Why, oh Why

[#1]

Does one get asked the same questions over and over again when one has clearly stated, when opening initial ticket, that one has tested line with 2 different corded phones in test socket behind cover plate of NTE5a.
To me, my home phone is vital for hospital contacts - my wife never uses a mobile phone and has had to dial 999 twice this year to get ambulances to take me to Oxford when chemo nearly killed me. I've already pointed this out in response to one reply.
If a customer has already accepted that he'll pay the £85 if he's wrong then send out an engineer and stop winding the customer up needlessly.
Sorry to rant but...........

[#2]

I always find it disturbing when customers are required to start fiddling with phone sockets and are supposed to have the ability. Bearing in mind most sockets are very low down so some people may not be able to reach them physically or the thought of taking a screw driver to the socket would frighten them to death.
Several times I've had to go to elderly neighbours after they have been told to remove the face plate and try the test socket and that cannot be right.

[#3]

Hi John, I'm not in the office at the moment but shall give one of the faults team a nudge when I get in later.

[#4]

Hi John,
I'm sorry that you've had to go through unnecessary hassle in getting an engineer booked - I've raised this within our training team.
I can see that you have an engineer booked for Tuesday - I hope it all goes well.

[#5]

Many thanks Bob & James
Engineer rang at 08.31 this morning and has been to the house. Fault seems to be at same point as previous one - between house and inspection cover in footpath.
As previous engineer used the spare pair to the house they will have to do some digging and replace cable. This could take a few days as they have to get permission from council to dig in road/footpath
Engineer has used the good wire from each pair to do a temporary repair so now have phone working. I can live with low IP profile as nothing to download at present.
As far as ticket goes it did seem that nobody was reading what I said - I tested line, with corded phones in NTE5a test socket, before raising ticket and using test socket automatically disconnects everything else so most of the points in the "script" weren't relevant.

[#6]

Quote from: glloyd

Several times I've had to go to elderly neighbours after they have been told to remove the face plate and try the test socket and that cannot be right.

I'm only 74 so a youngster 
I appreciate the reason for running tests as Openreach would have charged me had fault been my side of test socket. It was just that, having done them before raising ticket, being asked twice to do them again put my back up.

[#7]

I've heard that Openreach engineers are short of work - must be true as another one has just called and measured length of replacement cable and marked where they'll dig up our front lawn.
Let's hope they do it by hand as, in nearby Luton, gas board are replacing pipes and have dug up loads of Virgin cable 

[#8]

Quote

I always find it disturbing when customers are required to start fiddling with phone sockets and are supposed to have the ability.

 
Well said glloyd! Sorry to repeat the quote but it is so so true.
My friend who is with TT had the same instructions and hadn't a clue how to proceed. We can both wire a plug and that's about it. 
These companies expect too much of the average broadband user.

[#9]

Unfortunately it's OpenReach rather than ourselves.
We ask our customers to try using the test socket, because it's one of the tests that we're asked to get our customers to do prior to booking an engineer.

[#10]

I know it's OpenReach James. The point I'm making is a lot of people would be terrified of fiddling with phone sockets and what happens if the customer breaks something or one or more of the wires become disconnected or broken, who pays? It's not so many moons ago you were not allowed to plug anything at all into a BT socket unless it was BT approved now the ask you to dismantle the damn thing at your own risk.

[#11]

Quote from: glloyd

and what happens if the customer breaks something or one or more of the wires become disconnected or broken, who pays?

If the test socket forms the boundary of BT's territory then a broken wire, going to extension, would appear to be down to the customer - there's a worrying thought.