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Internet => General Internet => Topic started by: jeffbb on October 30, 2009, 06:49:25 PM

Title: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: jeffbb on October 30, 2009, 06:49:25 PM
Hi
Not sure where to post  this ?? :-[
Watch out don't report faults you notice on bt equipment could cost you .BT are charging people for work on outside wiring . May even have the bailiffs called in.

Some BT customers are paying their bills and also being charged for line maintenance work.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/10/bt.html

Regards Jeff
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: UncleUB on October 30, 2009, 06:54:33 PM
Disgraceful.   >:(
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: silversurfer44 on October 31, 2009, 12:22:20 PM
They really are trying it on aren't they >:(
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: BritBrat on October 31, 2009, 12:32:20 PM
They have been trying that on for ages.

Before you phone:

Disconnect all telcome devices.

Buy a cheap new phone from ARGOS or use a known good working one.

Open up the NTE box and plug the new phone into the internal socket and test.

Still faulty? get an hair dryer and dry out the NTE box to make sure that it is not damp.

Leave the cover off overnight and check for damp.

Still faulty phone BT.

Do not admit to anything to the enginner.

Make notes on what he tells you.

Look at what he does to get it working.

Wait for large bill and argument that you will win. :)
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: jeffbb on October 31, 2009, 07:22:10 PM
Hi
@BritBat : the point of the program was that it was external line repairs that were charged for !!! >:(

On a couple of the examples ,the people concerned actually reported the external problem ,then got charged . I think that if you have a fault then do checks as per BritBat list ,then contact BT  .

If you see that the outside line is down,damaged , the pole is down or the exchange is on fire DON'T mention it you could be billed for the repairs .

Regards Jeff
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: BritBrat on October 31, 2009, 07:43:39 PM
I did know that but with BT it does not matter as they make something up and have been doing so for well over a year.

One favourite is damp in the NTE box and that was why the air dryer and make sure it is dry.

I wonder what would happen if Open Reach went bust?

I think they should nationalise it myself as there is no competition.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: silversurfer44 on November 01, 2009, 08:21:22 AM
Quote
I think they should nationalise it myself as there is no competition.
In my opinion it should have never been turned over to the private sector.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: BritBrat on November 01, 2009, 08:49:08 AM
Not to mention we will be paying them 50 pence a month to fund their infastuture upgrades.

Broadband tax (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8270772.stm)
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: Tirion on November 23, 2009, 04:43:27 PM
We actually have a guy that spends most of his day going through BT bills and claiming back charges that have been raised incorrectly or without proper justification. He sits opposite me, and tends to swear regularly ;)

As far as my knowledge of the contracts goes, BT are responsible for any and all faults from the exchange to the NTE Test Socket.  I had it confirmed to me only last week that BT are not obliged to accept responsibility for faults with NTE Faceplates, even if BT supplied it in the first place.

The caveat being, if you broke it you pay for it.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: mr_chris on November 24, 2009, 03:28:23 PM
As far as my knowledge of the contracts goes, BT are responsible for any and all faults from the exchange to the NTE Test Socket.  I had it confirmed to me only last week that BT are not obliged to accept responsibility for faults with NTE Faceplates, even if BT supplied it in the first place.

The caveat being, if you broke it you pay for it.

That's my understanding too, which I believe is correct. If it worked like that, then that's fair enough.

If they are regularly trying it on with customers, it must be beneficial for them to do so - which must mean that the number of people who simply pay these charges without question, must far outweigh those who claim it back. The good thing is that there is a lot more public awareness in general about issues like this, so more people will check their bills and question anything out of the ordinary.

All it's doing is making us suspicious by default - guilty until proven innocent rather than the other way round, and it's not a good direction to be heading. Hopefully some miracle of sense will prevail.

Guy Fawkes had the right idea... he identified the root cause and tried to make them into human fireworks, but it wasn't to be. Who knows how things would have turned out... lol ;)
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: sevenlayermuddle on November 24, 2009, 11:42:57 PM
It sound to be like maybe Watchdog have confused two issues...  one is fault repair costs, and the other is damage to BT equipment.

An example of the latter is where you have a tree in your garden which grows into, and damages, overhead wires belonging to BT.  They will then pursue you for the costs of repairs.  And that would happen regardless  of whether you reported it as a line fault or, indeed, regardless of whether it even affected your line.  Even if it's your neighbour's line, if your tree caused the damage (or your ladder, or your paintbrush or whatever) then you'd have to pay for the repairs.

I suspect it's damage to wires that these BT's charges may have been about (WD did mention that, but quickly swept over it), so it may have nothing at all to do with the NTE boundary of responsibility.  It would then appear that, if things happened as reported,  BT still behaved wrongly so there actually was some good broadcast material to be had.  But that would mean that  Watchdog had completely missed the point of it all.

