House Move - Update on connection?

[#1]

One week to go and Openreach have not been anywhere near the site - what's the bet that there will be a further delay? They clearly don't give a damn 🙂

[#2]

If I were in your shoes, I'd be asking for updates via the link in post #5 on a daily interval.

[#3]

The full text of the message from Openreach received 11 days ago is below. They do not provide any means of responding to them!
Hello Geoffrey,
Thanks for taking the time to contact us.  I'm sorry for the delay in responding to your enquiry.
We've looked into the provision of service to your new property and we can't provide a completion date for the work currently.  We are working with our Planning Team in order to get a date for you and we'll be back in touch as soon as we can provide a further update.
If you've any other concerns other than the provision of service to your new property, then if you could raise those with your Communications Provider directly.
Thanks,
Openreach Newsite Development Queries Team

[#4]

I actually expected a delay in getting connected as it seems to be the norm. However what is so annoying is the total lack of information available as to why there is a delay at all. Both Openreach and Plusnet speak in riddles. Actually to be fair, Openreach don't communicated with us Plebs at all! I have been told in a roundabout way that a new 'DP' has to be built and I understand that a 'DP' is the Distribution Point from where all the properties in this new development get connected. However exactly what 'building a new one' means is anybody's guess. The 'DP' is underground beneath a large access cover (with BT ingraved on it) a few metres from my front door. There is a multi core cable end in there. I assume this has to be terminated but what on earth has to be built? The completion date for this work is October 5 - just 5 working days away and there has been no activity on site at all. Perhaps someone out there knows the process and can explain it to this Pleb?

[#5]

Hi Custos,
Please don't describe yourself as a 'Pleb' - this stuff is rather complex when it does not go to plan and is rich in terminology.  Whilst I do not know the precise details, I understand the principles.  Hopefully the following will help illuminate? 
As advised before the DP is a location where a big bundle of wires are divided down to smaller bundles of cables for onward distribution in different directions.  The DP could be anything from a green cabinet, a road side pillar, a box on a pole or a rat's nest of wires in sub-surface chamber.  "Building" it is essentially facilitating the means of 'patching' (connecting) individual wire pairs in the bigger cable to wire pairs in the smaller cables.  This might be by cross separate wiring termination blocks for the bigger and smaller cables, or it might be direct crimp connections between the two.
Especially in the case of under-ground joints, these have to be protected and water-proofed, so in your case a water-proof housing needs to be added to the end of the cable.
Though this is not a big job, it is likely to need a team rather than an individual as each pair needs to be (check) identified before being patched.

[#6]

Thank you Townman,
From what you say, 'building' a 'DP' would be a routine procedure associated with any new development and therefore Openreach would have been aware that it needed to be done as soon as the development was complete and requests for a line were made? That request was made by me (via Plusnet) 5 days before I moved in to the property, well over a month ago.

[#7]

What you say is quite true, but planning is not BTOR's strong suite.  They recently took over 3 months to not get around to cutting a tree to do an install for me recently. In the end, I got another party to cut it.

[#8]

Perhaps someone at Openreach knows all the things Townman keeps saying about them on these forums, and so didn't exactly go out of their way to get that tree cut in a hurry.

[#9]

Ejs
You seem to not like hearing bad things about BTOR. Do you work for them?
I comment from direct experience, including talking to on the ground engineers, even they are embarrassed by BTOR's performance.  There is an easy resolution to the justifiable compliants reported here and by other ISPs - stop screwing up and deliver.  You seem to suggest that the majority of failures are down to PlusNET. May be by that judgement all of sky's complaints to Ofcom over BTOR performance is down to PlusNET and more retibution for my complaints too?

[#10]

The work is due for completion on October 5. Nobody has been anywhere near the site so clearly nothing has been done by Openreach at all so far and the chances of meeting the completion date are slim. After I completed the on-line form, Openreach promised to contact me when they had an update on the work  - so far they have not done so. The delay appears completely open ended with little or no consideration of the considerable inconvenience being suffered by me and my neighbours. As I said before - they don't give a damn!

[#11]

Quote from: Townman

You seem to not like hearing bad things about BTOR. Do you work for them?

I don't work for Openreach. Nor do I get any referral payments from Plusnet.
But I am disappointed to see these forums turning into an Openreach-bashing Plusnet fan club. I doubt expressing a bad opinion of Plusnet in every thread would go down too well, but doing the same about Openreach appears to be highly commendable. I don't see anyone recommending people switch to Virgin Media or some other not Openreach dependant supplier whenever possible.

[#12]

My belief is that Plusnet are just as much to blame as OR, sometimes it's one, sometimes it's the other (and sometimes it's both of them).

[#13]

If any blame lies with Plusnet then surely it can only be that they are not putting enough pressure on Openreach?
OFCOM have set Openreach a target: to provide an appointment for around 55% of new line installations that require an engineer visit within 12 working days of being notified. This requirement will rise to around 80% by 2016. It must also make clear the timeframe in which it is currently completing any remaining repairs or installations and provide reassurance to consumers about how long the work is likely to take.
I have been waiting 35 days since ordering a new line and Openreach tell me that they have nothing to tell me! Certainly no engineer has been to visit. The only information I have is from Plusnet who tell me they will review the situation on October 5th.

[#14]

That is likely to be the date BTOR have advised they will next provide an update to PlusNET.
In my recent experience, PlusNET ignored such statuses and kept banging on BTOR's door for answers.  They were (in polite terms  ???) told "You have been advised of the next review date, now go away until then" thereafter PlusNet's emails to BTOR went unanswered. 

[#15]

Received today from Openreach:
Hello Geoffrey,
Thanks for taking the time to contact us.
I've checked the development you asked about and we should have all of our work completed there and to be able to provide your site with service by 05/10/15 and delay due to onsite cabling work.
Installation of the service to your premises might take longer depending on the appointment agreed with Openreach and your chosen service provider.
I appreciate the delay is disappointing and I’m sorry that we've not yet been able to provide you with service.
We'll review progress at your development and if our expected completion date changes, we'll let you know. We'll also keep your chosen service provider informed about the progress of your specific order so they'll be able to keep you updated on progress also and they should remain your primary point of contact.
Thanks,
Openreach Newsite Development Queries Team
So that's OK then - I look forward to getting connceted next Tuesday 🙂