Outside box in wrong location

[Holiam2024]

My fibre installation was sub contracted to Circet via BY Openreach.  I was out at the time, but my wife knew exactly where we wanted the fibre to entre the house.  

Instead, Cirect rock up and convinces my wife it would be better installing into the kitchen (i.e. directly where the cable came out from the ground) which is at the furtherst point of the house where we would usually use WIFI.

She was told, if I was to run a 30ft cable around the side of your building it will likely have a serious impact on your speed and you don't want that.  He was in and out with 8 minutes.

I complained to BT,  Openreach a complaints number was generated then at some point in June I receive a text from a Circet rep manager sho said he was send out one of his engineers to look at in two day.  Two weeks, guy rocks up and says I am not allowed to touch the box ( even though they installed it) and said he's report back to Gavin his manager.  I tried call / text Gavin, messages were being read but nothing coming back.

A few month later I call Circet speak to a lovely lady who sais she would send out another enginner.  No one showed up.

I then try networkconnections at open reach and there recent repose was we don't do new installs and the work would be chargeable rate.  I now have Clive ***** email address and sent him an email.  I was going to leave this one for week before reaching out to Ofcom
I going to go mental on socials and trustpilot, but does anyone else have any other ides for me to get some form of traction on this - This has been appalling customer service

Thanks,

Holiam

[mod edit: employee details removed from the community]

[XRaySpeX]

OFCOM don't handle individual complaints. You can make a formal complaint to EE & if you don't get satisfaction after 8 weeks you can take it to EE's ADR provider. See Complaints code of practice and here is the Complaints Form .

[Leanne_T]

Hi there @Holiam2024 

I am really sorry this has happened when the box was installed and this has been placed in the wrong place. I can fully understand how frustrating this must be for you and can see you have mentioned this has been going on for a few months now. 

If you could complete the complaints form @XRaySpeX has provided it will be sent direct to the executive team to get looked into and one of the team will get in touch. 

Please let us know how you get on. 

Leanne. 

[JimM11]

@Holiam2024 Your complaint to BT, are you a BT or EE ISP user? OR will do nothing unless instructed by the actual ISP.

[Holiam2024]

@XRaySpeX @Leanne_T @JimM11 , I have put in a complaint with EEbut my story is a little more complicated and would ask your opinion on how best to proceed.
I originally ordered full fibre from Cuckoo and it was then that arrange for BT Open Reach to come out.  Unfortunately, even with the engineer on site, we could not get any live connection so I cancelled the contract with Cuckoo.  
I then went to EE and explained the situation and the c0ck-up with the install and was assured that when the new engineers come out, I could explain the situation and they would put it right.
 Unfortunately they didn't need to send out engineers and they were able to activate the line from the back end.
I will also add, I have had some correspondence back from ceo@openreach.co.uk which did state they were taking this matter very seriously but also that I should contact the ISP.  
Trouble is Cuckoo don't use BT anymore, they have switched to CityFibre. 

I was advised on devices to improve WIFI - so I had to provide a little more context to them in that I am a Cyber Security Consultant and my office is where all my computer are and they will all need to be plugged in to the router (all my hardware is ubiquity) and I also have two NAS drives that have a 10GB port than can connect to my 10GB port on my Mac, but the Nas drives will need to be plugged into the router also for me to achieve this.   

Trying to run this of WIFI is pointless

So I've raised the complaint with EE as they did promise that engineers would be coming out to do the install, but their form states it could take a week to get a response.  The BT OR contact seems to be very helpful and all I am asking is for them to send out an engineer to he can assess the issue and report back with the hope that an appointment is forthcoming to rectify the issue.  TBH the BY OR team who installed the fibre to the house (leaving sufficient extra cable for the next engineer to be able to place the ONT box into the office) were great, but their subcontracted engineer from Circet was dishonest to my wife, and workmanship was poor.  Damage to wall behind the outside box, and not even clearing up the mess from drilling in the kitchen - he clearly wanted in and out as quickly as possible as it just so happens the fibre was pulled out from the ground at the exact place he put the ONT box.
I reminded BT OR, which I thought their engineers did a great job, any other engineer they subcontract acts on behalf of BT, and in this case I was badly let down, and after two attempts tp get circet out, one chap did show up and said he need to speak to his boss to wotk out what to do and that was the last I heard from this company period.

So is there any merit after nearly 10 months complaining with Cuckoo, whose contract was terminated same day due to not being able to deliver a live signal?

This is so frustrating!  

[JimM11]

@Holiam2024 Since you are down the complaint route, better to leave EE to sort this all out for you now.

[Mustrum]

@Holiam2024  I can't see any benefit contacting Cuckoo.

But even with EE, Openreach are not obliged to deliver the fibre where you want it in your premises, they will always seek to install it as near the access point and close to two power sources as they can.  Tea/Coffee and chocky biscuits can help, as can pre prepared ducting and pull through cords - not being there to explain dows not.

Getting a signal around your premises is down to you. That can be via WiFi, or you can install a suitable ethernet cable to where you want the router to be.

Did you do any research about what Openreach could deliver and where before the instal? Your wife agreed the position with the installers so I really do not understand what you are now trying to achieve 10 month later.

[Holiam2024]

Are EE fairly reliable in this department.  I tried calling them last week and both their customer service telephone number and their chat box stated a 6 hour wait - is this normal? or is there a best time or secret number that gets your through quicker 🙂

[Holiam2024]

I don't agree Mustrum, and yes I did do my research as I think I explained previously, when BT OR spent the best part of 5 hours lifting up a paved private area on a cold wet day, I didn't know at that point where the cable was going to come out.  When this became apparent, he said there would be no problem tacking in 30 feet or so and left sufficient fibre wrapped on a cylinder device for that very reason.

I have some flats across the street from where I live, and I can see the cable crossing 50 - 60 feet across the front of some of them to get to the write flat & room.  Is your suggestion is they would just bung it in on the nearest ground floor flat and tell all the residents to grab some cat 6 cable and finish the themselves?

Or what about if the nearest room to the fibre outlet was your bathroom - would you be ok with the ONT being fitted there?

I've had many installs done in the past and if it was BT OR who came to do the ONT then we would not be having this discussion.  I've never had an issue with any previous installs, requesting where I want to cable to enter (perhaps I''ve been lucky) but even ceo@BTopenreach aggrees with me and it should have been fitted at the agreed destination.  I've also had this confirmed from a couple of BT OR chaps that were working on a neighbours property.

Perhaps different process where you live

[JimM11]

@Holiam2024 Think this more about you being there to instruct or cancel the job at the point of installation when/if agreement could not be reached with the installation team/contractors to OR.