Onestream charging £199 Openreach visit - Question

123imp

Hi all,

I moved into a new property a month ago, and it's fairly rural so not many broadband options. I signed up with Onestream (mistake in hindsight) and on the day my service went live I was not getting a connection. No DSL light on my router. Onestream tried to diagnose the issue over the phone, but still not working, so organised for an Openreach engineer to visit. Onestream asked me to read and agree to the disclaimer with the charges - for missed appointment, if I've damaged the equipment, etc - which I did, even though I had a gut feeling they'd probably try and charge me for something later.

Engineer came and was here for about an hour, decided that the socket was not working and there was a problem with the wiring (what he said). Told me he'd have to install a new socket, but wouldn't be able to remove the old box as it was a tight angle for the cable through the window (not happy as it's unsightly - but never mind).

Next day I get a call from Onestream telling me that I'm being charged £199 on my next billing cycle, as the Engineer found a fault "within the home environment".

I've attached photos of the old socket present when I moved in, and the new socket installed. Basically, just wondering if it's one of those that I have to chalk up to a loss, or if Onestream are trying to take advantage of me.

Thanks for advice.

Exodi

The disclaimer is mostly aimed at liability for issues in the home environment. If I drilled through the fibre cable supplying my house, they are making it clear that they aren't responsible for the costs fixing that.

In my opinion, they are correct in that you should be responsible for any and all issues within the home environment (including the faceplate). It's no different to a pipe leaking inside your house, it's your responsibility, even though you're not the one who fitted the pipes or the person who supplies the water.

Flipping it round, I don't know why you think it would be Onestream's cost to bear - you've just moved into the house to discover the connection isn't working and they just happen to be your new provider, why should they have to pay?