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Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Hello
I'm nothappy.  Angry
We should've had a new phone line installed on Friday 2nd , the young lad that turned up was a miserable *** that couldn't be bothered to do anything with it being his first day back at work.
The last time we had a working BT line was 25 years ago, the telephone line had been cut on the wall and coiled up just below the guttering, we don't have a BT master socket.
Can the end of the cable be spliced in with a new cable with the appropriate weatherproof connector and taken into the house and connected to a new master socket, or will a new cable have to be fitted to the telegraph pole?
We paid £50 for a new line!  The young miserable engineer sat in the van for almost an hour before saying it was too windy and then driving off, it was breezy but no way was it too windy.  Poor communication skills - what a way to meet new customers!
We were left to make a new appointment for today Wed 7th Jan, waiting for an engineer to come today - NO SIGN OF ANY ENGINEER!
We phone up customer services who said the appointment was for Friday 9th Jan!!!  NO IT WAS NOT - Two of us listened into the conversation.
So now we wait for Friday to come, will they turn up and if they do will they do anything.

I'M A QUALIFIED ENGINEER,  Can I splice in a new cable with a waterproof connector and connect a new master socket for the modem/telephone line and save myself £50?

We don't even have an appintment to connect the FTTC on Friday either
Angry Sad Angry
Regards
nothappy


13 REPLIES 13
pwatson
Rising Star
Posts: 2,470
Thanks: 8
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎26-11-2012

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: nothappy
Can the end of the cable be spliced in with a new cable with the appropriate weatherproof connector and taken into the house and connected to a new master socket,

Yes it can be and this is precisely what happened for my installation. 
plusnettony
Plusnet Staff
Plusnet Staff
Posts: 2,188
Thanks: 48
Fixes: 18
Registered: ‎24-07-2014

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

I'm sorry to hear about the problems.
When things like this happen, I think it's best that we report the problem as a complaint to Openreach for you.
We wouldn't recommend performing your own maintenance on the master socket though.
If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Tony T
 Plusnet Help Team
KevinA
Rising Star
Posts: 159
Fixes: 2
Registered: ‎07-02-2013

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: nothappy

now we wait for Friday to come, will they turn up and if they do will they do anything.

The weather forecast for Fridays isn't looking great with regards to windy conditions...  Roll_eyes
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: pwatson
Quote from: nothappy
Can the end of the cable be spliced in with a new cable with the appropriate weatherproof connector and taken into the house and connected to a new master socket,

Yes it can be and this is precisely what happened for my installation.  

That's good to hear, hopefully they'll do that today.
Thanks very much.
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: plusnettony
We wouldn't recommend performing your own maintenance on the master socket though.

I can understand that.
I should've done it before the engineer came, using all of the proper connectors and the internet would be working now. It's all very basic wiring.
Hopefully someone will sort it today.
Thanks
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: KevinAndrews
Quote from: nothappy

now we wait for Friday to come, will they turn up and if they do will they do anything.

The weather forecast for Fridays isn't looking great with regards to windy conditions...  Roll_eyes

That's what I've been concerned about all week. Fortunately there appears to be a weather window this afternoon when the engineer is due to come.
20mph at 12pm, 21mph at 7pm  But only 7mph at 3pm  Smiley
Thanks
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

An engineer from openreach came today, what a relief it wasn't the same bloke from an outside contractor that visited last week.
A  new phone line was installed and the engineer did everything he was supposed to do.  Smiley
But we have a temporary number because there's a fault somewhere, so whenever that's sorted we'll now have to wait to have the fibre connected and the frustrating thing is that we haven't got a clue when that will be.
Our Virgin internet and phone are due to be disconnected tomorrow, scheduled a week after the original expected installation date. Angry

MattyC
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 3,201
Fixes: 46
Registered: ‎10-04-2014

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Thanks for the update.  Smiley
Once your number is with us (should be the 14th), we will refund the difference in the package change.
Sorry for the problems you've had to date.
Matty
ex-Plusnet staffer. Any posts after 28/07/2017 aren't on behalf of Plusnet
AlaricAdair
Champion
Posts: 5,658
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Registered: ‎21-03-2011

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

I wonder when PlusNet are going to undertake some proper Root Cause Analysis with OpenReach about the continual failures of the field installation staff deployed?
The continued litany of failed installs and failed fault fixes must cost PN a lot of of money while at the same time causing annoyance and damage to your customers.  When you speak with the maintenance technicians, they are clearly unhappy with the way they are managed in terms of scheduling and task assignment. This is bound to affect their performance levels.
Now Zen, but a +Net residue.
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: MattyC
Thanks for the update.  Smiley
Once your number is with us (should be the 14th), we will refund the difference in the package change.
Sorry for the problems you've had to date.
Matty

Unfortunately it wasn't the 14th, but the 20th January.
I think someone forgot to port it over.
We now have been notified of an appointment to have the fibre installed on 2nd January.  Shocked
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Provisional fibre installation date for Friday 23rd January, I hope it's confirmed today.
If an Openreach engineer had come on the first appointment instead of an engineer from a contracted company all this may well have been avoided.
Apparently the contract engineer is paid for every job completed so this doesn't give them any incentive to do an install that isn't quick and straightforward to complete, correct me if I'm wrong.
MatthewWheeler
Plusnet Help Team
Plusnet Help Team
Posts: 8,896
Thanks: 1,506
Fixes: 480
Registered: ‎01-01-2012

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

I'll get Matty C to check this when he gets into the office for you.
--------------------------------
We've checked and the order is booked in for tomorrow.
If this post resolved your issue please click the 'This fixed my problem' button
 Matthew Wheeler
 Plusnet Help Team
nothappy
Dabbler
Posts: 19
Registered: ‎07-01-2015

Re: Installation - new phone line - wind and terrible attitude!!!

Quote from: Matthew
I'll get Matty C to check this when he gets into the office for you.
--------------------------------
We've checked and the order is booked in for tomorrow.

Excellent - Thank You!  Smiley