BT phone line deliberate disconnection

[Stevenw1963]

We have an ongoing dispute with Openreach about a pole in our garden (25 +years) and although this isn't about that it does have a significant bearing on what's gone on. We do not allow Openreach engineers onto our premises that have not made a prior appointment as they per their policies and procedures.

Our broadband kept disconnecting, especially when it rained, our phone hasn't worked for some time (last year) we have mobiles so wasn't a biggy tbh.

The broadband continually getting disconnected was getting worse so we reported the fault to BT, our provider.

An Openreach engineer turned up and began to check things.

He couldn't get the phone to connect so went to the exchange.

He returned some time later and told us the phone line had been disconnected at the exchange and was having an effect on the broadband too.

I believe an Openreach engineer has done this deliberately in the past as he no doubt turned up unannounced wanting access to our property and this was his 'way' of trying to gain access, thinking we would report a fault!!

I complained to my service provider, BT retail, who are trying to pass the buck and say it's nothing to do with them.

I pay BT for providing services, phone line & broadband, not Openreach yet BT say I have to complain to someone who I don't have any contract with.

This is beginning to p me off, this passing the buck between BT & Openreach is not on.

My contract is with BT and they should be the ones I complain to and who should investigate and report back - correct? 

[imjolly]

@Stevenw1963 

I agree with you that BT retail are your provider and any problems/complaints should be to BT and not openreach  however you have nothing to prove this was a deliberate act by anyone just you line was disconnected but could easily happen as an accident as openreach engineer fixing another customer's connection

you fault is phone not working and I am really surprised your broadband worked ok apart from disconnections as no working phone usually results in no broadband or possibly very slow broadband

did the last engineer get phone and broadband working and if not have you reported fault again

[Stevenw1963]

The engineer that came out did get the phone and broadband working.

I still say it was a deliberate act as Openreach engineers have turned up at my house for over 25 years without first making an appointment. In 2017 we started to make a stand and refused to allow them in. They have lied, tried to intimidate and been downright rude to my disabled wife. 

Their historical wayleave dept said they didn't have a wayleave. When we got solicitors involved earlier this year they suddenly found a wayleave from 1939 which did not belong to my house number (my house used to be 3 flats but was changed into one detached property in 1960) the wayleave they produced said 3 months notice could be given so we have.

There is a lot more to it but you get the jist - disgruntled engineers = petty engineers - who have disconnected us hoping we would report a fault so that they could access our property.

[iniltous]

TBH, you sound a little paranoid, I dare say , if an engineer was refused access to the pole in your garden , they would simply return the task with a note saying access refused and move onto the next job.
Presumably this pole in your garden not only services your property but other properties too, because if it there exclusively to provide service to your address , and you insist on its removal , there is no obligation to serve you address by alternative means.

[gg30340]

Out of interest, was the pole on your property when you moved into the property and if so why did your solicitor who dealt with your purchase of the property not highlight that there was or was not a wayleave in place? Sounds like a bit of an error on the solicitor's behalf for not having pointed it out to you.

If the pole which feeds your property was on another person's property I dare say that if you had a fault with your line you would expect Openreach to be able to access the pole without having to give three months notice so that your fault could be fixed quickly and not three months later. Do Openreach also have to give you three months notice if you have a fault with your line before they come out to effect a repair?

As regards your problem, I doubt that an engineer disconnected your line deliberately. If anything you not allowing access would have allowed him just to write the job off and have an early finish.

In any event I fail to see how any investigation regarding a phone not working since some time during the previous year, given that there will have been multiple engineers able to access the exchange during that time, could possibly unearth who or what caused the disconnection would be a total waste of time.

While your contract is with BT and not Openreach, it would be for BT to take your complaint and pass it to Openreach for investigation if they deemed it warranted it.

My personal opinion is that if you complained to me and given what I and others have posted about access to the exchange etc unless you have irrefutable evidence that a particular engineer did it and you were able to furnish the evidence as to how you knew the act took place I would inform you that I appreciate your concern but no further action would be taken.