Failed install due to collapsed duct

[NorthernLight]

Hello, just after some advice as to how to play this.

The FTTP guys arrived this morning to connect me up as planned but couldn't as the duct has collapsed. This is something that should have been picked up as the other properties in the street have had the blue rope pulled through successfully but mine hasn't - so at some point someone has noticed and failed to do anything about it.

I understand I need to wait for a dig to repair the duct. Is this something I should now wait for BT to contact me about or should I be pro-active to chase this up, and if so with whom?

[pippincp]

Just wait. The install team will have reported the collapsed duct and a dig team will be sent. After they fix the duct you'll be contacted with a new install date.

[Starwire]

Where is the collapsed duct, on your land, public highway, footpath and what kind of surface is it on, grass, tarmac, block paving?

All that depends on what needs to be done and by who, which will dictate how long it’ll take to fix.

[NorthernLight]

Thanks, I am aware of the logistical reasons why this may take longer in certain circumstances than others. My question was about whether there is a need for me to pro-actively chase this or whether, in people's experience, the process is in place which will mean this will be dealt with effectively.

Disclaimer: I worked for BT for many years until a few months ago, so I know that there are, shall we say, issues with some of the internal systems and processes. I never dealt with this part of the business so I don't know how good or bad this process is. What I want to avoid is this getting "stuck" in a system some where with no progress.

[MattUK]

Hello.. sorry to hear you are having delays.

I am in the same boat as you and I can give you an update on what has happened on mine.

Install date was 16/4 - Engineer (Kelly) arrived, tried to run cable and like you there was a blockage and would need to be passed back to OR.

2 OR teams showed up 21/4 and tried to clear the block.  Ended up running a camera down the ducting to discover an issue where the garden meets the footpath.  The guy left and returned in the afternoon to mark up the path.  Really friendly guy and said that for me it was right next to where they did the dig for the fibre installs so he though it would be a fairly easy one to fix, but it does need to get passed to another team to do the dig.

He mentioned they had discovered a lot of silt further down the road blocking other areas as well and it wasnt just me.  

Unfortunately he wasn't able to give me any indication of how long I now need to wait for the dig to occur, said it just joins their job queue which makes sense.

I was happy to see they attended so quickly to be honest, now the waiting starts..  I'm hoping that since its a path dig and not the road they don't need to apply to dig it up, but I have no idea on that.

So I'm stuck using their mini hub which is pretty flaky and turns itself off after a few hours as it gets too hot.

[MattUK]

Oh, you don't need to chase anything its all in hand. I do have the exec team engaged on mine since its been somewhat of a saga since last year and they call me each Monday to give me an update.

I was advised to cancel my direct debit as well since I've just been billed £520 for broadband termination, they said they would sort that out but to cancel in case it got taken before they had chance to act.

[mikemsp86]

I had the exact same issue when mine was installed in 2018. The duct had collapsed under the pavement outside my house which the identified using a camera. It basically took about 3 or 4 months from that point to get it sorted and get me online as they send one team out to dig it up and put the duct in then another to fill in and re tarmac the pavement and then another appointment to install to your house. Hopefully it will be sooner for you but that’s how long it can potentially take I guess. 

[NorthernLight]

So it's been nearly a month and this still isn't resolved. The Openreach guys who attended to try and unblock the duct were great and before they left they said that I should expect a dig team within 3-4 days. After 3 weeks with nothing happening I rang the FTTP team who contacted Openreach who said they would have the work done by the 13th of May at the latest. On the 11th, when I had heard nothing more, I rang back and got confirmation that the dig would take place on the 13th but they couldn't specify a time.

The 13th was yesterday and nothing happened so I rang the FTTP Team again who rang through to Openreach. The problem turned out to be that while there was a "complete by" date on the Openreach system, there was no "start" date and so the job wasn't picked up. An escalation email has been sent to Openreach but they have up to 1 week to respond to that with a new date. 

[MattUK]

This is what lets BT and Openreach down all the time, their systems are too old, they do not integrate with each other and there are no checks and balances to ensure this doesn't happen.

Half of my issues last year where because of issues between BT billing / ordering and Openreach  makes them look like cowboys.

[NorthernLight]

Sadly there is a reason why their systems don't integrate - they aren't allowed to by Ofcom as it would be seen as giving BT an advantage over other suppliers. Having worked for BT I know just how antiquated many of their systems are.