BT Openreach Engineer Visits

[#1]

Please, please, please, if you are sending a BT Openreach engineer to my property let me know you are sending one and arrange a mutually acceptable appointment time.
I've had 2 unannounced visits by engineers this week, the first on Tuesday afternoon for which I was able to drop everything and leave work, the second one before 9am this morning which I couldn't make.
Not really an efficient use of resources is it?

[#2]

Have you neither read that PN has to use BTOR nor of BTOR's infamous reputation for missed appointments?

[#3]

Quote from: CraigW

I've had 2 unannounced visits by engineers this week, the first on Tuesday afternoon for which I was able to drop everything and leave work, the second one before 9am this morning which I couldn't make. Not really an efficient use of resources is it?

Well the engineers have to fill their time somehow while they are missing someone else's appointment!

[#4]

Hi CraigW,
I'm sorry that an engineer called whilst you weren't in the property due to not being aware of the appointment.
I've had a look into this and we weren't aware that our suppliers were sending an engineer to your property. We requested for the DLM to be reset which shouldn't involve the engineer needing access to the property, however, it seems the engineer didn't realise that a DLM reset was required and wanted to carry out tests in the property. I'll pass this information on to our suppliers and I'll get back in touch with you with further updates on Ticket: 84983843.

[#5]

I've escalated Ticket: 84983843 back to you regarding this, CraigW.
Let us know if you spot any issues with your broadband service.

[#6]

Quote from: Linn

We requested for the DLM to be reset which shouldn't involve the engineer needing access to the property, however, it seems the engineer didn't realise that a DLM reset was required and wanted to carry out tests in the property.

So now we find that not only do BTOR engineers manage to not turn up for booked appointments, they spend their valuable time turning up for "appointments" which were not booked, to do something they were not asked to do... and not do what they were requested to do.  I thinks "shambles" does not come close - no wonder PN's reputation is constantly being challenged.
Linn, do you really need this kind of hassle from what is clearly a failing service provider?  You are too busy to be dealing with the likes of these issues each and every day, there needs to be a visible commitment to improvement from BTOR.  I suggest that you get PN's silent CEO to do a few days in the DCT working on these forums so that he can see first had the plight of your customers, after which he might just be motivated to take on BT - or is he afraid of the big BT bosses?
Until he is seen on the forums, facing customers explaining what he is doing to get the other parts of BT delivering a professional service, one must conclude he is afraid of both his customers and his BT bosses.  At least with Virgin, Richard Branson does get out and about the front-line and even appears in his company's TV adverts.  Love him or hate him, he does lead from the front!
Kevin

[#7]

I understand what you're saying Kevin.
I have already informed the customer of this on the ticket and also explained that following a conversation with our suppliers they have confirmed that the engineer notes came back stating that they had tested the line at the cab and found that there were no issues and only wanted to gain access to the property to ensure that everything was all fine at the internal connection. Considering the customer has confirmed that their broadband is working without any issues they have cleared the fault we raised as no fault was found.
I can appreciate that you'd like to see Andy Baker involved in the forums, however, that's our job. Our job on the DCT is to gather all the issues and present them to the relevant people to ensure that changes are made to make the customer experience better.

[#8]

Quote from: Linn

I can appreciate that you'd like to see Andy Baker involved in the forums, however, that's our job. Our job on the DCT is to gather all the issues and present them to the relevant people to ensure that changes are made to make the customer experience better.

Hopefully I speak for most of the Forum users in appreciating the excellent work that you and your colleagues in the DCT do on a daily basis - but it cannot be sustainable at your level to support  areas of the Business which are sorely in need of significant work.  The interface with BTW and BTOR is one area where only VERY senior intervention at appropriate meetings is likely to achieve any lasting impact.  No amount of distilled reports can replace even a small amount of "Face time" in the Forums - even if only to confirm that he is aware and to describe what is happening to address the numerous issues with the Network, The Back-Office and BT interfaces.
I've been with Plusnet for some time and through a number of low points - but so far this is the lowest.  No one at senior level seems prepared to commit to anything or even formally acknowledge the known problems.
Maurice

[#9]

Maurice,
Very well put.  I too am concerned about just how much day to day supplier issue management rests on so few good shoulders.  The constant public exposure of PNs deliver problems caused by BTw / BTOR failures is not good for PN's image.
Sadly the majority of people who have good service do not take to forums such as these to say so, invariably it is those in difficulty who come here, with the consequence that cursory visitors might conclude that it is "all hard and difficult" with the same reocurrIng issues.

[#10]

TOWMAN 2/5

Quote

no wonder PN's reputation is constantly being challenged.

Thinking, "are other ISPs' reputations not being challenged, because they do so well,or because challenge is worthless; or because PN's responses make challenge worthwhile?

[#11]

Replace-all /challenged/tarnished/

[#12]

Personally I don't have any gripes with Plusnet at all.
Issues I have raised have been dealt with promptly and the quality of service in terms of broadband speed & call clarity is great.
However, I didn't know if I should laugh or cry when this morning another BT Openreach engineer called me about my broadband problem that had been passed to him to fix!!
I gave him the history and told him all that was supposedly required now was a DLM(?) reset which he did there and then using his mobile...
Somehow there seems to be a breakdown in communications somewhere!

[#13]

Quote from: CraigW

...a DLM(?) reset which he did there and then using his mobile...

Interesting... so if a BTOR engineer can "order-up" a fibre DLM reset from a mobile phone (without visiting the cabinet?) then why does BTOR require a fault report, visiting engineer and a charge to the requesting ISP.  Sounds like a potential opportunity for a step improvement in service delivery if I have correctly understood the context of your posting!

Kevin

[#14]

Whilst the command is done from the mobile, i believe that have to physically connect hardware to the line to complete the task.
Each time i've seen an engineer dialing in from mobile he's needed equipment connected first.
If only it was that easy though!
I'd love to know how they price things. I wouldn't mind a breakdown of the £99 charge they issue for a failed appointment, and why they refuse to pony up when its THEM who don't appear...

[#15]

I also had an engineer turn up last week when I wasn't expecting one - though to be fair he did say he didn't actually need to gain access to the property as he'd been told to check the (FTTC) line at the cabinet. He rang first to say he'd be working at the cabinet and the line would go down for a bit - a sensible and courteous thing to do. He moved my connection from one 'tie' to another. Afterwards, as he knew I was in, he did come to the house, tested the line and for good measure changed the faceplate on the master socket (to a MK2 version!) and changed the openreach modem.
(I'm not sure whether either of these changes was necessary, but I wasn't going to stop him. The new modem is an ECI rather than my original Huawei, and has a manufacturing date of Dec 2012, so it's not that new, but as long as it works I don't mind.)
I was still getting some internet disconnects after this visit (though far fewer than before) so Plusnet arranged another engineer visit, which happened yesterday. He duly arrived, but (like the first engineer) hadn't been told anything about the problem, and in the end (as far as I could tell) just did the same tests as the first one. So, the first visit may have done some good but perhaps didn't fix everything. The second visit wasn't very productive, though it confirmed that the line was OK at that particular moment.