BT Openreach to Deliver Slightly Sooner UK Engineer Appointments

BTOpenreach has announced that consumers who order a new Wholesale Line Rental (WLR), ISDN2 or fully unbundled / LLU (MPF) copper line product through their broadband ISP should, from 1st November 2013, benefit from a slightly sooner engineer visit for their installation.

A present Openreach’s telecoms engineers typically aim to set an appointment for a visit to your home within 13 working days from the point of order placement, which under the enhanced Service Level Agreement (SLA) would fall ever so slightly to 12 working days.

Openreach Statement

“If we fail to make the first appointment available within 12 working days, this will result in an SLG payment of £2, for each of (working) days 13, 14 and 15. For example, if the first available appointment is on day 15, then an SLG of £6 (3 times £2) would be payable [to the ISP].

If the availability of the first appointment goes beyond SLA+3 (i.e. beyond 15 working days), an SLG payment of £4 per day will apply for the whole period from (working) day 13 onwards, up to where the first appointment is available. For example, if the first available appointment is on day 19, then an SLG of £28 (7 times £4) would be payable.”

However such appointments remain subject to unforeseen circumstances, such as delays caused by extremely bad weather. In recent years areas that have suffered from significant snowfall or flooding often face new provision delays that can extend to several months because critical repair work becomes a priority. Issues like this are usually localised but big events can still have a national impact.

Meanwhile tonight’s edition of the Watchdog consumer affairs TV show (BBC One – 8pm) will “investigate BT Openreach and their promises to keep the nation connected“.