21cn just enabled but ADSL24 support say no!

Hi chaps,
There is a TLDR bit at the end!!
My exchange was due to go live for 21cn at the end of March to tie in with a FTTC date (cab enabled date is eo July*).
Anywho like many, I suspect, I have a daily ritual of checking Samknows and the BT Wholesale checker to check to see if the dates have slipped <again> of if anything else of interest suddenly appears...
Today the BT checker has changed from saying 21cn will be with me at the end of March, to that it is live NOW - Woohoo! Cue a check of Samknows; nothing has changed but no worries says I, as SK is not updated daily so prob wouldn't show this change straight away anyway. So I go onto the ADSL24 website and do an availability search, and now instead of a max of 8meg on the Home30 package it lists a max of 24meg.
Onto BT web checker and again it states that I can get BT Total Broadband with est speeds of 13meg.
Next step then is to contact ADSL24 (who I have been happy with for the past few years on the Entanet then the trial with the company whos name escapes me, then onto the MurphX product). So I call their sales number and wait 30 mins for an answer that never comes. So I try again later and wait another 15 mins and get nowhere. So when I get home I try again. Nothing. So I try the tech support line as that has always been answered speedily and provided excellent service. Two rings and I'm in.
So I enquirer about how to go about the 21cn regrade/upgrade, and after a moment of checking the guys says basically "huh... your exchange hasn't been upgraded and I don't see any upgrade date..."
So I go on to explain about the BT Wholesale checker and the ADSL24 checker saying that actually it is and he says according to his system it ain't!
All he could really offer was for me to check again in another month or so to see if there had been any change. Tbh this seemed a bit of a fob off (it was 5pm on a Friday afternoon after all so I cannot blame the guy!).

The TLDR bit
Background: BT Wholesale and ISP websites say 21cn is now live - ADSL24 support say it is not and they have no gl live date.
Q: Does this seem right to you lot. Is there indeed a big delay between BT Wholesale saying the exhange is enabled and the ISPs actually being able to action this. I would have thought that the ISPs had access to more up to date material than I have, and at least been able to tell me that yes, the exchange is live but it takes a few days for them to action it their end.

Thanks!

* There is no sign of any new cab yet and I'm beginning to get worried. My postcode (GL60BJ) is due on according to BTW and the PSP Dec checker. I live in a small town (~3000) so the rollout shoud not take long but am I right to expect it to be installed by now?

Good Morning,

All our checkers show 21CN is available on your exchange (Nailsworth) with estimated speeds between 12Mbps and 14Mbps at your postcode.

I'm not sure what checker the support guys are referencing upon because as you mention your exchange has been upgraded to 21CN so ADSL2+ is possible.

But, BT don't simply move all lines to 21CN when they upgrade the exchange, only new lines go on to it, so it doesn't really help us or any ISP.

BT give ISP's "allowances" in which over many months they are able to upgrade a small number of lines per exchange. Unfortunately this means that it can take anywhere from 1 to 12 months to actually move lines to the new equipment.

Of course, BT offer a way for ISP's to "expedite" a one-off upgrade ahead of their "scheduled batches", and charge for the priviledge, which is around £15 inc VAT.

So, basically there are two options. You can either wait until BT let us know we can upgrade lines at your exchange as part of an allocation, or you can pay the one-off expedite fee which we just pass on at cost to get upgraded ASAP, in which case if you raise a ticket with us we can get on to that for you.

Either way BT win, we and the customer have to pay.

Thanks

James

Edited by deleted (Sun 26-Feb-12 19:23:38)

I would expect that if and when your cabinet is live then an upgrade or migration to FTTC would work. Whether or not your line has been moved by then.

In reply to a post by Adsl24:

So, basically there are two options.

Three really. Customer can move ISPs where the line would automatically be placed on 21CN (ISP supporting it of course) and move for free (in most cases ISPs will swollow migration charge.

Thanks for your input everyone. To be honest I am quite disappointed with the need to to pay an additional fee to my ISP (whether it ends up in BTs pocket or otherwise), seemingly just because I am an existing customer. I know that I could wait for a few weeks and see if I am transferred over in one of the early batches but like many who post here I suspect suffer from techno-joy and the term waiting doesn't fall into my vocabulary! As such a move to a competitor of ADSL24 while the obvious choice - also offering a one month contract seems out of the question if I am expecting to be reassessing my ISP for FTTC in the upcoming months.
So alas is looks I will have to fork out for the upgrade. Ho hum then.

I'm in pretty much the same boat. 21cn was enabled early this month and we are due fibre later this year (could actually only be months away). I either pay £15 to force a regrade to 21cn or just wait. Difference is our area will be getting FTTP so I think I'm going to be fairly limited in my options for an ISP. From what I have seen so far BT Infinity pricing is going to be hard to resist (no matter how hard I try).

So my dilemma is do I bite the bullet now, move to BT to get the 21cn regrade free, on the assumption that I will in due course upgrade to BT's 100mb product, or sit tight and hope FTTP comes quickly, and that there are more ISPs offering it?

If we are charged by BT wholesale we have to pass that on at cost. We don't make any money from you upgrading, nor save any, so if you wish to be upgraded in an expedition fashioin BT do charge.

A reseller like ourselves only make £1-2 per month from the amount you pay us, so to give you a free upgrade for £15 wouuld take us 6-7 months just to break even again - it's not that we're being inconsiderate, just doing what we have to else we would be bankrupt!

Blame BT.

Hope that clarifies.