OpenReach / Vodafone Installation Mess

pjjonah

The monopoly that OpenReach has on Broadband fibre installation - and their refusal to deal directly with anyone other than Broadband providers - is completely unworkable.
I decided to switch from Virgin to Vodafone last month, so they arranged for an OpenReach engineer to install the fibre box at home on Monday. I cancelled Virgin when I got the iinstallation date as I was no longer prepared to pay their exhorbitant prices (big mistake!). So that meant I had no Broadband from Saturday.
Anyway, the engineer came and hooked me up. The fibre box wasn't connecting properly (PON light is flashing). He said that was fine - he would make a phone call and it would be sorted in 15 minutes. He jumped into his van and disappeared. 
As I'm sure you can guess, it's still not working. I've been through 2 useless chats with Vodafone and I've spoken to 3 different people in their call centre. They're 'chasing' OpenReach for a solution, and OpenReach have told them an engineer would turn up in 24 hours. Or 48 hours. Or never (as was the case). Today is my 6th day without Broadband and there is no indication of a fix before the weekend. My wife and I are both working form home at the moment, so this isn't a trivial matter.
So I can't deal with OpenReach directly and I'm getting nowhere with Vodafone. Has anybody in this stuation managed to expedite it? Or should I just cancel Vodafone and creep back to Virgin?

pjjonah

Sorry - wrong forum. I'll kills this and put it on the right one!

niktheguru

Cancelling your virgin on the day of openreach installation was the first mistake. Usually its more sensible to give the one month notice so it is overlapping your openreach installation (by about a week) so that if for some reason your install is complicated/unsuccessful you still have internet and can also if it takes longer than a few days to sort out, cancel your cancellation and keep the internet going.....especially important if working from home.
For the moment I would suggest tethering an online connection from your mobile assuming you have enough data and free tethering.
(obviously this is only for virgin to openreach or vice versa.....if its a standard openreach to openreach port its much simpler)

In your current situation if you're not getting anywhere with the call centre ensure you have raised it as a complaint (see website below with complaints phone number for broadband), also make sure you've noted down all dates of no service so you can be compensated after. Also, send a written email complaint to 
https://www.vodafone.co.uk/help-and-information/complaints/contact-us-

Hope it works out.
(Note you won't be able to speak to openreach directly)

iniltous

Although sympathetic to your situation there are a few misrepresentations, Openreach doesn’t have a monopoly anywhere , there are many other fibre network providers , almost every day alternative network providers publish plans or start work on new FTTP networks, if the area you are in doesn’t have an ‘alt net’ that’s hardly OR’s fault.
Vodafone are a complicated choice for FTTP , as they have many versions of the FTTP product, over their own network, alt nets , and Openreach, the physical location depends on what is on offer, presumably VF offer FTTP over OR where you live.
OR are not allowed to communicate with you by the regulator Ofcom, they dictate that you speak to your provider, and the provider speaks to OR, a few years ago OR suggested to Ofcom that they be allowed in some circumstances to be able to speak directly to end users , Ofcom consulted with the likes of Sky, Talk Talk VF etc, and the consensus was these ISPs don’t want OR speaking to you, they only want you speaking to your ISP.