topic My EE Fibre installation hell in Broadband & Landline

My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:38:12 GMT

I am at the absolute end of my tether. It’s mostly Openreach’s fault by EE aren’t covering themselves in glory either.

Fibre came to my area and it was able to be ordered in August. I was delighted and I did so. Step 1 was due for mid August and the final install for 5th of September. Openreach did not turn up despite texting saying it was all on, for both parts.

I raised it with EE and it was passed to the mysterious Customer Assist Team, whom, 6 months on, I have never, ever heard a word from.

I have called EE 30 times over the 6 month period. Every new deadline was missed, every single time, with no communication. The blame was squarely on Openreach, the just couldn’t be bother to come and do the Step 1 which was a soft dig across my grass to put in ducting from a junction box outside my front fence.

Eventually in January there were signs they had been in my garden. I eventually found where they had put the outside box, in a ludicrous location, but at least we had progress.

Engineer came on the 28th of Jan to complete the install, but it failed because the fibre in the ground was damaged. It was damaged because they hadn’t bothered to use ducting, just dug up my grass a bit and chucked the fibre cable in the ground.

It was then to be resolved by the 8th of Feb. Nothing. Not a word and no sign of anyone.

I phone EE now and they say I’ll get a call back by 7pm - no call. Then they say it will be within 24 hours. No call.

Apparently the “civils teams are busy”. I bet they are but they can come off what they are doing and come and fix this surely given how long it’s been and what a mess they’ve made of this.

EE won’t even give me a 5G router in the meantime. I despair.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

Mustrum — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 18:46:47 GMT

@martinmcd21 from what you say I am a little surprised you were able to get an order placed. It does not sound like a simple straight forward install, whereas Openreach would normally get the easy ones done first before tackling anything a bit more challenging.

Are you able to post the results of the BTW DSL Checker using your landline number, but making sure it is hidden when you post? https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:04:44 GMT

All of my neighbours now have fibre. When we built our house 6 years ago we put in ducting but never bothered actually ordering a landline. That’s the only difference. Openreach say it is straightforward, they just “can’t spare” a civils team to come and do a 2 hour job across soft ground.

When fibre was being planned for the area I phoned everyone. BT, Openreach, you name it. I asked if I should order a landline to make fibre installation easier when it came. I was told by everyone, no, no need, we’ll come across your garden, we have much more complex jobs.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

Mustrum — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:31:55 GMT

Did you not let Openreach installers know about the ducting?

Were you not there when they laid the fibre and outside box?

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:34:28 GMT

I certainly did. I even showed them the other end under my floor on my house. They said they couldn’t find the other end and would just “knife” across the grass. Then when they came back to do it I was out despite saying they would let me know when they were coming.

And when they did, the just shoved the cable in the ground with no ducting. And are now posted missing after being missing for 5 months previously.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

pip11 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 19:42:20 GMT

Please post the info requested if you wish assistance. Also include the notes at the bottom of the table.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 20:48:07 GMT

Did you miss the piece where I said I did not have a landline?

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

XRaySpeX — Thu, 09 Feb 2023 21:01:39 GMT

Then use the Address Checker on the link @Mustrum posted.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 07:41:31 GMT

It requires a landline number.
I sense hostility.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 09:34:26 GMT

I see the address checker now. It was not obvious.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

XRaySpeX — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 11:57:56 GMT

Thanks. We need the right-hand side of that table as well.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

Mustrum — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 14:00:43 GMT

@martinmcd21 From the bit of the checker you have posted I there may be a bit of a mix up with Openreach records - it mentions a congested duct and that an ONT already exists.

Not sure, without the help of care team rep who understands the issue how you could get round this.

Hope you can get it sorted soon though.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 22:30:03 GMT

The comment about a blocked duct is BS. They put cable from the junction box to my house by putting fibre cable in the ground with no duct at all. this was confirmed by the engineer who was then unable to complete the install. Said it was a new thing that step 1 install teams had been told to try and that it was obviously failing.

The only ONT is the one they installed on the side of my house along with the failed cable.

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

Mustrum — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 23:11:58 GMT

@martinmcd21 The ONT is a box inside the property, not on the outside. it also says it has a spare port. From your description earlier you said there is an outside box/connection. Also more recent ONT’s only have one port - and with the ducting blockage statement - confirming my suspicion that the Openreach records are wrong

Re: My EE Fibre installation hell

martinmcd21 — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 11:26:09 GMT

My apologies on the terminology. The ONT is inside my property because the engineer came to complete the install and got as far as finally trying to connect everything. It was only then that he discovered the cable chucked in the ground was damaged as it had no signal. He checked back to the junction box and everything was fine at that end.

I have no doubt that the Openreach records are deliberately wrong. They likely did not want to put in record that they had chucked cable in the ground with no ducting, hence the “congested duct” euphemism.