Delay in Fibre installation

[Momyo54]

I was due to have my fibre broadband installed today.  My original supply was cut off in anticipation of the new installation.  The engineers have turned up today to install my new broadband and informed me that due to Covid they could not install. 

We are now left with no broadband and 4 people trying to work from home.

At no point were we warned this could happen and under the current circumstances we cannot be left with no broadband.

We have been advised that we should be connected at the middle of next week.

We are extremely dissatisfied and had we known, would not have moved our account.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Momyo54 

Welcome to this user forum.

Who did you place your broadband order with, and what package did you order?

Is this a direct fibre to the house, (FTTP) or is it broadband over copper (FTTC)?

Who was your previous provider?

[pippincp]

Have you read BT's coronavius response at the top of the page?

"...engineer visits might be cancelled or delayed if an engineer needs to enter your home."

[Momyo54]

Hi, thanks for responding.

It's fibre to the house.  Our previous provider was EE.

[Momyo54]

Thank you for your response. No, I haven't seen that.  The information that we were sent was that they would install up to 30m of cable inside the house.  We have had this appointment booked for weeks.

Had we been advised yesterday, we would have contacted our previous supplier and asked them to continue our service.

My issue is the lack of communication.  The engineers were frustrated because they had been out to several properties in the same situation.

I appreciate the need to keep the engineers safe and have no quibble whatsoever about them entering the property.

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@Momyo54 wrote:

Hi, thanks for responding.

It's fibre to the house.  Our previous provider was EE.

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So you have placed the order with BT Retail?

The engineers are actually from Openreach not BT Retail. Openreach deal with most providers, so issues like this are going to affect everyone. Fibre installs are more complicated and do involve work inside. Openreach will be dealing with priority customers, and probably have reduced staff available.

Have you asked BT if they can send you a 4G mini hub, assuming you have 4G broadband coverage?

[Starwire]

Where in the U.K. are you?

Openreach work on a Traffic Light System. 

Green means continue as normal.

Amber is only go into someone’s house for a Total Loss of Service or New Provision.

Red is don’t go in full stop.

England in on an Amber Status, Wales is Green, I don’t know about Scotland or Northern Ireland, pretty sure they’re both Amber though.

[Momyo54]

We are in England. I completely understand and respect that the engineers felt unsafe to enter the property.  That is fine with us.

My main issue is that we were only told this when the engineers were standing at the door.  If this policy is as old as the latest lockdown, we would have been more than happy for Openreach to delay the installation and we would have carried on our contract with our previous provider.

Our problem is being left with no internet and no prospect of it for a week when we are all working from home. 

[Momyo54]

We did go through BT Retail.  Openreach engineers came to our house and it was then that they told us they couldn't come in.  Apparently, they had had the same problem in several properties.

I went back to BT and they said the only option was to go back to copper and it will take until next Wednesday to be switched back on.  We were not offered anything other than that.

Because our previous supply contract had ceased, our previous company would have to treat us as new customers and would take 30 days to process the application.

I know that in the current climate, this all sounds very whingy.  I really do appreciate and agree that the engineers' safety is paramount. However, the communication is awful.  We had several videos to watch that told us what would happen next.  These were pre-lockdown.  We fully expected the installation to be delayed given the circumstances.  I had 3 texts yesterday telling us that the engineers would visit today and they duly arrived.  

I would implore Openreach to be straightforward with their customers and staff.  If you are unable to do a job, just say so.  Nobody would mind.  

[pippincp]

Give the FTTP team a ring they may send out a 4G hub for you. 0800 587 4787