BT Infinity missed me!

Hi Everyone

I live in an area that is BT Infinity enabled, my local exchanged IS enabled. Every house apart from mine and one other can get BT Infinity.

No xx SO50 8PG
02380 xxxxxx

I receive mail from BT telling me Infinity is available but when I call/check online I am told it is not and to keep checking.

Have BT missed me? Is there any way of finding out If I am connected to a different cab on my road, or if I am maybe connected directly to the exchange?

Any help greatly appreciated

Edited by MrSaffron (Thu 10-Mar-11 10:30:50)

You need to talk (not just use web tools) to providers selling the service who can then take your details and check for you.

Removed your phone number, to avoid the mad people calling

I have spoken to Bt and they cannot provide any more information. Does anyone know how to find out which (if at all) cab I am connected to or if I am connected directly to the exchange. Also any ideas on who I need to speak to at BT to get a less generic response?

Thanks

Why don't you use a checker on one of the other fibre suppliers?

There are no other servies in my area other than ADSL.

I disagree

http://www.idnet.net/solutions/home/adslselector.jsp

Edited by BatBoy (Thu 10-Mar-11 11:46:08)

Sorry but I'm not following the point of the excercise, are IDNET a fibre provider?

if you go to the link below two of the guys from the forum have made a chart with the isp`s that offer fibre

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AkTilLk0dCR...

Thanks, I think I am following now. So I am looking at the other providers to see if BT has possibly made a mistake on their database?

In reply to a post by mrjoesaunders:

Sorry but I'm not following the point of the excercise, are IDNET a fibre provider?

Yes

BT can sometimes be 'script monkeys', whereas smaller ISPs will look a bit further to see if they can help you..

Ok, thanks for all the info guys. I checked eclipse.net and they say I CAN get fibre. So where do I go from here?

Place an order with one of the ones who says you can get it and meets your needs

What exactly does http://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html say for your number, hide the actual number in the results

This is great info, thanks guys.

The wholesale report:

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 512Kbps. However, due to the length of your line, an engineer visit may be required, who will, where possible, supply the broadband service.


Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 500Kbps; typically the line speed would range between 250Kbps and 1.5Mbps.

Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 14.6Mbps and upstream line speed of 5.6Mbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

Thank you for your interest.

So this confirms I can get FTTC, how do I approach bt from here?

Thanks again

and theres the problem, below 15mb, ive pm;d you.

bt broadband with fibre option 3 is what you want

The reason it was showing as not available on some checkers is becuase your estimated speed is below 15Meg. BT Retail do not currently off fibre based products with speeds below this whilst some other ISP's do.

There have been cases where people have been given an estimate below 15Meg and when the product is installed, the speeds have been higher. Check the link below for a recent example:

BT Community Fourms

Someone was quoted 14mb ,they were connected yesterday they connected at 27mb, 1000m line from the cab.

Mines due to be connected this afternoon after i emailed the ceo of bt last week, they say 7mb for me, will report back later.

I had a similar problem, in that my cabinet was installed and connected, and nobody could connect to it even though it was ready to go.

I managed to find the e-mail of the exchange manager, and someone reasonably high at Openreach (can't remember it now, sorry) and within 24 hours I could place an order.

Another good source of info for BT, believe it or not, it twitter. Send a message to BTCare. Usually get you an answer within 24 hours.

yeap spot on, shame that BT sales staff don't understand their product range

A key point is the product is called BT Broadband with Fibre Option 3,

NOT Infinity. To the lay person seems an irrelevant thing, but it is about ensuring the Infinity product is installed in locations where it will be fast, i.e. look good in speed charts

This is excellent, so how do I actually approach BT to get this installed?

In reply to a post by mrjoesaunders:

This is excellent, so how do I actually approach BT to get this installed?

check your private messages

The BT Total Broadband Option 3 with Fibre product is currently in pilot with BT Retail and not on general sale. That is why the checkers are not showing it as an option.

mines just been installed by bt, checker said 7mb, connected at 17mb, having 1060 metres of aluminium between cab and me didnt help.

still chuffed with 17mb though compared with that i used to get.

I have been in contact with Ian Livingstone, the CEO of BT and he refuses to put me on the pilot for BT broadband with fibre option 3. How did you guys manage to get onto this?

Thanks

Joe

Go to this site Joe, and click on FTTx.

http://www.robertos.me.uk 

You will find a list of alternate ISP's who may be able to provide you with FTTC on a sub 15Mbps connection. The price may be different though.

Thanks for that, I have been looking into alternative fibre providers and found some with good deals, might be the way to go

Joe

So to conclude....

BT will not move me onto "BT Broadband with Fibre option 3" and I have to pay over £200 to terminate my existing contract. So I am stuck with 56kbps down because BT don't want me making there Infinity stats look bad.

Disgraceful....

Thanks for all your help though people, it's certainly been an eye opener to me.

In reply to a post by mrjoesaunders:

So to conclude....

BT will not move me onto "BT Broadband with Fibre option 3" and I have to pay over £200 to terminate my existing contract.

What contract?

My 12 month BT Broadband contract.

How much longer is it?

8 months. I have just received a very informative email from the head of the superfast broadband team at BT. Good explanation, just wish I didn't have to dig so deep for it... See below.

Dear Joe,

Ian Livingston forwarded me your email correspondence as I run BT's superfast broadband programme. BT Retail's < 15Mbps product will be available for customers in April. I am sorry it is not available to you now and I recognise you have been told of its existence, but BT Retail have not marketed the product externally. They have just completed their trials and are now in their final preparations for customer launch.

I can categorically assure you that BT Retail are not avoiding selling a < 15Mbps fibre product because of the impact on any speed charts. In fact, this could not be further from the truth. It is so that BT Retail can be as open and honest with all customers about what their line will be able to achieve from Openreach's fibre-to-the-cabinet technology. Other ISPs have chosen to combine Openreach's > 15Mbps and < 15Mbps product variants into one fibre product - BT Retail have chosen to distinguish between them; hence BT Infinity as a > 15Mbps product and the new < 15Mbps product to be launched in April.

With regard to the Welcome to Infinity letters, I apologise if you feel you have received one incorrectly. For regulatory reasons, BT Retail cannot line check every customer in an area that Openreach has enabled with superfast broadband unless the customer is an existing BT Retail Total Broadband or PSTN customer. BT Retail customers whose lines get < 15Mbps should not have been sent a Welcome to Infinity letter.

Once again, I'm sorry you cannot get a < 15Mbps product from BT Retail now; but it is only a few weeks away.

Regards,

Johnny McQuoid

Nice one, thanks

just incase any1 does want to leave bt infinity before the 18 months is up on contract here is the fees you will incur

http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProduc...

thanks for posting that email you received joe, at least we <15mb estimates now have a time scale to look forward to, as i cannot justify any of the other isp's at their prices/dl limits so ill look forward to this products launch.