Am I charged if an engineer visits?

[#1]

Hi, I've been with Plusnet for several years, speed has always been consistently fast (60Mbps+ downstream) and the internet would typically stay up for months without dropping the connection.

Two weeks ago I began experiencing frequent disconnections, and whenever this happened the DSL light on the BT OpenReach modem would be flashing.  As soon as it went solid the internet came back.

The speed of the line seems to have gone down to 30Mbps and the line is more stable although still disconnecting on a daily basis.

The SMS bot identified a problem with the line and said no engineer would need to visit.

A further message was received today to say that an engineer will visit (on Friday) after all.

I just want to confirm that I will not be charged for this visit. 

Thanks

[#2 · Accepted solution]

@denguv The charge would only be made to you if (a) the engineer couldn't gain access, or (b) if the issue was with your equipment - BUT it is no longer applied, so you have no worries.

[#3]

Thanks, that's very reassuring!  So there would be no charge even in the event of (a) or (b)?

I will definitely be home, but I do have my own router (an Asus RT-AC68U) and I'm confident nothing is wrong with it.  It was the System Log on the router that made me realise the BT OpenReach modem was disconnecting.

Eg.

Dec 6 12:45:16 pppd[1085]: Modem hangup
Dec 6 13:19:54 pppd[1085]: Modem hangup
Dec 6 13:29:39 pppd[1085]: Modem hangup
Dec 6 13:33:30 pppd[1085]: Modem hangup

I could get the Plusnet router out of the loft and try to set it up before the engineer comes, but it would be a bit of a pain because I'd have to adjust settings on so many devices (phones, TV, thermostat, etc.). 

[#4]

No charges whatsoever, sorry my reply was a little ambiguous.

Unfortunately, some of these 'personal' routers logs are a little (un)helpful with regards to their log entries - are there any other lines in that log around those times?

It could be a modem problem - these are now 'old-tech' and can be prone to failure.

[#5]

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@jab1 wrote:

No charges whatsoever, sorry my reply was a little ambiguous.

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No worries, and thanks again!

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Unfortunately, some of these 'personal' routers logs are a little (un)helpful with regards to their log entries - are there any other lines in that log around those times?

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I filtered the text down to the modem hangups, but I'm consistently seeing this pattern around those entries....

Dec  6 15:54:39 pppd[1085]: No response to 10 echo-requests
Dec  6 15:54:39 pppd[1085]: Serial link appears to be disconnected.
Dec  6 15:54:39 pppd[1085]: Connect time 8.5 minutes.
Dec  6 15:54:39 pppd[1085]: Sent 2250468 bytes, received 19663185 bytes.
Dec  6 15:54:40 WAN_Connection: Fail to connect with some issues.
Dec  6 15:54:45 pppd[1085]: Connection terminated.
Dec  6 15:54:45 pppd[1085]: Sent PADT
Dec  6 15:54:45 pppd[1085]: Modem hangup
Dec  6 15:54:45 kernel: Interface ppp0 doesn't exist

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It could be a modem problem - these are now 'old-tech' and can be prone to failure.

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Yeah, it does look like the line or the modem.  The DSL light on the OpenReach modem always starts blinking before the router posts the "no response to 10 echo-requests" statement.

Hopefully this will all be resolved soon.  I appreciate the help!

[#6]

No problem - but you may have to buy another modem, BT no longer supply them - or go for a combined unit.

[#7]

Oh really?  I assumed that as the modem was provided when I joined Plusnet (when I first got fibre) it would be replaced by them if it was faulty.  I guess I'll start checking out replacement prices.

I don't really want to replace the router with anything but another Asus because I value the Asuswrt-merlin firmware so much.  I'd rather not get one with an integrated modem because my options are already limited.

[#8]

Fair enough, but those modems are no longer supplied at all. You may find one on eBay or suchlike sites, though.

[#9]

It just has to be a VDSL2 modem doesn't it?  They seem cheap enough brand new - starting at around £25 from what I can tell, although I suppose I should read up on them first.  That seems a bit too cheap!

[#10]

Correct - a VDSL modem. Sorry I can't offer any further advice, I've always used combined units, and this is a little outside my knowledge-base.

[#11]

@denguv 

If you are close to coming up to renewing your contract you could try phoning customer options on 0800 013 2632 and discuss your renewal discount and request a Hub Two for a cost of £6-99 p&p

The Hub Two works in bridge mode (modem only) and would replace the Openreach modem with no issues

HTH

[#12]

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@jab1 wrote:

No charges whatsoever, sorry my reply was a little ambiguous.

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For total clarity, there are now no engineering charges whatsoever for FAULTS.

Installations and provide engineer visits will be charged for if the customer is not present.

[#13]

Fair enough, @Townman , and thanks for the clarification. Makes sense.

[#14]

Hi John,
Not entirely. Your (correct) advice did not match my understanding nor the wording in the T&Cs so I sought clarification. That brought about the subtle difference on the purpose of the engineer’s attendance. I have follow up questions…

[#15]

Thanks for all the info guys.  It's all very useful.  My contract doesn't renew for a few months so I'll bear in mind the router advice if it happens.

A prolonged disconnect occurred while doing my Tesco shopping earlier and it was so different from the others (reconnection normally occurs within a minute) that I suspected BT OpenReach might be looking into the problem at the exchange.  Now that the connection is back, Speedtests are consistently reporting 40Mbps.  It has been no faster than 30Mbps for days.  Prior to the fault it was 60Mbps.

I'm hoping they've managed to fix it already and the line speed profile will eventually be adjusted back up accordingly.   If it ends up stuck at 40Mbps, I'll definitely be renogiating for a cheaper package when the contract is up.