Openreach left me with no phone and broadband

[Sapchild]

Good morning, Hopefully somebody is able to help.  I was scheduled for a simple digital phone switchover this week (or so I thought) and noticed BT had scheduled an engineer (broadband visit) to attend on the day. I called them a couple of days beforehand and they said I had no need to worry it’s just that some more elderly adults sometimes have issues setting up the new Smarthub 2 and they would attend to ensure this is done. No worries so far. We have had our phone and broadband service here with BT for 20 years since we bought the house. I told them I hadn’t asked for an upgrade to broadband as my daughter has exams currently and I didn’t want to risk the broadband connection or the disturbance. I’m also caring for my wife who is currently going through a long period of illness. 

The switchover day arrives and as I wake up the broadband and phone is down (Amazingly as an elderly pensioner I managed to set up the new Hub and plugged in the phone) . I know the engineer is due between 12 and 6pm so am not stressed about it. Engineer turns up and tells me he is going to upgrade the broadband. I tell him I didn’t  ask or indeed order this. He tells me it’ll be no problem and it’s BT policy as the cables are available in the junction box at the end of the gravel driveway. OK I say, but I will need both phone and broadband at the end of the day. 

He gets on with the work and starts in the house. Drills a few holes and installs the small new fibre box in the house and then does the necessary outside.  Bit messy and no clean up which is pretty standard these days sadly. After  a good long time he rings the doorbell to tell me my existing phone cable runs through both ducting and “in the ground” and he can’t pull the new fibre cable into the property and so it will need installed in new conduit in the gravel driveway. And this is done by a separate team. No problem I say, he has me sign permission on his iPad like device. And then he says they are very busy and it might take a week or it may be a month or more. OK I say, turn on my old phone and broadband as the cable is still there untouched. Ah, he says, you’ll have to speak to BT customer service. And then he leaves. 

I call BT customer service and they tell me they will look into it and then call me back the following day. I stress I now have zero phone or broadband. Between them calling me back I get a text from Openreach to say I have  an appointment on July 15th ( over a month away) to complete the work. (In theory at least) BT call me back yesterday and said they are sending a 4G backup device (with a 10Mb daily limit) - this won’t work where we live as mobile reception is terrible. I tell them this. I also ask them to turn on the old phone and broadband service and he tells me he’s not sure this can be done but will escalate to Openreach and hopefully they (Openreach) will be in touch. The agent then tries to sell me EE mobile services and I obviously decline. It will cost me but the the compensation will pay for it?? Call ends and a few hours later I get an email to tell me my “complaint” is closed?

So here we are. No phone, no broadband, having been loyal BT customers for over 20 years at this house and more at previous ones. What to do. Any help would be appreciated. 

John 

[iniltous]

The migration to DV (digital voice) where your telephone service is via the broadband doesn’t need a conversion to FTTP , but in areas where FTTP is available, Openreach take the opportunity to try and get FTTP installed at the same time …..it’s of no use to you now but you could gave refused the FTTP installation but still be migrated to DV , the communication you got from BT should have said that , but obviously they prefer you to take the FTTP installation so it’s not as prominent.

There is no reason why if the FTTP installation fails  like in your case , a duct wasn’t already in place between the footpath and your house wall , that the existing copper service is ceased , but unfortunately when that does happen , the ‘tide you over’ solution is to provide you with a mobile 4g solution until the optical cable can be delivered to your house wall , FYI , putting the new duct in is often much quicker than the worse case scenario date you were given , but disruptive non the less .

FYI , I’ve never heard of the 10Mb daily limit so would take that with a pinch of salt .

Although this is annoying, there is nothing ‘personal’ about it , if you were a customer of a different ISP , you would be in the same position, in that your old service has gone before the new service is installed, but many of those don’t provide the 4g ‘back up’ that BT offer .

When you were advised that the DV migration was also going to include conversion to FTTP , that did offer an option to decline the FTTP part , a ‘genuine’  reason to decline would be a renter not  having their landlords  permission to excavate the garden …but a reason isn’t necessary anyway however that ship has long since sailed, and unfortunately there isn’t a way to restore the old copper network once the FTTP service was booked off as ‘done’ , even in cases like this where it’s only partially done .

[chrisjp]

The root of this problem (which from this Forum is quite common) is that when an upgrade from FTTC to FTTP is scheduled, BT arrange to turn off the old FTTC copper phone and broadband service on the same day as the fibre to the premises is scheduled to be installed, but BEFORE anyone knows if the fibre installation is going to be successfully completed in the one engineer's visit.
This issue could easily be prevented by BT only turning off the copper service when Openreach confirms that the fibre installation has been successful.
Why on earth doesn't BT do this? It would save both customers, BT and Openreach a load of hassle.

[Leanne_T]

Morning @Sapchild 

I'm really concerned you have no working landline or broadband at the moment and would like to get you some help with this. 

I have sent you a private message for some extra details. Please take a look and get back to me when you get the chance. 

Thank you. 

Leanne.