topic Re: Fibre Installation Problems in Plusnet Feedback

Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:45:55 GMT

I reluctantly had to post here because I am tired of creating tickets that get closed and only part actioned. It is now 2 weeks since my original fibre install date( no BT turn up) and I am feeling more and more stressed out after several years of very good service from O2.
After line and internet service cancellations and line cease, despite signing up wit a MAC I finally had my modem supplied and FTTC service switched on late yesterday - I will not say installed because the subcontractor stayed for about 5 minutes and did not bring the LAN extension kit I ordered. He did not seem to understand what it was when I asked him about it and he suggested it should have been posted. I tried asking if one could be posted on an outstanding ticket, but this was ignored and the ticket closed.
This is just a small part of my problems. I am currently consistently receiving about 21/2.4Mbs after being promised 44 +/-1Mbs. I was receiving over 7Mbs consistently from O2 on ADSL with a high noise margin.
The real complication came when I had an intermittent line fault diagnosed by O2 during the month after signup with Plusnet, but before my arrange install date. It seemed to only seriously affect my service for 1 day, but was subsequently identified as a fault in a short street section of BT cable in the street to my master socket. BT arrived installed a new master socket with a cable dangling through an ugly hole in the front of my house and arranged for their digging team from LIvingstone to replace the street cable.
I kept PN informed of this issue multiple times and was assured this would not affect the install and the work would continue as the date arranged for digging was 1 day after my fibre install!!
This is where my Groundhog day takes over. I discovered that repair was cancelled due to line cease. Fibre install was cancelled for no apparent reason - line cease. Fibre install rebooked - no saturdays possible although I was initially assured PN do saturday installs. Line repair rearranged after raising fault from scratch with PN and BT restart digging arrangements. Fibre finally installed yesterday - low speed. Guess what - line repair cancelled again apparently due to installation of fibre.
I still have a big hole and dangling wire from the front of house and and told I need to start from scratch convincing someone to get BT to finish the job they started.
I am severely tempted to abandon all hope and admit defeat and go over to Virgin. At least there is only one company to deal with.
I think I will take a vote on it.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 07:23:36 GMT

I would do 2 things - Insist Plusnet escalate this matter to the highest level in Openereach ASAP. and secondly I would make a formal complaint to OFCOM about Openreach. Don't let OFCOM fob you off and say contact your Service Provider which they no doubt will, tell them very bluntly if need be, that you want your complaint logging and a reference number for it. Whilst your Provider is doing what it can, there is either a major shortcoming in OFCOM's regulations that allow Openreach to get away with this or a major deficiency in Openreach systems and they are in breach of regulations.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:47:29 GMT

The problem at the moment does not appear to be Openreach as such, although their procedures and general slowness seem to be the cause of a lot of my problems. Plusnet themselves seem to have caused the majority of my issues, again by not having joined up procedures, and their inability to continue repairing my line fault while they install the fibre. Each time they cancel the line repair without informing me and when I discover this they have to start again at step 1 diagnosing an intermittent fault.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 12:59:18 GMT

How do I get Plusnet Complaints Manager to look at this topic as I have seen him intervene on other simpler issues?

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 14:13:29 GMT

It's not sounding like Plusnet's non-joined up procedures - although they seem to have some it's sounding like the initial problem was caused by O2 placing a cease when the transfer to Plusnet should have been taking place. But a known line fault should still have been dealt with by Openreach, but a cease would have put a stop to it. The Fibre install shouldn't have stopped it, that sounds like Openreach's issue.
If James has time he make pick this up Monday, but to be quite honest any of the DCT can get this resolved for you but they aren't on until Monday morning either. One of them will pick it up. It sounds like a thorough investigation into exactly what happened is needed and you provided with a full explanation so you can deal with matters accordingly.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 17:59:54 GMT

After the repair cancellation I did get Plusnet to reluctantly open a new fault after the phone was reconnected and when Openreach came out they restarted the line repair and digging process. Then my fibre was eventally connected and the repair was cancelled again. This one must be down to Plusnet.
The line repair was started a month ago and I had many conversations with Plusnet helpdesk during this time explaining I had a line repair outstanding and warning them on several occasions that O2 said "BT were cancelling my line". They seemed very helpful (as did O2) and said this would not be an issue, I was also told they could arrange installation at weekends, but when I tried to arrange installation the second time I was told they never do this, even though BT do.
The net result was: nearly a week without a phone and nearly 2 weeks without internet. About a month with an external hole, new master socket and dangling BT wire at the front of the house and a hole in an internal wall and a mess of cables providing temporary connections until the new master socket is connected (in a different room).

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 19:01:17 GMT

I still suspect it's Openreach's systems responsible, they are bloody atrocious. But I'm sure a DCT member will pick this up tomorrow and sort it out whoever is to blame.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

adamwalker — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:49:14 GMT

@o2refugee
Sorry to hear about the issues getting started with us.
I'm looking into any engineer issues generally at the moment so I'll come back to this at a later time to see what might need feeding back and what we can learn.

