If I want my cable replaced from pole to house...

[#1]

Hi all,
Whoever lived at my house prior to myself has done some shocking DIY on the BT phone line including chopping it outside, reconnecting with a choc block and using a 99p master socket.  Anyway, I think these things may be contributing to line noise.  I want to get the cable replaced from pole to wall, and a new master socket.  Any ideas of cost?  Would plusnet undertake this work if I switched my home phone to them?  Presently it's with Sky, but unsurprisingly not able to get any sense from them.
Ideally I'd like to abe able to give a BT engineer £50 cash to do it in his spare time, becuase I have a sneaky feeling BT would charge £150 for this work (which is obscene for a bit of cable, a master socket and about 20 minutes of a guy's time)
All suggestions welcome

[#2]

Firstly, the line is the responsibility of your phone service provider, so your broadband company will not be able to get that done.
Secondly, as I'm sure you know, only BT (Openreach?) are allowed to do any work on the cable and connections up to the master socket.
You can't contact them direct, you have to go via the phone provider.
And if overhead work is required you need someone who can legally do that and is properly insured and trained to do it safely.
I watched a BT Openreach guy replace my overhead cable a while back, which goes over the road, and he did it very carefully and safely to avoid any possible problems with traffic etc. That's not a quick £50 cash to an off-duty engineer job. 
You may have a claim against the previous owners if you can prove anything, but you will have to pay to get it fixed properly which will probably be more than £150.

[#3]

Quote from: ClaretMatt

......BT phone line including chopping it outside, reconnecting with a choc block

You have described my overhead cable except this was not a DIY but done by BT. The choc block was there when I brought the house 20+ years ago and when I had problems with the phone 15 years ago BT just replaced the cable from the pole to the choc block.

[#4]

When they did mine they reconnected it outside at roof level with a big sausage-shaped weatherproof junction.
Sadly, they then left several metres of ancient untwisted grey 2-core running down and through the wall to the master socket.
Stupidly I didn't watch that bit, so the engineer having carefully pulled the new cable couldn't be bothered to finish the job properly.
So, at some point I'll need to get them back to replace that section as it "degrades" due to "weathering". 
Anyway, if BT are capable of (incorrectly) using choc-bloc then maybe @ClaretMatt you could argue for a free repair?

[#5]

Of course, if the cable were to somehow 'break', or perhaps become disconnected from the choc-bloc then it would fall under the remit of a 'repair'.  Most BT engineers are persuadable with a handful of choccy biccies, a good supply of hot beverages, and perhaps some beer tokens.
(or so I heard, ofc)
B.

[#6]

Have you checked your gutters recently? Make sure you don't catch the line with the ladder if you do that job! If it's an amateur job that put the line up it's amazing how easily they come adrift;)

[#7]

Barry's plan is best.  Going to lure one here under false pretenses then give him som pocket money to do what I really want him to do... Snarf snarf

[#8]

Hi all
Got what I wanted done, and for just £20.  My noise margin has improved tremendously and it looks very much like I'll get the full 8mb now

[#9]

Good work