Been a while since I posted a progress report, and still waiting for FTTP to be connected. What a frustrating process. As a recap I placed my order on the 1 June, an 8-way connectorised block has been in the DP since around mid-August.
Weeks pass with not much happening. Had a 4 week delay to clear a blockage between me and the DP, but Openreach came out and decided it was still blocked, 5 extra weeks of waiting Openreach arrange to turn up to meet with the sub-contractor at the same time to sort it out, only there was no second blockage and within minutes fibre was pulled through and they had gone.
It has taken since the 4th November (when the fibre was pulled through) to the 28 November for commissioning to be completed. Why that could not have happened concurrently in the 9 weeks it took to sort out the blockage and one phantom blockage between me and the DP I really don't know. On the 28 November the dslchecker went to FTTP available, 1 stage install, with a note that it was underground proven clear, and I thought at last, the next bit should be quick, after all it's just like a native FTTP install now and I've got fibre cable there and waiting.
A week later still no install date even after Cerberus chased for me. Today my update from Cerberus is that for some reason Openreach's system has cancelled the FTTP on demand order, and they asked Cerberus to place it again. It now sounds like I'm at the beginning of an FTTP on Demand order process, but I've been told the FOD team is going to expedite the status change to get it back to where it was (nice of them), so I expect that is another week of delay or more for them to do that. I wouldn't be surprised if I do get an appointment but it’s a surveyor calling me to come and visit to survey for a quote!
What I don't understand is why it takes a week and counting for someone to type into their scheduling system to get and book an install date? I also fail to believe their computer system just randomly decides all by itself to cancel an order. Just sounds like delay tactics to me because they don't have any resources for months. The cancelling and re-ordering to a cynic like me is probably some internal cheat to achieve some performance target.
I wish my neighbours were ready to order FTTP (in contracts currently), as I wonder if they ordered with an ISP of their choice would they have the same delays in waiting for an appointment and installation?
My expectations now are this is not going to get completed this year, for a moment I thought it might be done before year end, but now all the stuff about cancelled orders and new orders at the wrong status, I can't see it happening until January or February.
I'll come back once its live