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Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Townman
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Registered: ‎22-08-2007

Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Matty,
Thanks.
In that case, the premises in respect of my issue is not a NSP provide.  A survey was certainly required, but not a NSP (in the context of the definition) survey and associated fees.
@AndyH - will speak with the mods.
Cheers,
Kevin

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dvorak
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

mod:note
posts split from other topic and merged here.
Customer / Moderator
If it helped click the thumb
If it fixed it click 'This fixed my problem'
Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Matty,
Now your most helpful comments on NSP are in the place relevant to the issue, can you (or ask the business team to) please review the correctness of a "NSP" order and the associated fees for this order?
Quote from: Anotherone
I take it you read my PM which is applicable to an individual complaint  Wink

I did indeed read that PM and as readers are aware, I did raise the issue with Ofcom ... who succinctly informed me that it is not their role to intercede on individual issues.
Add to that Ofcom seem incapable of keeping user's email addresses secure, despite their claims...
Quote from: http
Licensing enquiries
Some people have received an email that appears to have come from Ofcom spectrum licensing. The email has not been sent by Ofcom – it is a hoax and should be treated as spam and deleted. We have not experienced a breach of our data or systems, and we are investigating as a priority.

Sounds all too familiar!  Roll_eyes
Seems awfully coincidental that with 48 hours of submitting a complaint to Ofcom, that an Ofcom branded email with an attached MS Word MACRO enabled document should arrive at the contact email address used in the complaint.
Useless and incompetence when used in respect of Ofcom is insulting the usual use of those words... though as I have said before, if you look at who is in charged, why am I surprised?  Wrong people, with the wrong experience which the wrong abilities.
...think I will go raise a test complaint against Ofcom using a never-before-used-email address and see what happens.  Then on to the ICO...

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Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Very much unimpressed today - (CRT see ticket 104498493 please).
Yet another week with no action from BTOR in spite of DSO escalation and complaints to CEOs across the space.
Not only a week with no action, but a deferral of another week for an update - PlusNet leading firemen on this case now on leave and the promised call back before 17:30 today (Ian) did not happen.
Just how hard can it be to trim a tree?
Will this job be done this side of Christmas ... wonder if I can get the conifer felled for a community Christmas tree somewhere?  Huh Roll_eyes

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Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

And BTRO's inaction rolls on - issue on hold until 17th August, just short of the 3 month anniversary for this order.
From the latest update, I understood that there is some degree of obstruction in the DSO - there is no clear BTOR plan (that is a list of tasks to be completed with target dates) which is being managed aggressively to deliver.  I hope that other escalation routes will bear fruit.  In the meantime, I'll try to remain cool and collected.  I fully understand that this is a BTOR issue, rather than a PlusNet issue ... but recognise that PlusNet is my only meaningful point of complaint.  PlusNet should not need to have this degree of hands on to deliver this.
The reality is that I have no option but to sit and wait, no matter how unreasonable that is.  BTOR knew on 15th June exactly what was required to install this line.  To all intents and purposes, they have done a big fat zero to make this happen and PlusNet are powerless to influence their behaviour.
I am very evidently not alone here: many are in similar situations experiencing delayed installations, where BTOR do not seem to give a fig about customer service and are prepared to see the CP / ISP retail providers suffer the consequences, including those resellers within their own group.
Some P45s would seem in order!

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Chris
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

I haven't commented on this thread much yet, but I'm disappointed to see it's still ongoing. The account is in the hands of the best people here to help and they're doing all they can to get this progressed using every escalation path open to them. I really do hope this gets sorted sooner rather than later.
Former Plusnet Staff member. Posts after 31st Jan 2020 are not on behalf of Plusnet.
Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Chris,
I totally concur.  Smiley
I cannot and do not suggest that PlusNet could have done / can do more than what is happening.  This tread simply servers to illustrate just how badly BTOR can mess up even the simplest of tasks - all that is required here is to give a not overly large conifer a bit of a trim.  This is apparently a task which BTOR have done around this pole on numerous occasions.
Thanks,
Kevin

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Reading this is enough to bring tears to your eyes, the whole saga smacks of incompetence and I agree P45s need to be issued as someone, somewhere, is not doing what they are paid for, it's tantamount to criminal. Can't you simply cut your and your clients losses and get satellite installed? You may even get a grant of up to 3K to help with the costs.
 
Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Hi Chris,
Sorry to share continued disappointment...  3 and a bit weeks on and there's no change here.  BTOR are still pratting around like total idiots having delivered zero progress.
Lost track of what I've shared with those who remain interested... BTOR did along the way attend to trim the tree but abandoned the attempt when they saw the (insulated) power lines.  They claimed that the power needs to be off to do the work and asserted that they had made a request to the power company for a power down.
About a week after my last post, I was still waiting for a date for the work to be done; BTOR claimed the job was stalled awaiting a response from the power company.  Being both suspicious and sly in anticipation of the next (non) update from BTOR I phoned the power company asking if they had a third party request for tree cutting in the area.  Surprisingly they were unexpectedly helpful - nope, no record of a request for a power down in the area.  Later that day, the update from BTOR was that they were awaiting a response from the power company and would not be providing further updates to PlusNET.
Having raised a query with the power company, they treat that as a "complaint" or at least with the same seriousness.  Since then over the two weeks I've had two on-site visits from the power company who are very keen to help progress this problem.  They've even looked at a plan to relocate the pole a couple of yards away from the tree.  Anyhow, they have a plan to cut the tree this coming Monday without any need to power down the line (it's an insulated cable).
In the meantime, BTOR still claim they are awaiting a response from the power company who can find no evidence of a request from BTOR... who persist in refusing to provide details of the request, update PlusNET or follow up on the direct communication route into the power company.
Conclusion: the power company know more about customer service than does BTOR and the regulator Ofgem seem to know more about how to manage their industry than does Ofcom.  May be the answer is to get the power industry to run telecoms?
In the meantime, the business support team continue to try to nail BTOR to a plan - they are more likely to find nailing a jelly to the wall an easier task!
Kevin

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johncena1922
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Registered: ‎05-09-2015

Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

I have had Problems with Phone and internet for Months now and was told it would be fixed by 4/9/2015 and as it was an ongoing problem I would get a month for free , I would also be keep inform by text message and the man I spoke with promised to call me on the day to make sure my fault was repaired and guess what no texts no cals and still no internet and faulty line , So I am now in the process of finding a new supplier who actually values their customers Angry
Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Hi John,
Details will vary from customer to customer.  In my experience, when there is no update from PlusNET it is because there is no update being provided by their supplier BTOR.  If you've read the whole of my thread, you'll see that even after writing 3 times to BT Plc CEO, BTOR still do not give a fig.  You can change who you pays your money to, but (unless you can change to Virgin Media) you cannot escape the indifference of BTOR.
It seems that everyone is powerless to make BTOR accountable for their performance.  Sometimes there are cock-ups in the order process, but if the order is correctly in place all delays are down to BTOR.  As I have made plain here, BTOR tell lies and then refuse to provide progress reports to the reseller.  Such matters need urgent attention from Ofcom, but they are toothless and punitive commercial pressure from reseller CEOs however they appear reluctant to act or their acts are ineffective.
Hope your issue is soon sorted - note that your faulty line remains your line no matter which ISP you go with.
Kevin
PS: A warm welcome to the forums, but posting the same comment on other people's threads is known as spamming or trolling.  Such behaviour is likely to incur censure from the mods... one of whom has split one of your three identical posts into its own thread... where we'll try to offer help there.

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Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

At long last, there is some real progress.  This morning the tree was cut so as to facilitate access to BTOR's junction box.
In the meantime, BTOR still await a response from the power company to depower the line - a request the power company who kindly cut the tree today knows nothing about.
OPENREACH nil - Scottish Power priceless!
Now I waits to see how the DSO responds to having had their work done for them.  Suspect that they'll either say they cannot proceed beyond the scheduled task or will need to send out another surveyor to check the work....
The problem tree
The A team
Ready to start cutting
At last I can see the junction box (dead centre in the shadows)
All done in around 40 minutes.

