OpenReach have skipped 3 activation dates

Cenuij · 12 Nov 2020 at 00:19

What's the best way of banging heads together or getting someone to tell me WTF is going on with our VDSL activation?

This is the third time activation hasn't happened over a full month.

Zen are being uncharacteristically crap, I'm having to chase them after they fumbled our service move from one property to our new home. Lucky to even get someone on web chat, emails go unanswered as does the phone.

bremen1874 · 12 Nov 2020 at 01:11

'uncharacteristically crap' or the first time you'll really tested them?

The only people you can deal with is your ISP. You have no contractual relationship with Openreach.

WJA96 · 12 Nov 2020 at 05:11

I think Zen are struggling at the moment. Considering they are a telecoms company they seem to be having massive issues keeping their phones manned. I have a feeling they are "playing the game" with the Furlough scheme and using COVID as an excuse for not manning the phones. Up until March we had superb support from Zen. Since then you really struggle to get any kind of response out of them. It seems to be a fairly common problem though. Lots of our suppliers are just dropping off the radar. Surprisingly they can still chase unpaid invoices!

Cenuij · 12 Nov 2020 at 12:55

bremen1874 said:
'uncharacteristically crap' or the first time you'll really tested them?

The only people you can deal with is your ISP. You have no contractual relationship with Openreach.

Haha, well - good point. I feel they've been decent in the past though when I've needed support. Been with them since y2k though I guess companies can regress as well as improve.

WJA96 said:
I think Zen are struggling at the moment. Considering they are a telecoms company they seem to be having massive issues keeping their phones manned. I have a feeling they are "playing the game" with the Furlough scheme and using COVID as an excuse for not manning the phones. Up until March we had superb support from Zen. Since then you really struggle to get any kind of response out of them. It seems to be a fairly common problem though. Lots of our suppliers are just dropping off the radar. Surprisingly they can still chase unpaid invoices!

Sounds plausible.

pigeonguyuk · 12 Nov 2020 at 13:47

When you say new home do you mean a "New Build" or just new home to yourself?

COVID-19 and local/national government restrictions have had a massive impact on Openreach/Contractor workstacks.

Considering these lockdowns could potentially keep happening until there a proper vaccine / cure then as you are going with Zen who are a Business ISP if there are messing you about now it could be a lot of hassle going forward. Might want to reconsider your options.

Have Zen given you any indication as to why the activation keeps getting put back?

Cenuij · 12 Nov 2020 at 14:41

pigeonguyuk said:
When you say new home do you mean a "New Build" or just new home to yourself?

COVID-19 and local/national government restrictions have had a massive impact on Openreach/Contractor workstacks.

Considering these lockdowns could potentially keep happening until there a proper vaccine / cure then as you are going with Zen who are a Business ISP if there are messing you about now it could be a lot of hassle going forward. Might want to reconsider your options.

Have Zen given you any indication as to why the activation keeps getting put back?

Not a new build, and Zen say it's OpenReach "resourcing". They definitely missed the first two dates and I'm advised this morning that the third date did happen but "testing wasn't completed", we shall see what info comes next.

Line looks clean though on the OpenReach checker https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com - jumpers are "on" e.g. FTTC is enabled for LLU ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cenuij · 12 Nov 2020 at 17:11

Apologies its taken me so long to get an update to you, Openreach have advised there is an error in their system which has stopped the order from being processed, they have now removed this error from the systems to get the order to complete and have asked us to review back on the 16th of November

Helpful lad today after a short wait on the phone, he didn't really take that long to get back to me - he explained they are having to use a live chat system with OpenReach right now and can't get hold of them directly, when he said he was in a queue I just told him to email me what OpenReach said.

pp111 · 13 Nov 2020 at 16:23

I always find there is a huge amount of non-communication between suppliers and openreach. They just don't talk to each other.