Quote
Then my fibre was eventally connected and the repair was cancelled again

I'm a bit confused about the repair being cancelled again? I say that as I can see that we logged a faul on the 13th and were advised on the 14th that we should expect that to be fixed by the end of today.
Adam

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:48:23 GMT

My interpretation of the current status is this

Quote from: o2refugee
About a month with an external hole, new master socket and dangling BT wire at the front of the house and a hole in an internal wall and a mess of cables providing temporary connections until the new master socket is connected (in a different room).

But o2refugee will need to clarify what repair work is still outstanding if the above doesn't convey the complete picture.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:34:23 GMT

Anotherone is exactly right. I logged yet another ticket last week to try to get the repair restarted, but this just starts the beginning of another fault finding process. I hope Openreach can use this request again to continue with the repair. As this is an intermittent fault I do not want to start from scratch and say no identifiable fault as a faulty section of external cabling has been identified once and I was just one day await from my new internal wiring being connected up.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:38:28 GMT

Had a call from a BT engineer and managed to explain my situation - again. Looks like he may be able to restart the line repair/dig.
Now how do I get my speed up from 20 to the promised 45Mb?
Just had another complete nonsens email from Plusnet:
When you signed up for your broadband account, we performed a check on your telephone line to give you an estimated speed your line might achieve.
Now that your service has now been active for 14 days, we thought we'd let you know the speed as it stands today, by way of comparison.
Estimated line speed: 1Mbps
Current line speed: 78Mbps
(only actually connected 4/5 days ago - estimate 44.5Mb/s - line speed about 78Mb/s - Speedtest download speed about 20Mb/s)

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 17:03:30 GMT

Yes that email is the joke of the year, they are supposed to be fixing that, I saw another post about it the other day. They are ADSL estimates and it's been like that since the new packages were introduced

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

w23 — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:06:09 GMT

'Current line speed: 78Mb' simply means that the Plusnet 'line speed' (or 'profile') has never been updated from its original maximum setting, it's actually just above the maximum BT IP profile for a FTTC line.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

Anotherone — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:16:10 GMT

FYI if you want to know is your Downstream sync speed then you can derive this from the Downstream BT IP Profile, profile x1.033 = Sync speed on FTTC.
Log in to the Router, in the Internet box, click Disconnect to drop the PPP Internet session (this is not the sync), wait 30 seconds then click Connect. This should ensure the relevant servers are updated with the current sync speeds.
Then run the BTw Performance test (ignore the red preamble except make sure no other programs are using the Internet) and at the end of the first run, click the Further Diagnostics button, enter just your Phone number and Run the Further Diagnostics Test. The results will give the Downstream BT IP profile for the line. Just do a Copy & Paste if you want to post the Diagnostic results (no need to grab an image). Your Current Line speed (Login required) should equal the BT IP Profile when the automated systems update things correctly.
But you probably knew all this anyway

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 18:53:19 GMT

Thanks for the info on sync speed. I will try that later when I can kick the other users off the network. I can't get used to this fttc where you have no information about the line due to the separate modem. I have been used to running DMT/STMT etc.
I have at last been given another date for next Tuesday for the dig. So I will have another push on line speed when my line is replaced, although as my speed has been solid and not varying from about 21Mb/s since connection I think there is something very suspicious about my line profile. I don't believe I am currently getting many errors/noise on the line especially as my ADSL before switchover had been pretty good aprart from a couple of hiccups.
I notice there are a few integrated router/vsdsl modems out there, is there any experience of using them with Plusnet/BT to replace Huawei?

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 19:59:08 GMT

Latest information on my transfer saga: I have been sorting out my final bill with O2, as they had not completely terminated the account. They claim that Plusnet had not used the MAC which I gave them on signing up. This would explain the mess up in my loss of service, but I explained repeatedly to both sides that I was transferring with a MAC and neither side denied it.
Who do I believe - Plusnet or O2?

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

All4One — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 12:47:49 GMT

Quote from: o2refugee
Latest information on my transfer saga: I have been sorting out my final bill with O2, as they had not completely terminated the account. They claim that Plusnet had not used the MAC which I gave them on signing up. This would explain the mess up in my loss of service, but I explained repeatedly to both sides that I was transferring with a MAC and neither side denied it.
Who do I believe - Plusnet or O2?

Well, if Plusnet have taken over your service, they can only do so by using the MAC provided to them by you from your previously provider. So sounds like it's more towards O2.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

w23 — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 13:06:13 GMT

Quite possibly a problem at BT (Wholesale or Openreach, I don't know which) as they are the 'link' between the gaining and losing providers).

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

spraxyt — Sat, 22 Jun 2013 23:27:34 GMT

If Plusnet have used the MAC (as I expect) they will usually provide a screenshot of the order entry on the BT Wholesale system.

Re: Fibre Installation Problems

o2refugee — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:35:26 GMT

Today was the day BT were supposed to dig to repair the cable, according to Plusnet. Guess what - nothing happened - again!
Why do I bother - perhaps I should throw it all away and go for wifi.