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Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Got a surprise visit Wednesday afternoon (11th Sept) - a lone engineer who apparently came to do the line install...
"That tree has not been cut properly ... that pole has not been certified ... cannot get up the other pole either ... cannot do the job".
Me: "What do you mean 'other pole' nothing was mentioned about that in the survey...".
So we walked the cable route and checked something's out together and discovered that may be there is no need for access on the 'other pole'.  We then agreed that the engineer would retain the job and on Thursday morning at 8am they would attempt to install the line.  Hoist due at 9am.
Just wish someone could tell me why I'm managing BTOR's installation activity for them, whilst the DSO, BTOR's highest esclation department are doing darned all.  It's nearly 4 months now since I started this, hopefully I'll get the line in tomorrow and then we can sort out the fibre service.
When this is all complete I will be looking for a major drains up review of BTOR's conduct here.

Superusers are not staff, but they do have a direct line of communication into the business in order to raise issues, concerns and feedback from the community.

Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

Update...
BTOR engineer arrived at 08:30 and finally left at 16:15.  It was the same BTOR engineer who came out to do the line install in July.  He expressed dismay and embarrassment over BTOR's conduct on this case.  In his own words "This case has reached the highest level of complaint management within BTOR and still they (the management) could not get it right".
The final installation was not without issues - existing drop wire to neighbouring property was found to be faulty, so a new one had to be strung across the canal (real win there especially as he connected all 4 pairs to the DP); the neighbours complained the the new wire offended their view thus requiring a bit of indirect routing and finally the pair which had been patched through in July had been pinched by some other engineer.... a practise which he says happens all too often, particularly by a well known subcontractor.
For the record, I've found all of the on the ground BTOR staff involved with this case understanding, sympathetic and wishing they could do more to help, however they feel 'hide-bound' by obstructive and unproductive rules and regulations which make doing even the simplest of things difficult.
A job requiring a hoist cannot be undertaken by a single person, less they might have a heart attack whilst up in the bucket.  A second engineer needs to be on hand to perform remote operation of hoist.  All engineers are trained to do this.
However, if (as in this case) it's a joint service pole, the 'second man' has to be a fully certified hoist operator.  Consequently we had two hoists sent to do the job, one to do it and another to watch it being done.  Such working practices clearly deprive another user from having their problem requiring a hoist from being resolved sooner rather than later.
To top all of that off, as the engineer got to the point of needing to connect the wire into the building (a converted wooden barn) he announces that under the rules, he is not allowed to drill into wood, less he might get a splinter of wood into his personage. Crazy
...and then we wonder why BTOR is not delivering.

For a while this is now all in PlusNet's court for them to process the fibre order.
A big thank you to the business team (past and present) who have sought so diligently to deliver this install.  You've all been patient with my persistent harassment for progress in the face of no information being made available from your suppliers.  Setting aside the commercial matters under discussion, the one remaining question I'll be seeking an answer to is...
Quote
Consequential to this experience, where even after esclation to the highest level within BTOR, it was not possible for PlusNET to obtain the information they required to keep their customer informed, what action will Andy Baker take to ensure that this experience cannot be repeated?

Cheers,
Kevin

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Townman
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Re: Good start to what I know will be problems ahead

CONNECTED after 117 days.
Mr. BTOR arrived this morning and patched in the fibre service, installed the BTOR modem and I connected up a temporary router.
BTOR synch reported to be 30.8Mbps which is much better than expected.  Speed tests circa 18Mbps.  Clearly things need to settle down.
Massive thanks to everyone in PlusNet Business Support for their time an patience in sorting this out.  Thanks also to the on the ground BTOR engineers who have also been excellent and understanding of the issues.  BTOR management, you really do need to do better.
Just commercial details now to be addressed with PlusNet / BTOR.

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