topic Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help! in Broadband

Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Tuono — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 10:01:53 GMT

Hello, I'm not sure if anyone could advise me on any steps to sorting our problem.

I and 3 other residences on a former farm are reliant on a copper multicore cable laid across fields, which is continually failing for us all.
The reasons that it is failing are:
> ~ 20 years ago, BT subcontractors replaced the overhead line across the fields with a supposed underground cable, but due to a very wet winter, this cable was not 'ploughed in', hence it has been trodden into the ground by animals/tractors etc and never installed properly.

> Recently a new road has been under construction which has resulted in further damage to the cable because it is only just under the soil.

Openreach have been out about 4 times in the past 2 weeks to repair it but 2 of us are still disconnected!
Nobody can really vouch for the integrity of the cable along it's full length due to it's arduous past.

As OpenReach seem inaccessible except via an ISP, my question is, which is the best way to get a proper cable installation done for us all - 2 Plusnet, 1 BT and 1 Sky customers!
Also, is there any way to question Openreach if they already have plans to replace the cable. Is via ISP the best way?

Any suggestions most gratefully received!! Thank you

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Protech — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 10:28:56 GMT

This maybe a starting point?
https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/when-to-get-in-touch-with-openreach/complaints-policy

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Tuono — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 17:12:32 GMT

Thanks for that. Unfortunately, they'll only accept complaints directly about health and safety etc 😕

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Dan_the_Van — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 07:30:20 GMT

Does this help?

https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/damage-health-and-safety

https://what3words.com/

HTH

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Tuono — Sun, 07 Aug 2022 09:18:47 GMT

Thanks, but no. I was fobbed off with the reason that H&S meant more about work done that was left in a state that could harm someone. I'll keep trying via Plusnet I think. Thanks again for your suggestion though

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Gandalf — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 10:45:24 GMT

Hi there,

I'm really sorry to see this and thanks for your post!

I've raised a damage report to Openreach for an engineer to investigate further. The engineer should be going out within 24 hours and we'll update you when we know more.

Let me know how it goes.

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Tuono — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 09:35:15 GMT

Thank you very much for that.
An engineer phoned and is looking into it.
I do hope that a 'proper' installation will be carried out by running the cable across the fields underground in ducting, and therefore also making it future proof so that one day the copper can easily be replaced with fibre 🤞

Re: Repeated failing of infrastructure - Help!

Gandalf — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 12:31:49 GMT

Cool. No problem, I can see an engineer's suggested that 250 metres of cable will need to be rerouted and the job is in hand with a surveyor. Once the survey's been done, they'll pass it to a planner for the final bits before the work is begun.