FTTH install gone wrong, can't get back on track

Am currently swapping from traditional ADSL with Sky over to FTTH from BT.
1st set of engineers turned up, ran fibre to the outside of the property
2nd engineer turned up, completed the internal install, attempted to splice to the external fibre....
BUT there wasnt enough fibre to splice to, should be a 2m coil, was just 10cm.
Installation failed, the engineer raised a fault, and a week or 2 later new fibre was blown to the house and I beleive spliced in ok (although I wasnt present for this).
The power light is green, and the optical light red on the modem. Smart hub flashes away purple.

Trouble is, this was now a month ago, despite ringing BT several times a week, who chase openreach each time....Nothing has happened. Never any progress updates or details on what we are waiting for.
If I attempt to go to the broadband troubleshooter on the BT website is says no broadband linked to this account.
Yet they are billing for it.

Any ideas what may be wrong and how to get this moving?

James

Suggests a bad splice, broken fibre, or something not done wrong.

Needs another engineer to check the light signal is present and within tolerance, if you can email us on Monday will see if an email dropped direct to Openreach can get things moving.

Monday, because too late today to chase, and if it sits in inbox by Monday it will be swamped by something else.

Thanks, will do, will send all the relavent info in too.

Getting very frustrating....its the lack of knowing as much as anything else...Dont mind waiting if I know what its for and can then understand.

Cheers

jamsmv6

You could always try the (new) Openreach twitter account. Tell them your shortest story and wait for a response in mins.

They will most likely ask you to DM your details to keep them private, do not post any personal details on the twitter account as it is public

In reply to a post by kitcat:

jamsmv6

You could always try the (new) Openreach twitter account. Tell them your shortest story and wait for a response in mins.

They will most likely ask you to DM your details to keep them private, do not post any personal details on the twitter account as it is public

I did try that, and got stonewalled unfortunately

I say contact the CEO and Chairman's Office at BT via email and explain the issues and that you are not happy how you have been treated so far and the lack of communication.

Also always be polite even when you are getting wound up, they will use this as an excuse to get off the phone, so don't give them that reason.

BTW what phone BT number are you calling to do with this issue, FTTH/FTTP should be phoned on 0800 587 4787, that's what I call on and I get through rather quick most of the time.

Also make notes of everything, BT are very good at resolving issues like this and you "might" be lucky and get compo for all the hassle etc.

Send me a PM and I will give you their email addresses.

Paul

I had a similar thing with a neighbour previously.

Everything went fine but there were no spare fibres on the splitter tray. Openreach left the job open for completion, but BT Consumer closed it and were billing my neighbour for a service he couldn't receive. It then got messed up when BT Consumer ceased the order and had to place a new one.

I would try the FTTH team as Paul suggests.

Agreed, and if you are getting no where with the FTTH/FTTP team, politely tell them you are not happy how this is being dealt with and you are going to contact the chairman's office, that normally gets things going.

They will probably say to give them a couple of days for them to look into the issue, give them that plus an extra day, and if still no joy or if they fail to contact you on the agreed date (if a date was agreed) then email the chairman's office.

Once again for the OP, "Be polite in the email as well as on the phone, be firm but polite" and explain the exact issue and I am sure you will be contacted as soon as possible.

Whenever I have had issues with BT I have always given them a reasonable amount of time and if that fails to give a result, contacting the chairman's office has helped get it all resolved.

Also the contacting of the chairman's office, complaints etc stay on your details at BT, some times I don't even have to mention the chairman's office.

Paul

Thanks all,

Think I will try Andrews email first, then move onto othe addreses after.

I am speaking direct to the FTTH team,
I have a case worker and her direct line!
not that its doing me a lot of good currently!

Suggests a bad splice, broken fibre, or something not done wrong.

Needs another engineer to check the light signal is present and within tolerance, if you can email us on Monday will see if an email dropped direct to Openreach can get things moving.

On completion of the job by the engineer does he/she not check to make sure the connection is working OK?

Edited by Apprentice (Sat 11-Mar-17 09:42:06)

Yeah, some of those case handlers are useless, the only ways to get them to pull their finger out was to contact the Chairman's Office, which then got the ball rolling for me.

Paul

In reply to a post by Apprentice:

Suggests a bad splice, broken fibre, or something not done wrong.

