update to my telephone connection problem, massive bill :(

[technium]

Well the guy came out and fixed the socket connection your all talking about and was here about 15 minutes just doing a new connection, never changed wire back to telegraph pole or anything. Now ive just received my phone bill with a charge of £184!!!!

I called BT and they said its our fault because of a leaking flat roof and damp in the porch.

I told them the equipment is old but theyve now said they will escalate it but I probably will still have to pay the full £184. At no point was I told about how much it would be or anything and if I had I wouldnt have had it repaired, I would have phoned a local guy to do it cheaper than BT.

Anyone know if I have any chance of getting out of this extortionate cost?

 

[masona]

Didn't you ask for a quotation over the phone?

 

[technium]

Nope never asked for anything, just told them I have a fault with the line, they came back and said their tests are showing its a fault outside the house which in theory would be correct but theyve fitted the connection box in our porch. At no time EVER was I told I would get charged and never anything about £185 otherwise I would have told them where to go.

I cant afford that

 

[masona]

Best to go to your local citizen advice bureau for their advice.

 

[bernardgreen]

I sympathise with you.

Strictly speaking the line up to the NTE ( master socket ) is BT's property and responsibility. You have a responsibility to protect it from damage letting it get damp could be seen as a failure by you.

But at the same time BT has responsibility to ensure their property is fit for task and that could be your bargaining point.

The joint in the connection block in your porch may not have been fit for task when the master socket was installed. How well constructed is the porch, ? does it have a porch door as well as the house door for example.

The BT technician who installed the master socket should have considered whether the connection box in the porch was suitable for the location.

If there was any concern about the porch not being weather tight the technician who installed the master socket should have replaced the screw terminal block in the porch with a crimped gel filled joint (water resistant).

Who wired the extension from the connection block in porch ? If you did then BT have every right to charge you as you have tampered with their wiring. ( ie wires before the master box ). If it was wired by the previous owner of the house then you may be able to plead ignorance of it being not permitted wiring.

 

[comms]

Just spoken to my cousin who worked as a field engineer for BT uptill a few months ago, his advice is Give BT a call and complain state you were not informed of any potential charge when you reported the fault and you have been told by a BT employee that this should have been done to give you the option of refusing the repair work, also ask for proof of time taken at the job by the engineer that would account for the high cost of the repair ( he recons the 15 minute job wouldn't have been cleared down straight away via laptop by the engineer but would have been done later in the day, this way the engineers can end up doing jobs that were ment for the next day but not book them as done early...meaning they get a layin next day.Apparently it's common practise amongs the field engineers.

 

[technium]

Thanks for your replies.

Ok the connection was already there when we moved in so dont know if it was BT or original owner who done the stuff but assume it was bt as its a proper bt connection box.

The porch as two doors one leading outside and then one leading into the house and hes right it is damp but I cant see how a 30 oor 40 year old connection rusting is my fault.

Ive told BT Im not happy and they said they will get someone to call me back but too be honest its unlikely anyone from BT will call me! but I am going to try what you said about not being told of the charge and how much it would be as I would not have said yes if I had know what the full cost would be, in fact I work for the fire service and our Comms engineer here was going to do the work for me cash in hand but I told him to leave it as it was before the master socket and bt should repair it free of charge.

The guy turned up about 10am and was there literally 15 minutes and then gone, left no paper work, nothing was signed and nothing was said about a charge.

 

[Richard C]

Even if the problem was caused by yours (or others outside BT) negligence, I would argue they should not have done the work without advising there would be a charge; you should have been given the opportunity to decline. I worked for the PO when BT was still our left arm & so have basic training in telephony & exchanges etc. Household stuff is so simple - 4 wires & if it’s a bog standard system, only 2 of those are used!

I asked BT to remove a very old connection on my gable (no longer used but still cabled back to the tele. pole) & reposition their termination box from the side of a timber window onto the adjacent brick structure (where it should have been in the first place) to allow me to carry out necessary maintenance on my property. They quoted me £75 for each job – total £150 & no amount of argument would make them budge! The redundant cable/termination accidentally (genuinely) got ripped down by the electric company trimming trees nearby & the ‘live’ one was removed & repositioned by the company fitting the new facias & soffits; they aren’t supposed to do it but it’s, apparently, common practice & rarely causes problems. I re-cabled the rest of the house (new points etc) back from the relocated master box as part of our renovation work so in the end I didn’t pay anything! After their uncooperative approach & the ridiculous charges they quoted me, I would never call them in to repair anything other than the main connection back to the pole. This sort of work is hardly rocket science & BT obviously see it as easy pickings on the unwary - money for old rope really!

 

[comms]

technium what brigade are you ?
I'm Royal Berks FRS

 

[Chri5]

Are you saying that the master socket was water logged and inside your property?

Or are you saying that the BT 'bar of soap' junction box that converts external to internal cable type was water logged?

The issue here is one of surroundings, if the area was damp and shouldn't have been then it's you fault since you didn't maintain the area correctly.

If your saying it was in an area which was expected to get wet, then it's there fault for fitting an 'internal' product in an external location.

BT service charges are not normally that high, was it unsocial hours call out and at your request? If not I think it's not unreasonable to complain.

Did they move the box so it's now elsewhere, inside the house rather than the lobby?

A call out + shift socket + unsocial hours might be up to the value your talking about.

If it was 15 minutes work and a £5 master socket then try to get them to drop charges or attempt meeting in the middle- Suggesting you might swap telephone service providers can work

 

[jj4091]

Dial 100 & ask to be put through to the Chairmans office & explain the problem to them. You will be amazed how quickly your problem will be resolved.(Honestly)

 

[technium]

Hi all.

Ive logged a complaint and not heard anything since apart from the standard "were looking into it" reply so now I just wait.

The bar or soap type connection is the bit that he replaced but DIDNT move in the 15 minutes he was here, it wasnt unsociable hours as it was a weekday about about 10 or 11am and it was as a result of a fault I reported, not for me saying for them to come out that day and charge me what they like!!

The porch area is damp and maybe thats was the cause but I would have not had it fixed if the guy said "its your fault, how does nearly £200s sound?" because I have other people who were willing to do it for me but I decided no because it was bts equipment.

anyway I guess I just wait but im not paying anything like that without a proper breakdown of the costs involved. because I think the guy that came may have reported back to HQ that my job took him a couple of hours or something hence the high bill.

Comms - i work for Dorset FRS.

thanks again

 

[Chri5]

The bar of soap termination point is a BT52a and is the point where the external black cable (or drop wire if it's fed from a pole) finishes and the internal cable CW1306 or 8 (3 or 4 pair) feeds on to the master socket.

The BT52a isn't totally waterproof, but tends to be better capable of protection IF the cable entry / exit holes have been cut to fit. Often the BT guy will simply snap off the 1 cm sq cut out at either end and this will allow easy water penetration.

The cable from the outside should have an external loop on it to prevent rain water running down it and straight in to the junction box.

Sounds like BT shouldn't have charged you, more so if they have simply replaced the old with new in the SAME location.

Might you be able to take a picture and post it, then I would know exactly what they have done and whether it will now prevent similar service issues in months to come .

 

[Lectrician]

An entire new connection is only £99.