BT - How do I get round this?
 

I am moving 100 miles away in a couple of weeks to a cottage that is currently empty. It has a phone line but owners cancelled their BT contract and so there is no working phone there at present.

I phoned BT and asked for a new number. They want £130 for an engineer's visit to "check the socket etc". I also need to be there to let them in.

I said I thought socket was fine and said I thought they just need to input something at the Exchange which might take a minute.

So any BT engineers here who can tell me what I get for £130?

David

Unrelenting ball ache every time you have to pick up the phone to the worst company for customer service since the SS?

Well ... you get to pay your share for the fixed fee installation of a telephone line. If you lived in the middle of no-where with no telephone lines, you also pay £130.

Steve

But the line's already there which, presumably, has been paid for by someone else in the past?? Why should it have to be paid for again? Or have I misunderstood your post?

d

If I was paying the same charge as a new line I'd be ensuring that I get a new socket at least and if it didn't cause disruption elsewhere a new line through the house.

Unless you have voltage going to the phone socket they would have disconnected the line on the main distribution frame so that needs rejumpering, only a BT engineer would be able to do that for you as they have access to the exchange.... they may also have to add some data to the exchange to connect you up again, really hard :lol1: so for 130 quid you get an engineer for an hour, him checking your line from the box to the house, jumpering 2 wires on a frame and someone else adding about 2 lines of data, sorted :D

Tony:)

Thank you Mr Burns

But why does he need to have to enter property if that is all re-connected outside (meaning a 200 mile trip for me).

:) dl

BT cover everything from the master socket in the house back to the exchange, so any issues there they will fix, any internal wiring issues you fix or they can do it but charge you for it, so they need access to test from the master socket all the way back to the exchange... bit of a pain if your 200 miles away :(

Tony:)

Yeah, bit of a ball ache indeed, had a similar situation when we moved.

That was a while ago and was a little less than £130 though, £120?.

Even so, the chap came out and checked the master socket (and extensions as well although not his job) and although working declared the whole lot unsuitable. And the wall fixing outside was hanging off and the line to the pole was damaged by overgrown trees.

So he replaced everything including the line to the pole.

I, in passing, said we will probably have a second line installed in the near future for my work and he said "It'll probably be me doing it, so I'll do it now" and off he went and put in all the physical sockets, and wires for that too.

He was with us most of the day and got two other chaps in to run the lines to the pole and to clear the overgrown trees.

I thought it was excellent value for money...

Cheers

Ian

I had to pay £120 a couple of years back for the same thing. Thing that got me was that i had just moved into a house which had just finished being built. I never even clapped eyes on the engineer :(

I detest BT with a passion, and their customer service is the pits...but their engineers are great guys. Being in the middle of nowhere myself problems with our ISDN and ADSL lines can happen fairly frequently but every engineer we've had out here has been brilliant and I have nothing but praise for them. Keeping them filled up with tea. coffee, and snacks, helps too.

Most of them are pretty fair, so it is probably worth the money. Also, if you don't pay it you won't get a line, so you kinda have to anyway. Don't take it out on the engineer - he could end up being a regular visitor so you'll want him on your side.

I got Sky installed a few weeks back, needed a BT socket for the phone etc. When I moved in a year ago I removed the BT socket from the wall, pulled out all of the cable.

Sky sent an BT Open Reach engineer out who installed a brand new line from somewhere outside and new socket in a location of my choice - for nothing. I was a little worried I would have to pay for it and began regretting my brash decision to rip out the old line but it turned out ok.

So just get Sky installed and they will do it for free.

Post Office do it free, I was told, and you're only tied in with them for a month.

I was onto BT the other week, doing exactly what you're doing. I was quoted 130 quid installation, same as you.

The next question he asked was whether I was interested in BT vision. I replied verhermantly in the negative and went off on one about how I'd been stitched up by them after they sold it too me when there was no chance of it working and how I'd not been credited back the money i was owed (which was true).

He then went very apologetic and gave me the installation for free. not that I'd advocate you sounding off about fictional problems to get a discount or anything....
astraboy.

They did the same to me when I moved here. Engineer did turn up, thanked me for the coffee, appologise for BT raping me of £120 for the pleasure, when all they needed to do was flick a switch at the exchange.

;)

That's what concerns me. I don't mind at all for paying if some actual work is required. Guess I won't know till it's done ;)

I can't afford a day off to travel to let the guy in so may have to leave it till we've actually moved. But I do need a phone but I believe it is possible to re-direct a land line number to a mobile? Is this correct? I hate mobiles but I have got some somewhere so may have to try this.

Agree BT engineers are general nice guys and, in my experience, spend most of their time moaning about BT :D

BT told me 30 hours ago that they would be in touch within 24 hours. Guess what :Suspiciou

David