Can someone explain callout charge please?

[#1]

Hi
I phoned customer service today regarding my internet dropping out suddenly. It has happened around 10 times during the last few days since friday. It doesnt slow down now and again it will juat suddenly stop and then come back on. ( the internet light on my router goes off then on again). This is highly annoying when playing online as it disconnects me.

Upon ringing customer service they done all tests on their end and had me undo my master socket and plug my filter into the test socket, no faults founds on either.

They advised booking an engineer visit and said there may be a £65 callout charge if no fault found or if there was something wrong outside the property. Maybe i didnt hear her correctly but why should i have to pay if there is something wrong outside, when it has nothing to do with me? Or did i mishear the woman and it's something else

Thanks

(Plusnet Question number 169851606)

[#2]

@Rhysj91

A callout charge of £65 may only apply if the engineer finds a fault within your premises e.g. your internal wiring.

If the fault is exterior to your property then no charge will apply e.g. overhead/underground cable, cabinet or exchange.

What was the result of having your router plugged into the test socket? Did this resolve your issue?

Brian

[#3]

Hi
I dont know if plugging it into the test socket fixed it because it wasnt dropping the internet connection constantly it was doing it a few times a day and i only had it plugged into that while she ran the tests over the phone.

I have changed the microfilter to a new one and i will see how it goes the next 48 hours

It would intereting to see one of those graphs from the last few days of my connections dropping

[#4]

To protect yourself you really should leave your router plugged into the test socket for long enough to show that it is dropping connection in that configuration, ideally with no phone connected. If you do this there should be no argument that the fault is either with Plusnet supplied equipment or external to your property..

[#5]

Ok i will unscrew it again and plug it straight into the test socket, how long should i leave it in there for and would there be any downsides to doing this?

Whats the point of having another socket if you can just plug it into the test socket anyway?

[#6]

If you have any noise on a plugged in phone, raise a voice fault first.

[#7]

Dont have a house phone plugged in ever, dont use one

[#8]

The master socket (or NTE5 in the jargon) is the demarcation point between your wiring and BT Openreach's.

By removing the front, you're disconnecting all your wiring and plugging directly into the line owned by Openreach. That's why it's important to leave the router plugged into the test socket long enough to reproduce the problem:

• If you can't reproduce it, the issue is probably in your wiring.
• If the problem still happens, it's either an Openreach problem, or a fault in the router (have you tried a different router?)

[#9]

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@Rhysj91 wrote:
Ok i will unscrew it again and plug it straight into the test socket, how long should i leave it in there for and would there be any downsides to doing this?

Whats the point of having another socket if you can just plug it into the test socket anyway?

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If you have any extension cabling in your property then it will be connected to the removable part of the master socket, hence removing the front section disconnects any such cabling. Regardless of whether you have any extensions, the point to note is that the test socket is the interface between that which is the responsibility of BT and that of the householder. 

By demonstrating that you are getting an unacceptable level of disconnections whilst plugged into the test socket you strengthen the argument that the fault is with the BT infrastructure.

If it was me I would leave the router connected to the test socket until an Openreach technician has investigated the problem.

[#10]

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@Rhysj91 wrote:
Dont have a house phone plugged in ever, dont use one

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A house phone is an excellent diagnostic tool.

Borrow one.

[#11]

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@VileReynard wrote:
A house phone is an excellent diagnostic tool.

Borrow one.

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Not only that, but joints in the D-side cable will benefit from a regular application of ring current. I'm not sure much current flows without a phone plugged in.

[#12]

Hi there.

Sorry to hear you're having connection problems.

As others have advised or indicated there won't be a call-out charge if there's a problem on the Openreach network.

Here's a copy of your connection graph going back the last 7 days:

I'd recommend plugging your router into the test socket for long enough for you be able to determine if the connection is still dropping or not. If your connection does remain stable, there's nothing wrong with leaving the router in the test socket.

If your connection does continue to drop I'd recommend raising a fault to us at http://faults.plus.net (This is essentially what the adviser over the phone would generally do, only you can report it online yourself instead).

[#13]

Thank you for the graph, i have now had it plugged directly into the test socket since around 10pm last night (tuesday) and i have noticed it dropped out once today at least

I will see how it goes

[#14]

No problems. Keep us posted.

[#15]

Rhysj91 wrote: snipped

They advised booking an engineer visit and said there may be a £65 callout charge if no fault found or if there was something wrong outside the property. Maybe i didnt hear her correctly but why should i have to pay if there is something wrong outside, when it has nothing to do with me? Or did i mishear the woman and it's something else

The following (posting for clarity) was/is part of their engineer statement:

As part of the investigation of this fault we may need an engineer to visit your property to test the line. If the engineer finds the problem is with your internal wiring, your equipment, the condition of your property or the Openreach network has been damaged within the boundary of your property by things like building or garden works or if no fault is found, you will receive a charge of £65 to cover the cost of the engineer. This charge will also apply if you miss the appointment or you cancel without giving us 2 working days' notice.

(my bold). The above was copied from one of my posts in December 2017 - here for anyone to read - which in turn was copied from one of my then open support tickets. Maybe PN can confirm if the above is still correct? It was only due to the 'threat' of being charged for a no fault visit that we decided to let the ticket automatically close and not pursue this with PN and/or Openreach.