Openreach and MJ Quinn Can’t Do Attitude

[#1]

Does anyone have any experience of how long it takes for Openreach and their subcontractors (in this MJ Quinn) to resolve issues with line installation?  Like everyone, we were really looking forward to getting our full fibre broadband today and saying goodbye to Sky and their shoddy attitudes to customer care (existing, not new eSIM they bend over backwards to get)  

However, when the MJ Quinn operative turned up on time, things quickly went downhill.  They. Didn’t even come into the back garden, but looked from the higher access road at the side.  They said it wasn’t safe to put their ladder up.  This is without viewing from where the ladder would be placed.  I also offered to remove part of a pergola to allow safe placement but this wasn’t taken up.  They said it would have to be done from a hoist.  

They did say they would assess the pole though.   They electrotyped back that they feared replacing our copper line with its funky line might be too much for the pole to take.  This is strange as I helped contractor not smash our greenhouse about 3 weeks ago, when they were replacing a line. 

Then they said the box that goes inside the house would have to go where the line attaches to the house.  This is crazy as it is in the roof above a small bedroom.  However, BT have previously run the copper wire around to the front of the house and down to the living room; which is where we want our router etc, close to the TV for streaming via Apple TV and Ethernet.  

This is apparently a problem as the cable crosses a lean-to garage roof and they are not allowed to go on na roof.   This roof is all of 4 foot off the ground, from the side access road, by the way.  

So I asked could they at least put the inside box in?  They said yes but the outside workers won’t like it because it isn’t immediately inside the house where the catenary attaches to our house (see above as to why that isn’t acceptable) 

Therefore, here we are, after all the emails and couldn’t up, just left hanging with no idea what the plan is.  Openreach have had over a fortnight during which they could have surveyed the outside anytime and spotted all these issues, but they choose not to.  

We came to Plusnet as members of Which?, having seen how well they are rated, but so far, they have totally failed us. 

[#2]

Moderator's note:
Thread moved from Full Fibre to My Order

[#3]

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@UnluckyAlf wrote:

We came to Plusnet as members of Which?, having seen how well they are rated, but so far, they have totally failed us. 

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Welcome to the Plusnet Community Fora.

Plusnet are not involved in the provision of the service, which is provided by Openreach and/or their contractors. Hopefully a member of the Plusnet Help Team will pick this up. If not you will need to ring in to get this chased up.

Assuming MJ Quinn came in response to a confirmed appointment for the installation? Assuming this is correct you will receive automatic compensation of £6.24 per day for every day that the installation is delayed (https://www.plus.net/help/legal/automatic-compensation/), hopefully this will encourage early resolution.

Unfortunately, contractors are constrained by some ridiculous H&S rules. One foot off the ground is enough to invoke 'working at height' regulations. 

[#4]

@UnluckyAlf 

If a cherry picker is required to access the roof then it's on hand to take the cable accross the lean-to garage roof.

You do get internal CSP boxes but if you can get the cable towhere you want the ONT then it's probable an external CSP would do.

Note that as the Router connects to the ONT by Ethernet cable then it can go anywhere you're happy to run said cable.

Brian

[#5]

Hi and thanks for the welcome and info’.  

I take your time about Openreach but would say that my contract is with Plusnet, not Openreach, nor who Openreach choose to subcontract to.  It was all properly booked via Plusnet.  I am not sure £6.24 a day will be much of a motivator to Openreach as BT have a turnover in excess of £25 billion.  

Whilst I’m not a current manager of staff working at height, I was when the current regulations came in, in 2005.  In regards to Schedule 6 - Requirements for Ladders, MJ Quinn will have done a generic risk assessment and will leave it to operatives to do a dynamic risk assessment on most sites.   In my estimation, there is nothing on site that could not be mitigated to allow for this work to have been completed safely.  Regarding the safety of the pole, I would think if it is so precarious as to possibly fail with a nett reduction of weight.  Fibre cables are several times stronger than copper, so I doubt the ‘run’ is thee issue  as there is currently a copper line to the same point on our house as the fibre was to be run to. 

