House Move - Update on connection?

[#1]

@ custos - I find it very hard to understand how your developer can get no information from Openreach, particualrly if (as you say) they have a contract in place with Openreach to provide the telephone service. Their contract will state the Openreach contacts/complaints' procedures etc. and it should be very easy for the developer to speak to someone to escalate things. At the end of the day, it's in Openreach's interest to get you connected as they will be losing money every day you have no phone line.
End users can also speak to Openreach. As they say, we of course already engage with end customers every day, on behalf of CPs, as we complete thousands of jobs to connect their homes and businesses across the country.

[#2]

I am expecting to meet up with the builder in the next few days so hopefully I will find out more then. I have of course spoken in person to the BTOR engineers and contractors who have visited the site otherwise I would not have any idea at all as to what was happening. I also have a promised update from Plusnet next Wednesday of course.

[#3]

Live update:
This morning another Openreach engineer arrived. To my surprise, like the others before him he attempted to push a cable through the ducting. I pointed out that he was wasting his time. Eventually, he dug a hole where I showed one had already been dug by Openreach contractors and he confirmed, as they had, what the problem was - the two lengths of ducting are offset by about a metre at the edge of the road and not connected. In fact exactly what I had told the very first engineer who attempted the same procedure many, many weeks ago. Despite a valiant effort he was unable to reach the end of the ducting that is under the edge of our driveway and therefore could not get a cable past the gap.We now have to wait while BTOR and the Developer/Builder liaise on site to gain access. This will involve digging under the edge of our driveway and presumably mean another interminable delay!
Three months and counting.....................

[#4]

A letter to BTOR CEO can do no harm...

[#5]

One thing I did not mention in my last post was that the Openreach engineer told me that the job had been escalated to the 'highest level' (whatever that means). Dare I hope that this means that I can now expect a fairly quick resolution or would that be hopelessly optimistic?

[#6]

Progress!
This morning, the same BTOR engineer that came on Monday returned with his manager, determined to complete the job and they succeeded! The cable is in place and connected and I am assured we are now connected to the exchange. We don't yet have a service but hopefully it won't be much longer before we do.

[#7]

I have just received this message from Openreach:
I've checked the address you asked about and all of our Newsites work to provide service to your development is now completed. You should now be able to progress the installation to your individual property; how long this takes will depend upon the appointment date agreed between your Service Provider and Openreach.
I appreciate that any delay that you experienced is disappointing and I’m sorry that we weren’t able to provide you with service sooner.
Thanks,
Openreach Newsite Development Queries Team

[#8]

That's great news!
I've had a look over your order and it looks like our suppliers have actually already booked a new appointment in without us contacting them to do so. We received notification of this at around 10 past 9 this morning.
I'll send confirmation of the appointment via the ticket on your account shortly.

[#9]

I have just received this message from Plusnet:
Your engineer appointment has been confirmed for 18/12/15 between 8 AM and 1 PM.
I am truly sorry that it has taken this long to get to this point and I really do appreciate your patience with this matter.
My response:
You can't be serious!
I placed this order on the 24th of August. Yesterday after waiting for over three months the Openreach engineer who finally completed the cabling told me that he expected to connect me immediately but needed to make a connection at the local exchange. I was assured that this would happen without any further delay. Now you are telling me that I have to wait another two weeks - for what?
Update to above: I have just discovered that today, when I call my original BT number (which has been reserved for me) it is now available and appears to be ringing. Up to now (including yesterday when the OR engineer was here) it has been unattainable. My line is still dead however.

[#10]

The ticket also says: our suppliers have provided us an update this morning confirming a new appointment
The appointment date I confirmed is not something we chose, it was booked by our suppliers and provided as 'the earliest available date'
I do apologise for the continued delay.
In regards to the number ringing when you call it, this is likely due to work at the exchange being completed following the work carried out by the engineer you spoke to yesterday, however if this is still not ringing, this just indicates that an appointment is still required. If the number was ringing and getting through to your phone socket, we would have been able to call our suppliers to get the order closed off without an appointment.

[#11]

So are you saying that there is nothing Plusnet can do to expedite this matter? That:: Openreach can keep their customers waiting as long as they like and I (your customer) just have to put up with it? That even though I have been waiting over three months it is OK to have to wait another two weeks for yet another engineer to visit me despite assurances made to me personally by an OR manager yesterday of no further delay?

[#12]

Depends which department that engineer belonged to - "with out delay" could mean without delay requesting another department to do something, at a time they have available resources.  Believe me, BTOR is answerable to no one!

[#13]

The engineer and his manager who were here yesterday were from the New Sites Team. They said they could not sign the job off until it was complete. It obviously isn't as otherwise I would now have a working line. Other engineers who have called connected the cabling to my house (drop wires) and fitted the master socket.

[#14]

I take it you haven't got dial-tone yet then?
If you have, dial 17070 and see what it tells you.

[#15]

The line is completely dead. I need to check with my neighbours later today to see if any of them are live yet and what their suppliers are saying.