6 month delay to installation with no end in sight

[#1]

Need advice on next steps. Broadband should have been installed at end of April but Openreach botched the installation of wiring through garden and due poor workmanship (their own words), they have returned twice and need to return again. They used wrong ducting but it’s not a difficult job. Plusnet just send repeated delay texts and are blaming Openreach but taking no responsibility. Presumably they gave a service level agreements? I’ve asked if I can complain to Openreach and they say it has to go through them. All the while I’ve been spent £240 more with Virgin than if I’d have the broadband installed on them or moved to another 12 month contract with Virgin. Help!

[#2]

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Broadband to My Order

[#3]

@James707  I had a similar problem on my Full Fibre installation, several months delay when on at least 3 occasions Openreach or their contractors failed to turn up when roadworks permission was in place to repair a blocked duct. Plusnet have no power to get Openreach to do anything. Escalations achieved nothing, they don't know the meaning of the word. When it was obvious that the Openreach handler was not telling the truth I decided I needed to do something.

I engaged the High Level Complaints team at the Director Services Office by sending an email to the Openreach CEO Clive Selly. Include brief details of what has happened and any order and reference numbers you have. The tickets on your account are useful for this info. I won't put his email address here but it's pretty obvious and can be confirmed with a quick search.

The DSO took over the order,  in my case there was already permission to dig in about a week or so. That went ahead on the 1st of July and fibre was brought to the front of the house. Plusnet had given me a made up installation date of 16th July before the duct repair was done. I contacted the DSO team and they brought forward the installation to the 4th of July so a good result.

[#4]

Hi @James707 

Thank you for your post earlier on this month, apologies for the lengthty response in responding to your concerns.

Upon checking your account, it appears the order is delayed due to external engineering dig work, whilst we endeavour to get customers connected in a timely fashion with minimal delays there can in some instances be extensive external work required which can hinder the progression of the order. Please be assured, we do everything in our power to get things moving forrwads swiftly however the work needed ultimately is facilitated by Openreach and as such there is only so much we can do to influence it's course.

An escalation has already been raisd with Openreach and they are actively working to resolve the issues at hand, looking at your own account history I can completely appreciate it is taking a long time and you have incurred additional fess with Virgin. I have checked the order and can see it is 103 in a delayed status and as such you should be eligible for automatic compensation capped at 60 days, this should hopefully go some way to offsetting the costs with your current provider once the full fibre is live with ourselves.

I have included below a link to the website which outlines the criteria for the automatic compensation scheme, should you have any further queries then please do not hesitate to reach out.

Automatic compensation: What you need to know

Thanks

Lee

[#5]

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@lahbrannan1 wrote:

I have checked the order and can see it is 103 in a delayed status and as such you should be eligible for automatic compensation capped at 60 days, this should hopefully go some way to offsetting the costs with your current provider once the full fibre is live with ourselves.

Automatic compensation: What you need to know

@lahbrannan1 

Hello Lee,

Your reply raises some interesting questions...

• What does 103 signify, whose system is that in and are there other values of interest?
• Capped at 60 days - by what criteria?

You kindly provided a link to Ofcom's official code of conduct on automatic compensation, within which it describes the ability of a CP/ISP to limit automatic compensation payments...

Limit on Automatic Compensation Payments

35. The application of the automatic compensation payable in accordance with paragraphs 10 and 16 (for a delayed provision or repair for a Total Loss of Service) may be limited to 30 calendar days beyond a notice (“the Notice”) being sent to the customer informing them that automatic compensation payments will cease.

36. The Communications Provider cannot serve the Notice before the date 30 calendar days after compensation starts. The Notice must:

a. set out the date, no less than 30 calendar days from the date of the Notice, on which compensation will cease (“the Cease Date”);

b. set out that no early termination or default charges will be charged in the event of cancellation if a customer cancels before the Cease Date (even if service is restored during this period);

c. set out that the customer can still raise the issue through the complaints process and seek additional compensation via that route, including reference to ADR.

Distilling the above, automatic compensation limitation...

1. Requires a notice to be issued advising that compensation will be limited
2. That notice must provide a cease date which is not less than 30 days after the date of the notice being issued
3. That notice cannot be issued before 30 days after the grounds for compensation commences
4. The period of compensation for an extended period is at LEAST 60 days, not capped to 60 days ... unless the business issued "the notice" promptly on the 30th day of compensation being due

Thereby if in this case the cap is 60 days, "the notice" will have needed to have been issued on day 30 of compensation being payable.  @James707 Have you received such a notice?  If not, you need to challenge the suggested compensation cap.

@lahbrannan1 If no such notice has been issued, then at best, the limit could be set at 30 days hence, providing the business issues such notice now.  There is though the hidden imprecise wriggle factor of suspending the compensation clock whilst waiting for PTW, the grounds for which are murky.  One would need a deep drains up to work that one out!