topic Re: Reaching BTO in Plusnet Feedback

Reaching BTO

glloyd — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 09:51:09 GMT

Is there any way to talk to BTO. I have asked PlusNet several times to pass on information which could avoid a hell of a lot of unnecessary digging but they seem reluctant to do so.

Re: Reaching BTO

AndyH — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 09:56:14 GMT

Is it for a new build?

Re: Reaching BTO

LukeS — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 14:42:53 GMT

Hi there glloyd,
Can you confirm what the information is? Usually BTO will send a survey engineer out first to assess the situation and they would only dig if they really have to.

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Sat, 25 Oct 2014 22:10:21 GMT

A cable is faulty that comes from the junction box in the pavement outside my house a distance of 10ft. There seems to be a misunderstanding that I did not want the cable run across the garden so I think their intention is to run the cable right round the house which, if that is the case ,would involve digging up two pavements and a length of road. I do not want this as it will cause a lot of inconvenience and a hell of a mess, The cable can be run the same route across the 10ft across the garden like the old cable..
We had a cable replaced for my neighbour last year which left on hell of a mess with contractors chuck concrete and soil over a fence into allotments.

Re: Reaching BTO

AndyH — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 09:00:32 GMT

Is the cable buried and not run in ducting?

Re: Reaching BTO

JTaylor — Mon, 27 Oct 2014 10:50:10 GMT

Hi glloyd
Thanks for letting us know.
I've passed this info onto our faults team to make Openreach aware of what can be done.
Hope this helps!

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 11:59:41 GMT

It just get dafter by the day. Just had yet another call from BTO asking if an engineer had been to fix my phone. When I explained I'm waiting for someone to dig. He said nothing makes sense they are talking about replacing the cable on one sheet and repairing the cable on another and can't understand why neither had been done.

Because I cannot get any sense out of PlusNet who seem incapable of passing on a simple message to BTO I have had to cancel the fault. This is so stupid the job could take no more than an hour to run a cable across 10ft of garden instead they want to dig 20ft of footpath one side of the house, 30ft of narrow lane then another 20ft of footpath causing no end of disruption.

Re: Reaching BTO

MattyC — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 14:45:51 GMT

Hi George,
I'm really sorry that it's not been a good experience.
Quite a lot of the time, it's impossible to dictate to our suppliers how we want issues to be resolved. There are of course rare exceptions to the rule, but generally once our suppliers decide that they want something doing in a certain way, they won't change their minds.
I do remember speaking with you and I see where you're coming from when you say that the dig work is unnecessary. We agree, but conveying this is a different story.
Matty

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:25:50 GMT

Surely a customer must have some say at to what BTO do to their property. Even if they dug all around the house they would still have to dig a part of the front garden to run the cable across the house doing no end of damage to plants and shrubs. Doing it the sensible way would be quicker cheaper and with no damage.

Re: Reaching BTO

MattyC — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:38:14 GMT

If they had to dig up an customer or anybody else's property, then wayleave would have to be given.
This means that some papers would need signing.
Matty

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:58:12 GMT

I signed no papers and no one has discussed anything either.

Re: Reaching BTO

AndyH — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 17:01:23 GMT

It might have been signed by the previous owners or even in your deeds (it is for mine).
Even if across your garden is the shortest route, Openreach follow the National Joint Utilities Group guidelines on placing the telecoms ducting/wiring. The problem with not following this is that you end up with people hitting gas/water/electricity/telecoms by mistake when digging.

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 10:43:02 GMT

The 6th has come and gone and no sign of BT digging just phone calls from BTO asking what's going on. It's obvious they don't know what they are supposed to do.

Re: Reaching BTO

x47c — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 15:23:06 GMT

BT or indeed any other utility which is "approved" has the right to basically dig where they like on publlc property subject to standardised proceedures on where things are to be placed in the ground.
On private property they can either
1. Negotiate a wayleave agreement with the owner
or if that fails and the route is essential
2. Use their code powers to issue a statutory notice to the owner of their intention to cross their land for the greater public good in providing an essential service.
There are provision for the owner to apply to the court (costs ?possibly? paid by the utility) to the effect that there are alternative routes and the company must re-instate to as before.
In the case of a route across a garden/driveway of a property etc when that route is for the delivery of the service to that property I think I'm right that as part of the contract between the owner and the utility the owner is deemed to have granted a wayleave across their garden to the utility for the delivery of the service.

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 14:57:07 GMT

This just beggars belief this is the latest reply from PlusNet

Thanks for your patience.
The is fault is still currently being investigate by our suppliers, this has been sent to a team that deal with hazardous pipelines, they have set a review date of 20/11/14, please accept our sincere apologies for any frustrations or inconvenience this fault may be causing.
Please do not hesitate to get back in touch online at http://contactus.plus.net/ or by phone on 0800 432 0200 if we can be of further assistance.
Hazardous pipeline? There are no hazardous pipelines between the junction box and the 10ft to my house. Why is it so impossible for PlusNet to communicate with BTO that if they use the route the original cable takes it would not entail digging up any pavements, roads or and damage to my front garden that has taken over 42 years to mature. Can no one at PlusNet tthat knows what they are doing communicate to BTO these facts and don't keep coming back with excuses. Why can't BTO speak to the EU before carrying out the work?

Re: Reaching BTO

Anotherone — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 19:29:15 GMT

Gas pipe?

Re: Reaching BTO

Chris — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 09:05:53 GMT

I see that you spoke to one of the support team who has asked this question to the faults team so they can pass the information provided on to Openreach.

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:26:13 GMT

No Gas pipe that's 2 Metres in the other direction and was changed a couple of years ago to plastic. I know where every pipe and cable is around my house.

Re: Reaching BTO

glloyd — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:27:17 GMT

Thanks Chris I just hope they do pass on the information this time,

Re: Reaching BTO

Anotherone — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 12:12:32 GMT

I was purely speculating on what dumb excuses Openreach may come up with