|
||||||||
BT Openreach Charges |
![]() |
|
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
|
|
#1 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Just about there
Posts: 24
|
BT Openreach Charges
Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on dealing with BT Openreach.
We're currently having an extension done on our house, the builder has said that the BT landline for our neighbours house passes across our front garden and will be in the way when they're putting the scaffolding up. I called BT, who passed me onto BT Openreach. They told me I had to pay £200 and someone would come out and arrange for the cable to be moved. They said the £200 would be taken off any costs involved. Money paid and two months of chasing finally got someone out last Thursday. The guy arrives a little late and within a five minute conversation confirms the job is simple, move the cable from the pilon outside our house to the pilon across the street. He then says he'll email a quote, I say we've paid £200 already and his reply was that the £200 covered his visit... the whole conversation was over in 5 minutes ! They've now emailed the quote at £631, on top of the original £200. I'm wondering whether anyone can confirm this is reasonable for the work required, or whether we should complain. Also, has anyone had any complaints with BT Openreach before ? I'm guessing we don't have much choice but to pay and get the job arranged, then maybe complain about the costs afterwards. Apologies for the wall of text, any input is greatly received. |
|
|
|
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
|
|
|
#2 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Reading
Posts: 27,884
|
Well on the basis that only BT Openreach can legally do the work you don't have too many options. And this is one of the vvery few times Openreach deal with end users directly. Usiually they only deal with telecoms service providers.
There is some limited info on the Openreach website http://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home...homeandwork.do Though it seems that if you want to query a charge you have to write to them! |
|
|
|
|
|
#3 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Just about there
Posts: 24
|
Thanks chrisjr. That was about the limit of my findings so far, looks like they get to charge what they like.
Due to the speed of the building works being completed it looks like we'll have to go with it and complain after the event. And I'd suggest they hold all of the cards, you either agree and they do the work or you don't, and they don't. Was holding out hope for an Openreach employee being here somewhere, but DigiSpy isn't the telecoms site it was 10 years ago. Thanks again. |
|
|
|
|
#4 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 622
|
On the face of it, that quote sounds ridiculously expensive, especially since you've stated the engineer confirmed it to be a very simple job. I'd ask them for a breakdown of their costings.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#5 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Just about there
Posts: 24
|
Hi iiyama17,
That's what I'm thinking... I have to email the tech to confirm I want the work to be completed. I figure we don't have much choice, but we can ask them for a breakdown in the costs. Having got home now my wife has reminded me that the women we spoke to originally said that the £200 upfront cost would cover the work unless it was a complicated job. Seeing as his words were it was simple we're a little surprised by the extra expense. |
|
|
|
|
#6 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Just about there
Posts: 24
|
Having read through the details properly, rather than on my mobile, it would appear I was slightly mistaken. The £631 fee does include the £200 we've already paid, so it's a remainder of £431 to cover the costs of the work required.
£431 for one or two techs to move the cable doesn't sound too bad to me. I'm just a little miffed at the £200 for the 5 minute site visit. I wasn't able to call BT Openreach yesterday, but will do this afternoon to query the £200. If anything changes I'll make sure to add a comment here for anyone to find in the future. Otherwise it looks like we have little choice but to pay and get the cable moved. It's almost a shame my neighbours arn't with VirginMedia, then we could have just removed the cable ourselves ![]() Thanks for the replies. |
|
|
|
|
#7 |
|
Guest
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,720
|
This all sounds very unusual. I work for Openreach and we often have to move overhead cables due to building work. The jobs get raised by the service provider for a shift of overhead service and either has a fixed cost or is charged by the hour. You would have been better just telling the builders to cut the cable when they reached it and then you would have been billed for a couple of hours work at the most, although your neighbour might not have been too pleased
|
|
|
|
|
|
#8 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Just about there
Posts: 24
|
Hi Dave3622,
I did wonder about just telling the builders to do that, we get on very well with our neighbour, and her family. The problem is that she is elderly and the phone is used for a fall alarm, so we didn't want to take the risk. The whole farce has got worse though. We paid the invoices at the time and we received receipts confirming payment. We haven't heard from them since. I called them on Wednesday (yesterday) and the women in the office said the job had been closed ! I checked while on the phone to her, the cable is very definitely still there. The women was very apologetic and said she'd get the tech manager to call me, so far no phone call. If you have any contacts in the Colchester office maybe you could find out if anyone there knows what's happening ! Thanks. |
|
|
|
|
#9 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 233
|
BT PASSED YOU THROUGH TO OPENREACH??
IF THIS IS TRUE. You have to complain, they should have arranged this all for you. |
|
|
|
|
|
#10 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,436
|
The OP should invite BT to apply for a wayleave to run his neighbour's line across his property !
He could set the fee as a one-off payment of £631.
|
|
|
|
|
|
#11 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 5,187
|
Quote:
The OP should invite BT to apply for a wayleave to run his neighbour's line across his property !
He could set the fee as a one-off payment of £631. ![]() ![]() Unfortunately they don't need a wayleave for aerial wires, provided they are 3m or more above gound and they don't need to enter the property to put them up. |
|
|
|
|
|
#12 |
|
Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2000
Posts: 4,807
|
Quote:
BT PASSED YOU THROUGH TO OPENREACH??
IF THIS IS TRUE. You have to complain, they should have arranged this all for you. |
|
|
|
![]() |
|
All times are GMT. The time now is 07:59.



