This topic

92 days install delay

wf00116 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 12:13:23 GMT

I am using this forum to log the systemic ineptitude of BT, it's failure to understand any customer issues, communicate with other internal departments, take responsibility for actions, and use intuition to solve very simple problems. This is compounded by long wait times on the phone, countless promises to call back that never materialise, and poor advice on the next steps.

Context: we live in a new build property, and we need a line to run from our house to the box on the road. Order placed May 18th. Fair enough - Covid-19 meant engineers could not install a box into the house until June 1st. Order is opened for a dig team to connect the line. June 2nd we receive activation email but of course, no signal because there is no line. I phone BT twice, they are confident we have signal and working internet.

Constant calls and briefs to various BT employees end up with 3 more engineers (one a week for 3 weeks) coming to solve problem, none of which are trained to solve our issue. All go away empty handed. Engineer Count = 4.

Meanwhile there is no update from the dig team on progress for digging a line to the box.

All goes quiet, dig team arrives (x4 staff), concludes that they are from the FAULTS team and this is not a FAULTS issue, so leave empty handed. Engineer count = 8.

Because to them it is not a "FAULTS" issue, but instead a "CONNECTION" issue, we are advised that we need to close our account, start again, and bring out an engineer trained on connections of new services. We close and reopen our account along with re-inputting all details (this took 3 hours on the phone), and of course, an automatic engineer is sent out for set up. Engineer count = 9.

Engineer again says we are connected but we tell him there is no line. He calls manager, who comes to property, and transfers the case to a dig team and they would be in touch in the coming weeks. We are told "when you hear digging in the road this is when you will be connected". Engineer count = 10.

2 more confused engineers come to connect us up, without the skills to, and of course leave empty handed. Engineer count = 12. BT concludes this may be an issue with the copper line, rather than fibre, so sends out 2 more engineers a week later. Engineer count = 14.

92 days later, we have 8 open orders on our account, 51 actions, all with completed status. We have no line and no contact from BT as to when we will be up and running. We have also been sent 5 separate BT Home Hubs, all of course, left in the packaging waiting to be returned because we received one in the first place!

Each and every time, a phone call is made to BT, who coordinate Openreach with the wrong action. BT are at fault and not Openreach (I understand the division between the two companies)

Communication is lacklustre - we rarely get texts, there are two numbers on our account, and it varies which number we are contacted on. Every single time I get in contact with BT I explain the above to a new service assistant.

There are no excuses. This is not to do with delays brought on by Covid, 14 engineer visits prove this. There is no end in sight for us, and this post will not help us get further but may incentivise new customers to avoid the abhorrent, bloated mess that this company has become that has caused endless stress, anxiety, confusion and disappointment. Yes, we work from home 5 days a week, and have done throughout this, on a mix of 4G tethered phones and a patchy BT 4G Mini Hub.

Don't even get us started on compensation. Every so often we receive a text with the odd £25 or £30 credit put into our account, which is quickly then wittled away by "install costs" (£9.99) and "equipment delivery" (£7.99), with random costs of just under £1 being charged to us.

... any help?

Re: 92 days install delay

insithil — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 12:52:56 GMT

I'm fearing having to suffer this with my new build house as well. I'm on order 2 so far.

Re: 92 days install delay

SpiderPig — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 14:11:33 GMT

@wf00116

Sorry to hear about the problems you are having. When dig work is required it's normally a nightmare.

Are you getting fttp or fttc connected?

Re: 92 days install delay

insithil — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 14:21:45 GMT

I have FTTP fitted in the house. Last week saw the guys building the estate putting on my street a massive cable and when it was covered the cement "lid" did say BT, hoping this means the street is now connected

Re: 92 days install delay

Starwire — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:39:40 GMT

Is this a Self Build or is it part of a Development?

Re: 92 days install delay

insithil — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:44:59 GMT

Sounds like it might be a development. But I wouldn't fall for the whole "speak with developers". I spoke to mine and they quite clearly told me, they had never had any issues with other neighbors.

Re: 92 days install delay

Starwire — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:02:38 GMT

If it is a Development then the House Builder should’ve made all the necessary arrangements with Openreach for the Network Build to be done. Either they can arrange/pay for Openreach to do it or they can build it themselves, which Openreach pay them for.

The Developer will have a New Sites Contact at Openreach they can speak to.

Always find it odd Developers/Builders allow people to buy/move into New Builds before construction of all the Utilities and Services are completed.

I’m also a be perplexed as to why Openreach have put in Copper and FTTP on a New Site. Really it should just be FTTP and Voice Services Delivered by either FVA or VOiP.

Re: 92 days install delay

brid_dave — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 17:38:14 GMT

Totally agree with you.

Premier service ! they are a joke of a company ....

My service was a basic switch over with no dig work required and they have failed on activation 3 times and failed to ring me on three agreed dates !

https://community.bt.com/t5/BT-Fibre-broadband/delayed-fibre-activation/td-p/2077050

Re: 92 days install delay

DavidM — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:18:55 GMT

Hi @wf00116 and welcome.

I'm really sorry there has been such a mess made of your order. Can you just confirm as per @SpiderPig post is this for FTTC or FTTP?

Cheers

David

Re: 92 days install delay

wf00116 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:24:18 GMT

Hi @DavidM , @SpiderPig

Whilst not certain I believe it's FTTC because engineers are working to connect to the box on the street. Can you advise on what difference this makes?

To others - thank you for sharing my frustration. The complication here is that cables are laid to the property, and I have a box installed in the house (to do this they needed to pull a wire from by the front door). So whilst they reach the property they are not connected to the box and therefore break somewhere between the two. Madness!

Re: 92 days install delay

DavidM — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:34:23 GMT

Thanks for getting back @wf00116,

'I have a box installed in the house (to do this they needed to pull a wire from by the front door)' sounds like FTTP (Fibre to the premises). Can you provide a photo of the internal installation?

Cheers

David

Re: 92 days install delay

pippincp — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:33:09 GMT

@wf00116 Is this the box you have installed?

Re: 92 days install delay

wf00116 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:40:09 GMT

There's a BT66 outside the front door and it's not one of those but a Master Socket 5C in the lounge .

Re: 92 days install delay

pippincp — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:46:34 GMT

You had us a bit confused there. FTTC then. How many new builds are there on the site?

Re: 92 days install delay

wf00116 — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 19:49:25 GMT

Only 4 of us, newly built in an already established housing estate (Taylor Wimpey 1960s/70s I'd assume). As I said - the line cuts before it reaches the box on the road. So there will be an output at the box and one by our door - but somewhere in the middle they don't meet!

Re: 92 days install delay

pippincp — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 20:01:03 GMT

Gotcha! Hopefully @DavidM can help you.

Re: 92 days install delay

Starwire — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 05:51:50 GMT

Right I understand now. When I said previously about FTTP being connected I was thinking someone else’s comment was yours.

So it’s basically not a Development, sounds more like it’s a few homes built by a local builder who for whatever reason didn’t contact Openreach New Sites and has left that up to the home owners.

Come across that more often than not unfortunately, if they’d contacted Openreach New Sites all of that could’ve been avoided but now you’ve got to deal with the aftermath.

Re: 92 days install delay

DavidM — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 08:24:53 GMT

Thanks again @wf00116,

I'll be happy to lend a hand with this. I've dropped you a private message so you can get in touch. Please bear in mind we are very busy so it's taking longer than expected to reply.

Cheers

David