Problem with Openreach - can we do anything else?

Hello All,

Can anyone give us advice on this?

We ordered a BT line for my son's student flat in Sheffield on 3rd August. We ordered the line separately because we wanted to use one of the smaller ISPs (ZEN, Xilo, Clara etc.)

The lead time was huge - and we had to accept an engineer's appointment for today - 10th September.

On 5th September we got texts stating that the exisitng line could be activated without an engineer's visit. The BT order tracking site was updated similarly.

As a result of these messages we changed travel plans - and he is still at home 100 miles away.

Come 10th September we get a voicemail from the BT engineer seeking access to the flat.

We get onto a BT Call Centre and they contact Openreach who offer to put us at the back of the - long - queue again with an activation date of mid-October.

After some dialogue we were put into escalation and we are now waiting a call back from the Escalation Team - which we are promised in 48 hours.

Meanwhile on the order tracking screen our original order has disappeared.

Back to teh Call Centre who eventually were able to tell us that our original VOLxxx-xxxxxxxxxxx order has been replaced by a BTCAxxxxxxxx order. We cannot yet track that on the BT website.

Having to wait until mid-October for internet access is going to be really difficult for him academically and socially - especially when we ordered at the beginning of August.

Does anybody know if we've done all we can do - or if there are other escalation routes we can follow?

Thnak in advance for any help that can be given.

Not being available for the install date was the real problem, generally if an existing line has dial tone then it can be activated without an indoor visit, but always best to assume that they may want access.

Currently with the level of faults from weather, and copper thefts there is a backlog of work, hence long lead times. So short of paying for a business level of service you are down a long queue.

In the mean time get a 3G mobile connection with unlimited data, and for the academic stuff might just have to spend more time on campus.

Thanks for the response - here is an update.

After logging a complaint on the BT site I got a very prompt call back from a guy in BT who could not have been more helpful and assiduous - with the result that the engineer's visit was re-scheduled for am Monday 17/9. We got dialling tone immediately and by 14.00 that day we had email confirmation that the line was active.

However after 24 hours my ISP tells me that the number is still not showing up as a BT line on the system they use with Openreach.

I've checked again this morning on the BT website and this is still the case.

I can understand why these things may take an overnight batch to update - but given that we've now waited over two nights am I right in inferring that there is a continuing problem with this line which I may have to try again to escalate within BT/Openreach?

Again - any help on how these things work and can be rectified is much appreciated.

rgds

Have you checked the phone works, and the number? The Quiet Line Test tells you the number at the start, or calling a mobile that shows incoming call ID of course.

Thanks

Yes both 17070 and CLID return the number that we are seeking to enbale for broadband.

rgds

I thought it could take up to 5 working days for a new line to show up on the various broadband ordering systems.

What does the BT Wholesale checker say for the phone number? http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Teleph...

The BT Wholesale Broadband Avaialbility Checker says that this process 'usually' takes 24 hours. But that very occaisionally it fails. In which case it can takes weeks - presumably for their manual processes to catch up.

I suppose I'm asking for help on ways to accelerate/escalate this.

rgds

The BT checker says that

'there is no data avaialble fo this line.........If it is a new line.....' connection is usuallly within 24 hrs.

In reply to a post by woodlander:

Yes both 17070 and CLID return the number that we are seeking to enbale for broadband.

Ah . So you ordered a phone/broadband bundle.

(That's exactly the sort of typo I do several times per post, but usually pick up on preview).

Hi,

We ordered a phone line only.

The intention was to use one of the smaller ISPs (Clara, Xilo, Zen)

rgds

Read more slowly .

In which case your problem is normal.

While it the checker may update in 24 hours, there is no guarantee. Hence the availability of Simultaneous Provide, but too late for that anyway now.

Some people have had to wait several days for the checkers to update, and some smaller providers when talked to can push things through as a manual order (but much rarer in 2012 than it was in 2008)

Thanks for the info.

I assume 'Simultaneous Provide' is an industry term for the provision of a bundled phone/broadband service.

The implication seems to be that, had we gone down that route, we'd have avoided some of this difficulty.

If that is the case, does that put ISPs who don't offer bundles, and customers who choose not to take bundles, at a disadvantage?

I had thought that Openreach and BT Wholesale had an obligation not to discriminate beween ISPs.

rgds

Not totally true

Sim Provide does not just mean bundle with Same Provider.

You can have a BT telephone line rental and Zen broadband installed at the same time via Sim Provide. The orders are linked by a reference number.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/guide/migration.html#s... covers it a bit more.

Phone and broadband do not have to be from the same supplier when using Simultaneous Provide, but both do have to be BT Wholesale-based to allow them to link the orders.

Whether the phone/broadband suppliers offer or are capable of using Simultaneous Provide is another matter.