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[jeffers]

I'm hoping someone can help or at least provide some suggestions here, I've had some massive issues with what I thought would be a simple change of ISP. To cut a 4 month story somewhat shorter..

- been on FTTC for years with a few different ISPs (plusnet until recently)
- get to the usual end of contract price increase and found a cheaper option elsewhere (nowtv broadband)
- ordered with nowtv and migration date was shortly before christmas
- line went active as planned, changed broadband settings on my router and all working with decent speed
- had an email to say the order had NOT completed properly on openreaches side and they had to cancel it and place a new order (disconnecting me in the process)
- same problem on the second order, it didnt complete on the openreach systems and went into a place new order, delay, cancel, reorder for weeks.
- ended up with a new phone number with a line that nowtv (sky) werent entirely sure was theirs
- eventually gave up with nowtv's poor customer service and headed back to plusnet (now middle of February)
- first order had issues because the line was still associated with nowtv
- give up and order a NEW phone line, getting fed up of the order/reorder roundabout. Given engineer appointment
- a week before the scheduled appointment a random openreach engineer knocks on the door checking hes found the right house. Apparently theres both a technical fault on the line and a mismatch in address/cabinet. He sorts it all out and apparently updates the openreach systems. He cannot complete the order but the guy coming the following week will.
- no engineer arrives to the scheduled appointment.
- still some confusion around my address. plusnet cancelled and placed another order
- today plusnet call me to say theres no capacity at my cab and close my account

I've send openreach a message via their website but I really dont hold much hope. I find it hard the believe that my cabinet is at capacity, its not a hugely densely populated area (small Welsh town with no blocks of flats etc) and I get the sense that I'm being fobbed off because the orders keep failing. What else can I do? I work from home and have been struggling on tethered mobile hotspot using 4g, which varies from ok to unusable pretty frequently. If there's any openreach engineers on here, is there any way to check my cabinet? (SWPP, cab 19)


Any suggestions?

[meritez]

https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=1064198&cabinets=13990

Welcome to kitz forum

Am I in the right location, cabinet 19 in Pontypool?

[jelv]

548 properties passed - it could be full.

First address I tried on a postcode near the cabinet shows FTTP available - what does https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL say is available?

[burakkucat]

Any suggestions?

Reading through your list of events regarding the migration, the first apparent problem was with Openreach. Therefore my suggestion is that you document the events, fully, in chronological order and send it as an e-mail message to clive.selly@openreach.co.uk

[jeffers]

Thanks for the replies. Yes it's on the Pontypool exchange and fttc is available according to the bt wholesale site although my understanding is that this doesn't show capacity problems (is this correct?). I'll give openreach a few days to reply to my email before trying the CEOs email address.

[j0hn]

It does indeed show capacity issues.

An address check on the BT Wholesale checker should show "Waiting List" instead of "Available" if the cabinet is at capacity.

Occasionally it will show "available" by mistake as the system thinks there are free ports but said ports are faulty.

Cabinet capacity issues have never been as bad as they are at the moment.
The work from home increase due to the pandemic has caused record numbers of cabinets to become full.
Many of the cabinets that are full are getting no capacity upgrades with Openreach hoping that the take up of FTTP will take some pressure off the cabinets.
So much so that some providers who used to use the waiting list have stopped placing orders on the waiting list as the majority simply time out (orders only stay on the waiting list for 3 months then get automatically cancelled).

[jeffers]

548 properties passed - it could be full.

First address I tried on a postcode near the cabinet shows FTTP available - what does https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL say is available?

Sorry just reread your comment, sadly no fttp available to my knowledge. Are you looking at cab 19 of the Pontypool exchange?

[gt94sss2]

Cabinet capacity issues have never been as bad as they are at the moment.
The work from home increase due to the pandemic has caused record numbers of cabinets to become full.
Many of the cabinets that are full are getting no capacity upgrades with Openreach hoping that the take up of FTTP will take some pressure off the cabinets.

I wonder if Openreach are 'reallocating' FTTC line cards from areas which now have FTTP rolled out to non FTTP areas.

Of course, even having FTTP available doesn't mean that you can't suffer from capacity issues: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2021/04/openreach-update-on-solutions-for-uk-fttp-pole-capacity-issues.html

[meritez]

Sorry just reread your comment, sadly no fttp available to my knowledge. Are you looking at cab 19 of the Pontypool exchange?

The telecoms tariff website states eci cabinet, installed 2014, expanded 2020, fttp available since 2014, and 548 properties served by this cabinet.

If you go to http://bidb.msh100.uk provided by msh from ISP review forums, and enter your number and postcode does FTTP show available?

[jeffers]

The telecoms tariff website states eci cabinet, installed 2014, expanded 2020, fttp available since 2014, and 548 properties served by this cabinet.

If you go to http://bidb.msh100.uk provided by msh from ISP review forums, and enter your number and postcode does FTTP show available?

Nope, no fttp, as I expected.

So if the bt wholesale checker shows fttc availablity then it's likely that there is capacity available. I guess there's not much to do but wait for a reply to my openreach enquiry, or to email the CEO

[j0hn]

A standard enquiry can take weeks to get a response. I'd recommend jumping straight to emailing big Clive for something like this.
He often replies himself, if not his High Level Complaints team will be on it in no time.

If Openreach rejected your Plusnet order saying there's no capacity then it sounds like the cabinet is indeed full and someone got your port in the mix up.
As I said above the Wholesale checker can be wrong if there are a bunch of faulty ports in the cabinet.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I'd definitely e-mail the CEO, its likely the only way you will at least get an explanation of what is going on.  Unfortunately if the cabinet IS full, I'm not sure they can/will do anything about it.  I suppose faulty line cards could be replaced, assuming they have any stock.

[jeffers]

Thanks all, I have send Clive an email. I really hope they can do something - I work from home and 4g just isnt reliable

[jelv]

Could you post a screen shot of what https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL gives for your phone number (with your number blanked out) please.

[jeffers]

Had to do it for my address (everything has been disconnected so I have no phone number at the moment)