Needs another engineer to check the light signal is present and within tolerance, if you can email us on Monday will see if an email dropped direct to Openreach can get things moving.

On completion of the job by the engineer does he/she not check to make sure the connection is working OK?

Your would think that.

With my install, one of the external install engineers first checked the fibre at the DP end, then blew in the 4 tiny fibres, then checked the signal at the CSP end, which all was fine, so they coiled up the fibres in the CSP.

Next Day, the internal engineer installed the ONT along with BBU, joint the pre-made fibre cable, asked me to connect up the Smart Hub to the ONT and our LAN.

Asked me to do a Speed Test, and they took a recording of the speed test asked if I was happy and went.

So yeah, they do normally do checks during the install.

Paul

Yep, the first stage installer should be testing and recording the light loss reading at the CSP.

But not all FTTP installs are done in a two stage way like this.

Question for you Zarjaz

If you're fusion splicer passes the checks when you do the splices but there is no signal, does it get pushed back to TSO or can you do something to check why there is no signal?

If you're fusion splicer passes the checks when you do the splices but there is no signal, does it get pushed back to TSO or can you do something to check why there is no signal?

Yes the splicer measures the loss over the splice it has just made, should be between 0.00db and 0.05db, or you break it and try again.

But there is (or should be) light coming from the head end, it is this that is measured to give the Light Loss Reading measured by a separate piece of kit. This should show the fibre to be in tolerance from end to end. -5db to -24db (above this and the ONTE won't 'synchronise' with the head end.

This is good, but having an issue at the present where 'new boy'/contractors are mis splicing at the splitter node so the light from the ONTE doesn't appear in the right tray at the head end, and therefore won't work.

If I or my buds have no light at the CSP we tend to try and resolve it ourselves on the day, stick a light source on at the customer end and chase it back...... Punters have often waited a fair while to get to the bit where we turn up, so we'll try and make sure we can restore some faith in us at least. But often we are under some pressure to move on to the next job and pass it back.

Just chased them again.

Sounds like no progress made,
however she has placed a fast track order for the service.
Awaiting an engineer time slot.

So, reading between the lines, getting a fault fixed on a failed install isnt happening, so starting from scratch with an order for a new service, but with all the hardware in place.

Im not confident in this approach, but if it gets something moving that will do me.
and now we wait......

For the record....still not really any further forward.

the orders placed dropped into a black hole.

My current case handler says the black hole was BT wholesale, not even getting to openreach.

For some reason the online portal shows 2 orders in process and my handler assures me that one of these is progressing well and is actually with openreach.
She is apparently ensuring understanding by everyone involved that everything is actually in place, and just needs checking as there is a fault somewhere (I think between overhead fiibre on house and the modem, but we will see)
Im expecting a phone call on Monday re scheduling an actual engineer appointment.

The External team came back yesterday and found and fixed something.
on the white modem we now have power optical and lan all lit green, internet light still off and smarthub now orange.

So at least its seeing light now, even if it has no connection.

Now waiting for the internal team, but whats left for them to do I cannot imagine.....
Other than perhaps say to another team, install complete, please enable?

My guess .... due to the delays BT Wholesale have cancelled the order for BB their end.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

My guess .... due to the delays BT Wholesale have cancelled the order for BB their end.

Yes, think your right, but then kept cancelling the repeat orders my case handler was putting in!

Just heard theve brought the internal team forward to tomorrow.

Just heard theve brought the internal team forward to tomorrow.

Where are you in the country ?

A small town called Saltney, just next to Chester

Ah, it won't be me then .............

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Ah, it won't be me then .............

Turned out to be noone - a no show!

Frustrated as hell.

fingers crossed again for a visit in the morning.....

Finally up and working.

As suspected the internal team needed to do nothing but make a phone call.
Shame that couldnt have been done weeks ago.....

Old broadband still working over copper, expect this will go off soon?

Now to sort out things like BT TV, reward card, refunds, comp.

In reply to a post by jamsmv6:

Finally up and working.

As suspected the internal team needed to do nothing but make a phone call.
Shame that couldnt have been done weeks ago.....

Old broadband still working over copper, expect this will go off soon?

Now to sort out things like BT TV, reward card, refunds, comp.

I think the engineer that did our internal work and once all installed they just made a phone call told them the number off the ONT and its was all up and running.

Enjoy

Paul