I don't know about anybody else, but I'm getting the feeling this latest series of WD has maybe seen much intervention by the Beeb's all powerful 'dumbing-down' committee. :(
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: Ezzer on December 02, 2009, 12:43:04 PM
just to clarifi that last point. 2 or 3rd party damage to bt plant within the end users curtlage is chargeable to the service provider from the point of view of bt wholesale. then it's up to the service provider if the cost is passed on to the end user.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: sevenlayermuddle on December 03, 2009, 11:55:33 AM
Thanks for that clarification Ezzer.

I used to worry as I had a BT pole in my garden (was there when I moved in), with wires that fed neighbouring properties.  I also had trees growing into the overhead wires, which is why I was worried.

The pole's not there any more though.  When I asked for a copy of the wayleave agreement they were unable to find it, so I was able to get the pole removed.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: Azzaka on January 25, 2010, 03:34:06 PM
OR came out to move my drop wire as per the councils request due to scaffolding going up. The engineer broke my dropwire and when i called to have it fixed Iwas told that I would have to pay £127.99 for the privilage. I work for an ISP but as this was the voice that was broken I needed to go through BTR.

I told the guy on the phone that I did not feel it was right and he said and I quote 'if moving the wire was the cause of it breaking, then you are liable as you, or someone else such as the council requested it to be moved. Therefore you will need to pass the bill onto them.'

I then reiterated that the engineer broke it and he didnt care. Again he said that as it was moved becuase of the scaffolding then we would need to pay for it.

Complete crap if you ask me.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: BritBrat on January 25, 2010, 03:48:37 PM
I agree total crap.

So if I came to your place of work and burnt out the servers because I connected it to a three phase supply that would be Zens fault as they called me in to replace the single phase supply.

Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: roseway on January 25, 2010, 03:55:29 PM
I can't see that such a charge could possibly be justified. OR were employed to do a job and messed it up, so the responsibility is theirs.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: sevenlayermuddle on January 26, 2010, 11:42:41 PM
I suppose OR could argue that they were employed to do a job that only needed doing because their employer (Azaka or the Council) requested it, then the job went wrong, so their employer (Azzaka or the Council) should take responsibility, unless any negligence can be proven against OR.  Just as I could probably sue my employer if he asked me to lift a heavy object and, in the process, injured myself.

But regardless of any theoretical legal merit, that would be such an obvious flouting of the rules of common sense and decency that OR would never stoop so low.  Or would they? :'( 

Surely this is a bit like the scenario where we shouldn't 'employ' uninsured cowboy tradesmen to do work on houses/gardens, because, we as their employers, could be liable for any mis-haps.  Are OR now adopting the rules of uninsured cowboy tradesmen?

I once employed a respectable, insured, builder, who accidentally dug through a gas mains.  His insurer covered the repairs without any hesitation at all.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: Azzaka on March 15, 2010, 10:37:01 AM
I Agree with your point seven, however 'we' have to employ BT OR to do the job as no one else is allowed to do it legally. As it stands the job was not done properly and when the engineer came to check it he fitted a new cap on the cable and recrimped the connections.

I now have my faull 8mb back for the frist time in 3yrs. The engineer who did it originally came back and appologised. He said that it is his responisbilty and he will make sure it is not charged to me at all.

OR did the right thing in the end.

Azzaka
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: jeffbb on March 15, 2010, 10:50:58 PM
all's well that ends well  :)
regards Jeff
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: sevenlayermuddle on March 16, 2010, 12:06:59 AM
The engineer who did it originally came back and appologised. He said that it is his responisbilty and he will make sure it is not charged to me at all.

OR did the right thing in the end.

I've said elsewhere maybe I've just been lucky but, at an individual level, every person I've ever met from any part of the BT organisation  have been 'salts of the earth', eager to do a good job, and eager to please the customer too.  At a corporate level (by which I include the anonymous voice in a scripted call-centre), they sometimes seem intent on undoing all the good work of their loyal employees.

Anyway, glad to hear it had a happy ending, and full marks that OR engineer for owning up to it, I just hope BT management respect him for it too.
Title: Re: BT charging for work on other side of NTE
Post by: BritBrat on March 16, 2010, 08:54:04 AM
I Agree with your point seven, however 'we' have to employ BT OR to do the job as no one else is allowed to do it legally. As it stands the job was not done properly and when the engineer came to check it he fitted a new cap on the cable and recrimped the connections.

Azzaka

That is why I think it should be publicly owned and would fit in with digital Brittan and improving the broadband network.

I read the other day Virgin are trialing fibre using telephone poles to route the cables.

Quote
LONDON, March 12, 2010 – The United Kingdom’s largest cable operator, Virgin Media, has started a six-month trial of broadband services delivered by fiber attached to overhead telephone poles installed almost a century ago

http://broadbandbreakfast.com/2010/03/u-k-cable-firm-tests-broadband-via-telephone-poles