Ensure new line order is routing to correct exchange

[hennrizzler]

Hi All,

I have a concern. I am ordering a new line and fibre from BT. I was originally ordering from plusnet but have had numerous issues with them attempting to connect and activate my line and their poor resolution process and internal coordination of the problem. I gave them a lot of time and patience but eventually they eroded away my faith that they could resolve the issue.

Everytime an BT Openreach engineer came out (three times after long delays!), each of them had advised that the order (telephone number) was for the Mortlake exchange, but my property (and the DP into the building) is routed to the Wandsworth exchange. This results in an incomplete job.

Wandsworth is the closest exchange to the property and is fibre enabled whereas Mortlake is not.

After multiple 'rejected' and 'commited' orders with plusnet and numerous engineer visits telling me what I had been told before, I felt I was going nowhere even though plusnet knew the reasons for each incomplete job/failed activation.

When I ordered from BT, I was promised by the sales advisor (who did a check somehow!) that my new line order and fibre would be routed to Wandsworth. BT Openreach's system (homeandbusiness openreach) also shows my address as routing to Wandsworth.

I recieved an email with my new telephone number to be activated from BT for my phone engineer appointment and when I check this with 'samknows exchange search' I get the exchange of Mortlake. When I put in my post code into the search, I get Wandsworth.

My concern is I will have the same problem again, that my new allocated number is linked to the Mortlake exchange and that is where the phone engineer will try to (unsuccesfully again) route me to.

Am I checking against unreliable sources or is there a right to be concerned? I don't want to add further delays to what is already an extremely long process without broadband. Is there a way to confirm that the phone engineer's order is correctly routing to wandsworth so all is well on the activation day?

Kind regards,

Henry

[Keith_Beddoe]

Welcome to this user forum. @hennrizzler 

Do you have a current order for a BT Residential line, or is this for a business line?

You can only be connected to one exchange, and that would be determined by Openreach. Its not BT Openreach, its just Openreach.

The routing cannot be changed.

In order to find out what services and speed range you could be getting, please enter your phone number into this form.
Broadband availability checker


Please remember to edit out your phone number before you post the results.

[hennrizzler]

Hi Keith,

Thanks for the fast response and clarification.

The property is a new build upon an existing building - to add information on scenario. This property was originally a silver key address but have since been surveyed by Openreach and added to the database - at least this is what I've been told. I assume this to now be a gold key address due to the address appearing and routing to the Wandsworth exchange when you do a check with the openreach site I mentioned.

This is a current order for a BT residential line (and fibre activation on same day).

The phone number doesn't work on the availability checker you have provided since it is a new order number recently (today) allocated.

Kind regards,

Henry

[Keith_Beddoe]

Thanks,

What you need to do is to wait until you have a working BT Retail phone line. Then give it a couple of days for the Openreach database to be updated.

Once that has been done, then you will be able to use the broadband availability checker to see which cabinet and exchange you are connected to, and see what broadband services are available. The routing cannot be changed.

That will tell you whether your cabinet is fibre enabled. If not, then you would have to order an ADSL connection and wait to see if the cabinet is being upgraded at a later date.

I cannot see at this stage, how a  combined order for phone and fibre  (copper) broadband can be fulfilled.

[hennrizzler]

Hi Keith,

Here-in lies the issue. If we ignore the fibre activation part of the order and consider just the phone line activation.

My past orders to get a phone line installed were to the routing exchange of Mortlake.

When the phone engineers come to my property to activate the line, they advise me that they cannot activate the line since the phone line that I have, connected to the DP for the existing building I have, is routing to wandsworth. They've even traveled to both exchange and have confirmed that Mortlake (a number of miles away) does not have the test signal they put on my line but Wandsworth exchange (or cabinet) does.

The phone/multiskilled engineers advised that the phone number allocated is a Mortlake exchange number and so is the order so they can't just 'activate' my line in Wandsworth, even though that's where the signal goes.

Because of this mismatch they've always failed the job/marked it as incomplete.

My concern is the phone engineer schedule to visit soon will have the same problem. How do I ensure this doesn't happen and my line gets activated?

Failing that, how do we ensure that Openreach's systems are correctly updated since we, as the consumer, are not able to contact them?

Kind regards,

Henry

[Keith_Beddoe]

Then if they have said that your DP is connected via a cabinet off Wandsworth Exchange, then that is where it would be provided from.

Its more likely that the phone number you have been allocated is incorrect, which would be an issue with the job build.

The actual order need to be looked at.

I have asked a moderator to provide assistance, they will post an invite on this thread.
They are the only BT employees on this forum, and are based in the UK.

[NeilO]

@hennrizzler Thanks for posting and welcome to the BT.com community forums, I'm really sorry about the problems you've had with your order for service. It sounds like Openreach have a routing error for your address and we'll be happy to take a look at the order and raise this with Openreach if needs be. 

I've sent you a Private Message with details on how you can get in contact with the mod team so you can send us over your order details.

[hennrizzler]

Thanks for your help on this @Keith_Beddoe - It's much appreciated.

Thanks @NeilO , I've PM'd you details.

[JohnC2]

Hi @hennrizzler  I called earlier sorry I could not get to speak with you. I've checked your order and it is allocated a Mortlake number and  as you have stated this should be Wandsworth. The engineer appointment is for tomorrow morning and I will be in the office tomorrow afternoon and review your order then.

If as we suspect the order is not completed I will then be able to raise this (with the engineer's notes) to Openreach. This can take a while for the records to be updated. Once this is completed then a new order can be placed. 

I'll be back in touch with you by tomorrow evening to update you then.

Cheers
John

[hennrizzler]

Hi @JohnC2 ,

Thanks for looking in to this. Can we ring Openreach and advise them to correct the order to Wandsworth / allocate a wandsworth number? I know exactly what will happen, the engineer will come and then tell me they cannot complete the job because the number allocated is for Mortlake but the line in my house goes to Wandsworth and that I'll have to take this up with my provider.

This is exactly what has happened to me on the last 3 attempts of phone line activation and is happening again.

If the phone line doesn't get completed tomorrow, what will happen is that you'll talk to Openreach, take a few more attempts at placing a new line order which will take a few days to reject or commit, even with me phoning and asking for someone to confirm the number allocation to be correct. After a week, we'll have a engineer sheduled which will take a few more days, due to expediting due to an "Openreach fault", to then have another Mortlake number allocated and the cycle continues.

Can we please be proactive about this? I dislike that I cannot talk to Openreach directly and have to rely on a third party who is happy to 'wait and see' what happens and not care that I keep going round in circles because a new representative is dealing with my issue for the first time every time I ring up the provider.