Fairness doesn't come into it

[#1]

I've had fibre broadband for about 7 years with a starting download speed of around 19mb to 20mb and currently it's between 11 to 16. The upload speed is between 0.75 and 1.05. I have complained many times when the service becomes erratic and fails and have had to go through the palava of satisfying the provider that nothing is wrong with the set up in my home and then threats of charges if something is found when Open Reach visits. They have visited 4 or 5 times over the period and the only explanation I get is that it's a long way to the GREEN BOX.. So you can imagine my annoyance when I discovered yesterday that the posh houses that start just three doors away are getting up to 80mb download speed. I asked PlusNet if I can be connected to the same green box as those neighbours and was told it will cost me £7,000.00. I'm sure that all the posher houses haven't paid that sort of money and the PlusNet charges are supposedly the same for everyone?

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): All caps title/text edited as per Forum rules.

[#2]

£7000? Usually people just get told that it can't be done.

[#3]

I have the cost of £7,000.00 written - copy of a chat line just yesterday and it has been mentioned in the past.

[#4]

That sounds a bit like FoD Fibre on demand which has high installation costs and also high ongoing costs.

It is not something Plusnet has offered for purchase.

[#5]

Here's an extract from the chat-line

 house 42 is only a few yards from me so why the difference
[CSA Removed]

the line could be routed differently

Roger: yes - why can't I be conneted to the same green box?

[CSA Removed]

this is  entirely  up  to  openreach.  They  own a  network and phone lines

Roger : my contract is with you so please tell open reach I wish to be connected same as number 42
[CSA Removed]

 Last time we queried this  with opnereach  they  quoted the customer in  a range of  £7000

Roger: that's ridiculouse - it will not cost but that much - they just don't want to know - the houses are more expensive from number 42 but they only pay the same for the broadband
[CSA Removed]

I wish  I could help  you  with this, but this is  not in our hands unfortunately

Roger: please ask open reach to cost it properly and consider the unfairness of the situation
[CSA Removed] you looking at  £7000

Moderator's note by Dick (Strat): CSA name(s) removed (to an area staff can see) as per Forum rules.

[#6]

Maybe your fix is to spend a bit extra and change the likes of Zen or AA for a year or two.  They might sort it all for you with no nonsense.

[#7]

@rogercr

With all due respect PlusNet DID NOT tell you it would cost £7,000 - they said

"Last time we queried this  with opnereach  they  quoted the customer in  a range of  £7000"

PlusNet merely gave an indication of what it MIGHT cost if you were to try and get your line moved. Generally speaking OpenReach do not transfer lines between cabinets as it is a complex (and therefore costly) process. Having said that there are cases where new cabinets have been installed and a bulk transfer done (I suspect subsidised by BDUK!!!).

What does the DSL Checker say for your line and is there anything on the OR site which might give comfort.

http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome

https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/index.do

Brian

[#8]

You must be in with them - £7000 is £7000 however you try to complicate it. My service is poor and unreliable yet my neighbour just 3 doors away has perfection.

[#9]

That's the luck (or lack of it) of the draw @rogercr. As these are new builds then chances are they'll have their own circuit to service the houses, a circuit that you won't have access to unless you're willing to pay (regardless of how much) to have the road dug up and engineers install a new cable form your existing cabinet to the new one.

Sorry but that's the reality of it.

[#10]

My house is 34 years old and my neighbour's house in question is around 32 years old.

[#11]

Oops! My mistake @rogercr, why I thought they were new builds I don't know!

[#12]

The explanation could still hold true. If the properties were built at different times then they could be wired on different circuits to different cabinets.

How "new" is the nearest cabinet to you (that is, has it been installed in the past year or so).

Brian

[#13]

I assume that the OP's house was built and connected directly to the exchange, or the nearest (at the time) PCP cabinet. More houses were built two years later and due to lack of capacity a new PCP cabinet was installed closer to these properties.

@rogercr

 In my opinion the neighbour's do not get faster broadband because they are posher, rather it is because they were built later. If your house had been built after theirs they might be complaining that although living in posher houses they have poorer broadband!

[#14]

I know where the green box is for the other houses and most of the route to it from me would be along a 100 metre unmade up bridle path so the dig and reinstatement would not be so bad or may be I could be connected to an existing trunk along the path at the rear of the lucky ones. I just feel it hasn't been considered properly and may be the neighbours on my other side could benefit too. That would reduce the numbers going to the present box and so better for everyone.  

[#15]

Regardless of when the houses were built, there will always be cut-off points where one house goes to one cabinet and the next house along goes to another.

I imagine it could be due to the telephone network originally being built to minimise the total length of cables going back to the exchange, so there'll be places where the nearer cabinet is further from the exchange, and you're connected to a cabinet further away from you, but one that's on the way to the exchange.