Open Reach Service have you had this issue?

LolliePops65

My broadband provider recently contacted me asking if I would like to upgrade from the Legacy Service to the New Fibre Broadband service. As we had been experiencing issues with losing connection, etc., I said yes. Open Reach has recently been in the street laying the new fibre optic cables, so I thought it was a done deal. But no! It now transpires that they have only installed the broadband fibre optic cable to half the street (small cul-de-sac).  To connect to the new cable, I must now pay an additional £1,400 for them to extend the cable so it is outside my property.  My question is this?  What service provider only installs for half the residents on the street?  Is asking the remaining households to pay for the extended cable legal?  Can we make a complaint?  When I complained to my current provider, they told me I would have the same issue regardless of whether I switched providers.  I am out of contract, therefore I can switch, but is their statement true?  I would welcome your views and advice.

iniltous

Openreach have always had the option to charge ECC’s , excess construction costs, but they normally are only applied in extreme circumstances, imagine a millionaire living in mansion with a 1/4 mile driveway , Openreach are not going to pick up the tab for that construction to lay a 1/4 mile duct , it’s perfectly reasonable to expect a contribution from the owner ,  however in most ‘ordinary’ cases the costs are just a part of providing service, the fact you say you have been quoted so much suggests you may be some way away from the fibre network , or there are some expensive hurdles to overcome, excavating in carriageway is much much more expensive than excavating in grass (for example) .

You say what kind of company only does the ‘easy’ housing, it’s all of them , that’s City Fibre , Netomnia, you name it , they all select the addresses that are ‘cheap’ to do and avoid the ones that are expensive….if it’s ‘legal’ for them to do it  , you can’t expect Openreach to abide by different rules , once over Openreach did make no distinction, but they do now as it’s unfair to expect the opposition to mop up the cheap and easy addresses ( it  reflects in the prices they can offer ) while OR have to charge everyone else more to pay for expensive addresses the opposition don’t want , well not until OR provide it’s network they then put there own cables in these expensively laid ducts .

Your provider has a point to a certain extent, in that if you switch , it will almost have to be to FTTP , other providers may absorb the costs (probably not £1400 though) , you can stay on what you have , you don’t yet have to go to FTTP but you may not get the best deals if you have to remain with your current provider, especially when you reach the end of a minimum term .

MarzipanCrumble

I would be inclined to complain - wait for the 8 week deadlock letter and submit to Ombudsman.  Especially if you can supply photos showing a typical cul-de-sac.

You could ask in complaint letter the reason for the decision only to supply half the road.

iniltous

MarzipanCrumble said:

I would be inclined to complain - wait for the 8 week deadlock letter and submit to Ombudsman.  Especially if you can supply photos showing a typical cul-de-sac.

You could ask in complaint letter the reason for the decision only to supply half the road.

What would  be the basis of the complaint ? , a private company spending its own money has cabled up one side of a street , but not the other , they will consider the supplying the unserved side of the street but only if a contribution is made towards the costs….no compulsion, don’t want to contribute, that’s fine , stay on copper .

The  Ombudsman or Regulator Ofcom cannot dictate when and where private companies spend their own money , and there are plenty of places that don’t have FTTP so the OP is no worse off than anyone else who can’t get FTTP  , the fact is FTTP  available ‘for free’ so  close by is irrelevant.
The  8 week deadlock letter is when the customers dispute is with a CP’s (Communication Providers) like Sky , Talk Talk or whoever , nothing to do with network providers like Openreach , the OP has no contract with Openreach , the OP for some reason hasn’t stated who their CP (ISP) is …..

35har1old

iniltous said:

Openreach have always had the option to charge ECC’s , excess construction costs, but they normally are only applied in extreme circumstances, imagine a millionaire living in mansion with a 1/4 mile driveway , Openreach are not going to pick up the tab for that construction to lay a 1/4 mile duct , it’s perfectly reasonable to expect a contribution from the owner ,  however in most ‘ordinary’ cases the costs are just a part of providing service, the fact you say you have been quoted so much suggests you may be some way away from the fibre network , or there are some expensive hurdles to overcome, excavating in carriageway is much much more expensive than excavating in grass (for example) .

You say what kind of company only does the ‘easy’ housing, it’s all of them , that’s City Fibre , Netomnia, you name it , they all select the addresses that are ‘cheap’ to do and avoid the ones that are expensive….if it’s ‘legal’ for them to do it  , you can’t expect Openreach to abide by different rules , once over Openreach did make no distinction, but they do now as it’s unfair to expect the opposition to mop up the cheap and easy addresses ( it  reflects in the prices they can offer ) while OR have to charge everyone else more to pay for expensive addresses the opposition don’t want , well not until OR provide it’s network they then put there own cables in these expensively laid ducts .

Your provider has a point to a certain extent, in that if you switch , it will almost have to be to FTTP , other providers may absorb the costs (probably not £1400 though) , you can stay on what you have , you don’t yet have to go to FTTP but you may not get the best deals if you have to remain with your current provider, especially when you reach the end of a minimum term .

My contract ran out didn't renew as it would cost more to have a new contract 

iniltous

If you contract minimum term has expired but the cost didn’t go up , and it’s actually cheaper to continue on an ‘out if contract’ basis than renew and accept a new minimum term with your existing provider, ( ignoring the option to look at other providers on Openreach ) then you are in an unusual but good position…..most compliants are when customers reach the end of a minimum term , the price goes up to an uncompetitive level , and this FTTP offer means they are stuck on paying more but can’t afford to move to FTTP where the cheaper deals are , so if your price hasn’t jumped up , and is actually cheaper than if you renewed, this FTTP offer can be ignored, stay on what you have , it isn’t  even costing you more than you were paying anyway.

Who is your ISP , I’ve never seen one that doesn’t increase the price for out of contract customers ?

onomatopoeia99

iniltous said:

Who is your ISP , I’ve never seen one that doesn’t increase the price for out of contract customers ?

Whatever the OP answers, A&A don't increase the monthly price after the minimum term (if there is one) ends.

brewerdave

Idle thought -Re Openreach extra cost  - what would happen if the local exchange finally goes Fibre only . Will Openreach swallow the cost for keeping a small number of properties on the copper network "for ever" ? 

iniltous

Chances are the OP is on FTTC , that’s completely unaffected by PSTN switch off or exchange closure as the ‘fibre cabinet’  is served from a headend , same as if FTTP customers , in the  long term most will on FTTP even expensive addresses , but there will always be some edge cases , live half way up a mountain side for example …..they may never get FTTP , and may have to use something like satellite broadband, the OP is unlikely to be in that position, when budgets allow the area will be reassessed, or the excess costs not so strictly enforced 

LolliePops65

Thanks for the feedback. My ISP is EE. There is an exchange box in the street behind us. Open Reach laid the Fibre cable across the road from us. I'm unsure why that side because we are on the same pavement side as the current box. The sales person did state I could simply wait until everyone went fibre. It still doesn't really address why they supply to half the street. If I cancelled the order can I still use the form 8 to lodge a complaint? Where would I find the form 8?

littleboo

As already mentioned, you don't have a basis to complain. For some reason, commercial, technical, logistical, your property hasn't been included, yet. You might want to "inquire" and see if there are plans. If the exchange box your are referring to is for the existing FTTC service, then it's not relevant for full fibre.