A second 'follow my order' thread

[#1]

Looking at that - all they have to do is drill a hole through the wall and install the CSP and ONT  - half-an-hours job for one man.

[#2]

More can kicking from OR despite asking that very question.....

PN message after conversing with OR:

"I can see the Chief engineer is required to carry out external cabeling work before the internal installation can be progressed. I have messaged the case handler to confirm this."

Assumption from PN is that 'external' in OR-speak just means something not 'internal' - in other words anything that sits between the world and my door. 

So could there be something still missing in the chain to the exchange(s) ?

However I happened to meet the OR test and signoff manager who showed me the fibre 'head'  (CBT) in my chamber was working in November - as he was there to sign off all the work to that point.  This is a rural Scottish 'R100' setup so sign off had financial implications - as in OR wanted to be paid for it !

Back 'on hold' to 15 April

[#3]

Found an OR installer at work a couple of houses down, friendly sort so had a chat.

He was trying to install fibre there - and on the same CBT as my run of fibre.  'Ah you must be the 3rd fibre'.

So that proves the CBT is alive and happy in the eyes of OR.  He could see no reason that I was not connectable.  Unfortunately for my neighbour he could not rod back from his house into the main ducting.

So now the road has 3 partial installs - two with fibre but no CSP/ONT and one with a CSP & ONT but no fibre !

He explained what a 'Chief Engineer' is (the level that gives out jobs to him) and that if your work gets tagged as 'complex' you can be stuck for months.  'Complex' so gets referred up, but nothing to do so nothing gets done.  Nobody actually responsible for removing the 'complex' tag to allow installation

[#4]

If you haven't already, then I think it's time for an email to the Openreach CEO. That usually gets things unblocked...

[#5]

Required PlusNet to either get an installation date this time or raise as a complaint on OR.

Plusnet CS "We are seeing a lot of these jobs stuck on 'Chief Engineer' and 'Complex' but we don't like to complain too often"

Complaint raised on OR - "Customer and passing OR engineer do not see what this work is - prove it or clear the flag"

Within 4 hours

OR area chief called me direct, engineer booked to install tomorrow (yes that's Good Friday)

He stated even he had trouble persuading the 'Directors Office' that it is ready to install - they kept insisting there was still work outstanding.  Suspect some abrupt wording was employed along the lines of I'm looking at a **** photo of it

[So it was a classic computer-says-no scenario]

[Also note this is so quick that had I not obtained the Hub up front it would not have arrived in time]

Are PlusNet reluctant to push OR too hard due to OFCOM concerns about BT group in-house favouritism, or are PlusNet put to the bottom of the queue due to being the 'cheapie' brand  ?

Maybe next update will be over my fibre ......

[#6]

Well here I am - running over the FTTP !

All done in 90 minutes, although even then the installer said he had a call while driving over from his boss concerned at why he was off to this 'complex' job that was still tagged for 'more external work'.

Reckoned it must have gone a long way up in ORto get pushed on.  However I did not have to go to the Openreach CEO myself.

[Anyone stuck with something that looks ready to go - take a picture and send it in.  There is clearly a big issue in OR around closing off work and the first line escalation staff at OR just read the 'computer says no' back to PlusNet.]

[#7]

Glad you've got it sorted, @mwwagain . Sound like the 'Chief Engineer' in your previous post knew what he was talking about.

[#8]

Thanks, and indeed thanks to the other posters in this and similar threads that got me to know an ONT from a KCI2. 

The chief that called me certainly did know about it, we discussed all the active pending instals in the road (4 from 10 were in some form of limbo).

Better OR communication would have helped a lot early on through the investigate & dig phases - I am realisic about being rural and that they will want a few jobs in one direction to make it worth coming out which will be extending each 'wait for next visit'.

Hope PN can also learn from this not to believe everything OR tell them.  Stuck installs like mine are a wider issue for several ISP's