the same problem with any service provider? Are you saying that I could get more luck with Sky or TalkTalk because... and this is where I fall down in my knowledge, because I thought it all comes back to the hardware as owned and maintained by Openreach. Am I wrong?0 -
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Your issue is with the developer.
If they'd have asked Openreach to provide fibre (and paid for it) they would have done do. Your builder chose the cheaper option of copper. Indeed now Openreach offer fibre to the home for free to all new build sites as of this year.
Your developer can contact Openreach and offer to pay for a fibre cabinet to be installed. Openreach would not refuse this, you're being fobbed off by the developer.
Alternatively, you can go via the community funding scheme where you and the other local residents come up with the money for Openreach to install a fibre cabinet (combined with a subsidy from Openreach).
What cabinet and exchange are you served by? You can find out by putting your number into here http://www.dslchecker.bt.com0 -
So I'm back to square one. Developer says one thing, BT Openreach says another. This is why I want to get in touch with whoever owns the infrastructure to find out if any such request was put in. I need the evidence to back up my case to whomever I should be complaining to.0
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lee111s, what is your source of information, so I can find it and quote it?0
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Your issue is with the developer.
If they'd have asked Openreach to provide fibre (and paid for it) they would have done do. Your builder chose the cheaper option of copper. Indeed now Openreach offer fibre to the home for free to all new build sites as of this year.
Your developer can contact Openreach and offer to pay for a fibre cabinet to be installed. Openreach would not refuse this, you're being fobbed off by the developer.
Alternatively, you can go via the community funding scheme where you and the other local residents come up with the money for Openreach to install a fibre cabinet (combined with a subsidy from Openreach).
What cabinet and exchange are you served by? You can find out by putting your number into here http://www.dslchecker.bt.com
I would say the same.
It was the developer that made this promise to you, not BT or Openreach.0 -
agree , lots of time its the developer who installs everything to the premises on site , makes more sense for them to run ducting and cabling during the build
the developer has opted for the cheapest optionEx forum ambassador
Long term forum member0 -
lee111s, what is your source of information, so I can find it and quote it?
I'm a BT employee and aware of how the process works. If the developer was denied this by Openreach, which I doubt, then surely they'll have it in writing or on an email to show you?
Ultimately though if it wasn't in the sales contract that you'd be provided with Superfast broadband, you'll have a hard time.
The issue 100% lies with the developer as they tell Openreach what they want installed.
If they're prepared to pay for an Openreach installed fibre cabinet then they'll have a contact within the newbuild design/planning team that they can discuss it with.
The average cost of installation of a fibre cabinet is around £30k as far as I know. Could be less, could be a lot more depending on the local infrastructre and what is needed to bring fibre to the area.
What's your exchange and cabinet number?0
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