How to speak to Openreach?

[dujas]

Does anyone have any experience of how to get some time with an Openreach representative to discuss possible routes for a new telephone line into a property?

The property in question is being renovated and one of the major headaches which I'll eventually have to deal with, is that in its 150+ year life, there's never been a phone line. The property is, along with a cluster of around 10 other properties, in the middle of nowhere. I've received a quote of £7k from Openreach via BT retail, but the route they want to take is going to be so long that broadband speeds are likely to be poor.

There is a much more direct alternative (could knock a kilometre+ off the line length), which the surveyor didn't like, because it would involve coming across a few metres of private land, although the owner has subsequently seemed quite open to coming to some form of agreement. Cost isn't the issue, however I can't bounce these ideas off Openreach, I can only speak to call centres for BT retail et al who are proving frustrating at say the least 

[Sebby]

That's a difficult one. Unless someone knows, it might be worth having a word with IDNet to see what they suggest.

[trophymick]

You'll find BT like to run their lines/poles along the side of the road, mainly for access reasons, the electricity company take (on the whole) the shortest route. A house up the road from me was quoted something like £1,000 per pole (rumoured it was to cost £15,000)  they had the work done and sold the house, but no doubt it improved the value of it.

[Rik]

Essentially, Dujas, you're not their customer, so Openreach won't speak to you.

[glen]

Does anyone have any experience of how to get some time with an Openreach representative to discuss possible routes for a new telephone line into a property?

The property in question is being renovated and one of the major headaches which I'll eventually have to deal with, is that in its 150+ year life, there's never been a phone line. The property is, along with a cluster of around 10 other properties, in the middle of nowhere. I've received a quote of £7k from Openreach via BT retail, but the route they want to take is going to be so long that broadband speeds are likely to be poor.

There is a much more direct alternative (could knock a kilometre+ off the line length), which the surveyor didn't like, because it would involve coming across a few metres of private land, although the owner has subsequently seemed quite open to coming to some form of agreement. Cost isn't the issue, however I can't bounce these ideas off Openreach, I can only speak to call centres for BT retail et al who are proving frustrating at say the least 

Go satellite

[dujas]

The increased latency of alternatives like 3G and satellite meant I discounted them, guess the best I could hope for would be to request a thicker/higher grade copper core wire in order to boost the ADSL signal.

[Rik]

How much are you willing to pay? BT will do the work if you are prepared to meet their charges.

[Lance]

I would be asking for fibre myself if it is a new line!

[JNeuhoff]

I would be asking for fibre myself if it is a new line!

BT doesn't think like a business, they don't have the flexibility to implement new solutions.

[jameshurrell]

You might want to try asking this question on thinkbroadband.com as well... there is a forum there called "BTwholesale ADSL Implementation"... there are a lot of knowledgeable people in there, some working for BT and some with "insider" knowledge.

Might be worth a try.

EDIT: I sympathise with you though.  Over the last couple of years af friend of mine has been temporarily living in a static caravan in his garden while he demolished and rebuilt his house (it was a very nasty 60's bungalow that was basically rotten). When he moved into the caravan he moved the line to the caravan himself. For the new house he dug a new amoured cable into the ground to the BT pole in his garden, ready for it to be eventually hooked up. But can he get BT to understand what he wants to do? First call was to a call centre and the guy didn't even know what a caravan was. Second call resulted in a polite lady who tried to help, but because there was no specific "section" in the computer for this sort of thing she tried to put the order through but got thoroughly confused when asking for the addresses of where the line was and where it was going to (the same address!!). End result was an automated message 48 hrs later on his mobile informing him that his line had been successfully moved from Address 1 to Address 1, with no work having been done at all. He has requested an engineer come out so that he can see what needs doing, but even that is proving tricky to get.

[dujas]

He needs a survey doing, but I think that only triggers on BT's system when no nearby line is available. It seems the £125 they charge to provide a new telephone line covers up to £3k worth of parts/labour. If the job would cost more then you have to pay the full amount plus the £125 of course

[dujas]

As a follow-up, the solution is to by luck get a better surveyor. The new guy was extremely helpful in explaining the process and how they determine the overall cost. He spent several hours exploring four possible routes; his office colleague then picked whichever worked out to be the cheapest. In the end the new route is much shorter, so the amount I have to pay has more than halved since the original quote.

Also to correct myself, the USO is £3400 excluding VAT. BT have to pay this to cover any costs necessary, when providing a new line to a property (only applies to the first). Anything over that amount the customer has to pay as an "excess construction charge".

[Rik]

Thanks for that. As with so many things, who you get on your case can make a big difference.