Full fibre install

[#1]

@adamwalker I believe that you personally are doing your best to resolve the particular issues between your systems and those of "your supplier".

That said, I have to point out that this is beyond "frustrating". Having the FTTP upgrade delayed for 4 months is "frustrating". Having the existing connection ceased without warning is distressing and financially damaging. Having no clear timeframe for reconnection compounds that distress and financial damage.

Since it's now 1/3/23, please can you confirm that the 'cease order' has been resolved and let me know what the next steps, and timeframe for reconnection, are.

[#2]

Hi Ryan, yes the order with the cease has been resolved now, the latest update on the full fibre service is that an engineer has attempted to complete the work on the external network for you but has identified that civil engineers need to be assigned to dig up some ducting and get it cleared before the cables can be run through. 

That's being planned at the moment and we should have an update on 6/3/23 at the latest for you. 

[#3]

@adamwalker Many thanks for the response.

You previously stated that, at this stage, you would determine whether restoring the FTTC line or finishing the FTTP line would be fastest. Given that you're now only talking about the FTTP install, I am assuming that the FTTC line is not coming back. For my records, please can you state whether this is because you have determined that this is the fastest route or because Plusnet as a policy will not ask OpenReach to restore the FTTC line?

On the FTTP install:

I am attaching a photo indicating the remaining 'civils' work required.

The fibre cable install is complete between my ONT and the underground chamber in the photo. The remainder of the fibre cable is coiled up in the chamber.

"All they need to do" now is install a length of ducting between the chamber and the pole, then run the fibre up the pole and connect to the CBT.

One of the engineers (a contractor) who attempted to complete the install did actually dig out the trench between the pole and chamber, but then was told my by his manager that they didn't have permission to make a new entry into OpenReach's chamber, so he filled the trench back in again, and said that a direct OpenReach employee would have to do it.

Subsequently, it seems, another engineer has been along and decided that he/she is allowed to spray paint a line on the ground but not to do the digging. This was at least a week ago.

Given how trivial this remaining 'civils work' is, and given that I am now without any service (owing to a mistake on the part of either Plusnet or Openreach), please can you chase OpenReach for a more specific explanation of what' stopping them from making this final link and make sure that they are now treating this with the urgency of a "complete loss of service" fault.

[#4]

Hi Ryan, we won't be able to get any further specific information on what work needs to be  done externally but I've no doubt it's to install the ducting that you've mentioned. 

As that is open ended it would make sense for us to look at reconnecting the copper line and FTTC connection in the meantime, I've just tried placing orders for that now and was scuppered by a records issue unfortunately. I've taken ownership of the issue for you going forward and have raised the issue via a fault report with our suppliers. 

As soon as we can get that resolved we should be able to place the orders to get those services back up and running in the meantime. I'm sorry for all the "hurdles" that have come up in getting this upgrade pushed through for you, it's far from the experience we'd want you to have. 

I should have an update tomorrow so I'll get back to you then.

[#5]

On Sunday morning, a team came out and installed ducting for the very short distance between the ground chamber and the base of the pole as indicated in my previous post. Therefore, as I understand it there is now nothing stopping an engineer from pulling our fibre up the pole and making the connection. However: Openreach have today updated PN saying that the "dig work is still ongoing and should be complete by the 14th". I hope PN will push for an explanation far sooner than that as a further delay of 8 days would be outrageous given the circumstances.

Meanwhile, @adamwalker and now @MatthewWheeler have been trying to reinstate the FTTC connection, but that has been failing due to a "records issue". Today, there has been a further explanation that:

"the records issue is due to the FTTP order still being open which means we cannot reactivate your current services without cancelling the order that is in place."

So there you have it folks. If you take out a FTTP 'upgrade' then you are playing 'Russian roulette' with your connection. If I had been told that there was any chance of loosing connection altogether for multiple weeks then there is no way I would have signed up for the switch.

[#6]

@ryansuchocki  That just shows the complete stupidity of Openreach (and possibly BT Wholesale?)  ordering systems, which allow only one order to be active at any time. There is absolutely no reason why both orders cannot be actioned simultaneously as they are on different independent connections. 

If I ever have FTTP available I will be ordering a new FTTP service to overlap with my FTTC connection, upgrading is too risky, as I said in message #16 of this thread there have been several cases of customers such as yourself being cut off recently with no confirmed date for the FTTP service to be installed. It's an absolute shambles.

[#7]

Agreed - totally shamboilic service by Openreach. 

As far as I can see Openreach are totally under-resourced for the fibre netwok rollout and the resulting connections to individual premises. I can see them losing a lot of business to rival networks that are appearing in many locations. It can only get worse as more areas become full fibre only.

As you say it seems safer to order a new FTTP service (possibly not on the Openreach network, if that is possible - as it will be shortly around here with two rivals to Openreach both building networks just now and likely to be available before Openreach) rather than going the upgrade route, although that will require timing to match end of contract to avoid considerable extra cost.

[#8]

I'm grateful to @MatthewWheeler for requesting an escalation with OpenReach after my last post, as it led to the rare privilege of a phone call directly from someone at OpenReach who accepted that the dig work was in fact complete, and subsequently the fibre was finally connected at lunchtime on the 9th of March, and the ONT burst into life almost exactly 2 weeks after the FTTC was disconnected.

Unfortunately I am still struggling to get a refund for all of the 4 months in which I was incorrectly charged the out-of-contract FTTC price (as described on this separate thread: https://community.plus.net/t5/My-Account-Billing/Billed-out-of-contract-price/m-p/1914494).

Furthermore, I haven't heard anything from PN about a refund or compensation for the 2 weeks when I had no connection.