Engineer Times

I've got an engineer booked to install a FTTC service (managed install) between 8am and 1pm today. It's now just after 12 and I've still not heard anything so getting a little anxious as I've had to take the morning off work to be here, will be rather miffed if nobody shows up.

If you book an appointment for 8-1, is there a chance the engineer can show up after 1?

In reply to a post by Toonshorty:

If you book an appointment for 8-1, is there a chance the engineer can show up after 1?

Probably, if they are running late. I also don't know if the time slot is just arrival. In other words the engineer might turn up at 12:59 and be 'on time'. It's always annoying waiting for various engineers. There's one company (British Gas servicing I think) that sends an SMS when the engineer is 20 minutes away. One of the best systems was DPD which gave you real time tracking of the courier.

I also don't know if the time slot is just arrival. In other words the engineer might turn up at 12:59 and be 'on time'.

That's the one.

Still trying to get connected after five no shows, two aborted visits and also a further no show because the remote site couldn't be found by the engineer. Excuses given were the service intended for me was wired into the wrong DP, no circuits available, a new pole is required and the engineer been given the wrong address for the installation. The service is for a remote site that is normally unstaffed, so not pleasant hanging around for five hours a throw. I've had texts, emails and phone calls each time to say an engineer is booked to do the job. If I'm not there during each time slot then I get "fined" £125 if access is not possible but zilch for a no show. Currently awaiting for a new appointment to be scheduled.

Unfortunately with no phone on site and no mobile signal in the area, any contact to say they couldn't make the appointment was doomed to failure. What can I do about the wasted hours I've had? Apparently s*d all< so well pis**d off with Openreach.

It's surprising that no one has challenged this absurd inequality in a court of law.

On the one hand, Openreach threatens to charge and indeed does charge an eye watering £125 for a "customer not at home" penalty, but grants the subscriber nothing in recompense for an "engineer no show".

In consumer contract law such an inequality would normally render the openreach penalty unlawful and unenforceable.

However, Openreach has no direct consumer contract with the end-user. Instead it contracts only with the communications provider. Consequently, our supremely useless regulator Ofcom deems this business relationship not to be subject to the normal rules in the statutory instrument on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999.

Until Ofcom wises up to its obligations and expectations towards the subscriber - and this forum has countless examples of Openreach and its discourteous and costly "engineer no shows" - the regulator will continue to fail in one of its key statutory areas of function; that of consumer protection.

Edited by deleted (Fri 18-Sep-15 07:33:48)

With apparently suitable links in place by definition, any chance of having a phone facility installed or is that too costly?

Not bad going...

A post at 12:07 to report a no-show as yet, followed by a post at 12:56 to say the engineer had just left.

In reply to a post by Toonshorty:

Engineer has just left,

I've had one guy call at 12:30 to say he'd just been given my job (as an 8-1 appointment), but he was an hour away still. Would I still be there?

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

Not bad going...

A post at 12:07 to report a no-show as yet, followed by a post at 12:56 to say the engineer had just left.

In reply to a post by Toonshorty:

Engineer has just left,

I've had one guy call at 12:30 to say he'd just been given my job (as an 8-1 appointment), but he was an hour away still. Would I still be there?

Yeah, been meaning to update this - he turned up just after I posted this thread (I kind of hoped that would be the case, always seems to be the way).

It was a subcontractor rather than OR themselves but the engineer was friendly, swapped the faceplate out and went off to do the work at the cabinet - can't have been more than 40 minutes.

Now I just need to wait for G.Fast so I can actually get superfast speeds...