Plusnet have texted saying I need to ring them (looks like a generic text) and I will do, but don’t expect any progress.  I didn’t ask them to but they opened two Questions yesterday.  

BT Openreach also ought to have information on their infrastructure, especially wooden poles which are subject to natural decay/rot etc.  If a pole were two fail and cause injury of damage they would be held responsible, so they ought to have an inspection regime in place.  I can’t access the pole from my property so I can’t comment, except to say that the contractors a few weeks ago were happy to work on it.   

 

[#6]

Hi bmc 

Seriously, I would gladly save them a hoist, if they’ll lend me a ladder!  I don’t know if this forum allows pictures, but they are indeed worth a thousand words.  They’re making it way more complicated than it needs to be.  

I had to google what ONT and CSP mean, but the operative did fit the white one inside the house where we need it to be.  We won’t be running any cables from upstairs to the living room.  We had all the walls replastered and decorated only a couple of years ago and don’t want it channeled or clipped to etc. I’ve no idea why the contractors a few thought they couldn’t follow the current cable run.  I have learnt that fibre optics can’t do acute turns but nor would they have to.  

Either which way, we are not holding our breath for this being sorted anytime soon. 

[#7]

@UnluckyAlf 

Sorry about not explaining ONT and CSP.

Pictures are allowed but they have to go through moderation before others can see them.

I'm a bit confused by the second picture. Is this the external CSP with the fibre coming into the house where an ONT has been fitted?

Brian

[#8]

@UnluckyAlf 

Looking at your posted images I'm not surprised the installers don't want to go onto that lean-to roof, even if it is close to the ground at one end.  Not only from a H&S point of view, but there is a possibility of being held liable for potential damage to it.

If you're adamant that the cable must follow your intended route, and as you say you're willing to climb a pole (which wouldn't be permitted anyway), why don't you fit a conduit along the wall following the roof line  which would then enable the cable to be pulled through?

[#9]

Hi Brian,

The second picture shows where the contractor has fitted the box and run the short fibre in to the house.  I’m they inside he’s fitted the little white box where the router plugs in.  They left it powered off so that we don’t have to be in for the external works to be completed.  

Then to add insult to injury, I got an email this morning from Plusnet which intimated we hadn’t been in and that we would face a £65 if they rebook and we aren’t in!   

[#10]

Hi Rob,

I’m happy for the new cable to be left as the old one has been for long enough.  I wont be fitting a conduit.  I wasn’t offering to climb their pole, but would happily untuck the cable from the catenary at our housemate and retwist a new one in.  I’m not that naive that I think they’d actually let me, HASWA nightmares would ensue. 

We also have differing thresholds for surprise!  🙂 

[#11]

@UnluckyAlf 

Well the good news is that if the CSP and the ONT have been fitted at your desired location then it is up to OR to get the fibre to the CSP.

Brian

[#12 · Accepted solution]

Hi Rob,

As a footnote to this thread, an Openreach engineer came yesterday morning, on his own, no hoist, and completed the external work as well as fitting a new white box inside the house, in the same place as MJ Quinn did it but they'd fitted the wrong white box, as well as refusing to do the outside work.  

More telling, is that the Openreach engineer explained that the likely reason the first engineer didn't do the work is not H&S but that they are on piece-work and, yes, it wasn't straightforward but nor was it unsafe to do.  The Openreach engineer attached the new cable to the same point on the back of the house but suggested a route that went along behind the garage gutter and then to the grey box on the front of the house.  He'd not only done in a couple of hours but also rehung the honeysuckle that was only held up the old cable.  

Even better, is the new full fibre is over ten times faster than the old connection, which I know is no surprise to anyone, but even so is amazing. 

[#13]

@UnluckyAlf 

There's a page on the OR website where you can praise the engineer for his work (and probably have a moan about MJ Quinn!!!).

Brian

[#14]

Thank you for this, the engineer definitely deserves recognition.

[#15]

@UnluckyAlf 

I forgot to mention what a great Christmas present you got.

In case you haven't found it - https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/praise-an-engineer

Brian