Line installation chaos

[#1]

It sounds like the problem is a lack of pairs to your address. This is Openreach's problem but they'll never admit to it. The issue mainly is that, by law, openreach only have to offer a voice phone service on a line, broadband is a "best effort" service. What this means is that in congested/rural areas where Openreach runs out of spare lines, it can get away with provisioning on DACS (which shares a pair between two users) because legally they're offering what their being paid for. Openreach hate having to fork out on running new lines and can easily add months to an order to avoid doing it.
I know this is cold comfort, but you're definitely not alone in this, and there's only so much that plusnet can do, as its an openreach failing.

[#2]

It really is an Openreach failing because no supplier can supply broadband on a DACS line (the orders get rejected until the DACS is removed). In other words, the DACS should never have been applied in the first place if there was a broadband order also waiting.

[#3]

It's a really terrible excuse though. I know Openreach are the ones that are doing the installation and all the hard work, and that's precisely why I hadn't complained up to this time last month, but there comes a point where Plusnet need to take responsibility for it. BT Openreach are their supplier and I am not able to talk to them directly.
If the line is a problem I would have preferred to have been told so, and then I would have cancelled my order long ago. However they've kept it going for four months, I've had to take three days off work, and they took over £200 from me for the service.
I really don't mind if this all highlights a problem with Plusnet or BT. It is indeed a problem and ridiculous that people are meant to just accept it.

[#4]

Tony, please can you let me know what's happening now?

[#5]

From what I can see they're still making plans on how to get it removed.
I'll see if I can get any precise dates.

[#6]

How they can get the DACS line removed? The one that they just put in?

[#7]

He means how they can get the line converted to a non-DACS line.
What they will probably be doing is looking at houses near you to see if they can find another line which is a normal line but doesn't have broadband. They'll then swap you over so if they try to order broadband in the future they will face the same issue as you.
OpenReach will do anything to avoid doing the job properly and laying new cable back to the cabinet/exchange to deal with the shortage of line.

[#8]

@jelv
Thanks, that's a good explanation.

[#9]

I've had a word with out suppliers and they've advised the engineers are still working on it.
We've been told to check for updates on the 19th however due to the length of time this issue has been dragging on we'll keep chasing it for you.

[#10]

Given that 19th February has come and gone without any update, please correct me if I'm wrong but does this not imply that it hasn't been chased up?
Please could you let me know what is happening, without saying that your suppliers are still working on it and you'll continue to monitor? I'm afraid that's all a little difficult to believe now.

[#11]

As an ex BT engineer of nearly 40 years standing I hang my head in shame at the way you have been treated.
Do your next door neighbours have broadband? If you are really friendly with them they may allow you to wirelessly connect to their service.
If you search in the hardware section for "Guest wireless access" you you find my earlier posting on how to provide a secure guest access very easily and simply.
I would write to OFCOM, nice letter outlining the chronology and perhaps the lack of transparency in the attempts of OpenReach (OR) to provide service suitable for broadband.
After all 0.8 miles from the exchange is unlikely to be in the "very rural - too expensive" box.  OR use contractors a lot and have a inbuilt resistance to their requests to install more cable - after all "they are just out to bill us for more work"
One letter is unlikely to prompt immediate action (but you never know) but what it will do is join the pile of other complaints and give them ammunition when adressing the deficiencies in the OR provisioning/repair services.
On the Plusnet side as they have failed to provide you with the agreed service with a "reasonable" period I would suggest that you should at least ask for a suspension of payments until the contracted broadband service has been installed.
Cheers (and good luck)

[#12]

@Projjer
Thanks very much for your reply and sympathy.
Our neighbours do indeed have broadband, and we've currently got a 3G MiFi device so we aren't currently left without internet, it's just highly frustrating that nobody seems to want to get this resolved.
I have already drafted a letter to Ofcom about this, I was being patient to see if things could be resolved since I brought my complaint to this forum but that doesn't seem to be happening so I will send this off now.
How have you found out that we're 0.8 miles from the exchange? That doesn't sound inaccurate, but I didn't think my address was visible anywhere!
The only thing that I am currently being billed for is line rental as the broadband isn't up and running. I paid for this upfront as it was the most cost effective way of doing it so Plusnet actually took this money back in October. If I was being billed monthly I would perhaps demand that these payments are suspended (after all I'm not actually using the landline), but as they've already taken it there isn't much that I can do. When this is all finished I will be demanding that the line rental payments are taken from the date of broadband connection rather than phone line installation.

[#13]

Yet another example demonstrating that BT Openreach are not fit for purpose. Just what is Andy Baker doing regarding BT Openreach's failure to deliver acceptable service to his customers?  Or is it a matter of one BT senior executive not creating waves for another BT senior executive?  Do customers not matter any more?
The break up of the BT group with its lack of accountability for poor service Is long over due.  BTOR seem to think they have zero obligations to anyone - not their direct CP / ISP customers (who I suspect they consider to be BT Wholesale customers) nor the indirect (end user) customers who pay for the service.
Whilst I have every sympathy for the OP no one appears to have any power over the shoddy behaviour of BT Openreach - not even peer division CEOs ... unless Andy wants to come here and tell us different - until he does, one has to conclude he simply does not care about PlusNET's customers nor the PlusNET staff fielding the consequential customer dissatisfaction.  He has been in post 15 months - what improvements in BTOR performance has he obtained from his supplier for his customers?
As for CRT I feel for your hand-tied frustrations - I really do not know how you keep going, coming into work each day, facing the same institutional failures, week in week out.  I salute you!
Kevin

[#14]

I can only apologising, and as Townman says, we feel the frustration as well. There has been an update on the ticket, and we will keep chasing for news for you.
@Townman, I do think you are being a bit harsh on Andy here.

[#15]

The update on the ticket is a bit cryptic and it suggests that we wait until Monday for more information.