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BT warning signs...

DFS

Member
Hi need some advice,

Currently on Vodafone FTTC but have been waiting for FTTP on Openreach to be available. I checked last week and it was showing as available called Vodafone to upgrade and was told BT have a monopoly on the line when first available and a lease has to be agreed by other ISPs before they can offer me FTTP and it could take between 6-24 months.

I desperately need the increased upload for my backups.

Now this is where the story begins, I've had BT years ago in the past and left due to terrible customer service. BT are the only option I have for FTTP so I gave them a call a week ago. Sales agent was nice as per agreed the package and an install date. I specified a few things regarding the install and contract with him
  1. that my existing copper infrastructure would not be removed, if there is any issue with the FTTP, switch back to FTTC or use a landline in case of emergency.
  2. Black Friday was approaching and I was told I would be able to switch my deal if there was a better offer with no affect to my install date as i have to book time off work well in advance.
  3. Explained that this wasn't going to be a straight forward install and that the engineer on the day will nee to quite a bit of work.
So I checked Black Friday deals yesterday and saw the package was now cheaper so I call to swap my deal
  1. agent I spoke to said something along the lines of "what you want to swap your deal? this is like buying a loaf of bread from Tesco then finding it cheaper at ASDA and returning the loaf from Tesco makes no sense, who told you that? we don't do that here" I told him the agent I took the package from I was then cut off.
  2. Sales agent seemed to have lied to me as I called back to their complaints department and I was told I cant switch with out them cancelling the order waiting 24 hours and starting a new order process which would mean I loose my install date.
I think this is a sign from the universe that I should wait for other ISPs to be available in the area and cancel my BT contract.

What do you think I should do? Anyone else had similar experiences?
 
You may be best to wait. OR must provide an equitable service to all ISP.

So its probably down to the ISP connectivity to the OR node and updating their sales database. VF would only have a conflict of timescales in Cityfibre areas. More OR FTTP ISPs are coming on stream.

Most users will be swapping their copper service to FTTP so you need to be very clear that this is a new FTTP provision to the premises regardless of any existing BB/Phone service. BT should be able to do this but you may be better to select another provider for the initial contract.

Some ISPs have a "Just Moved in" option which invokes a new service.

Prices/Offers change daily especially this time of year. You can cancel within 14 days so most companies would honour their current offer rather than lose you. I checked BB prices for my daughter at the weekend and got different prices depending on the route into the various ISPs web sites. BT are not alone.
 
Just cancel your existing BT order over the phone, wait for a day or two and then re-order your required service online and use a cashback site such as quidco or topcashback for the maximum savings (if possible). Otherwise if you want to order elsewhere, then you could be left waiting many many months since the likes of TT, Vodafone, Sky etc can often take ages to carry out the necessary upgrades at the exchange.
 
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BT cannot have a monopoly on the FTTP installs in an area - OFCOM would have a fit if they tried that. What's more likely is that Vodafone haven't ordered a cablelink to the Layer 2 Switch that your FTTP connection will go back to so they need to do that and wait for it to be installed, which should only take a few weeks.
 
Thanks everyone, I am going to take out an order with another Aquiss for FTTP and run away from BT.

now to get my hands on a Ubiquiti Dream Machine!
 
Thanks everyone, I am going to take out an order with another Aquiss for FTTP and run away from BT.

now to get my hands on a Ubiquiti Dream Machine!
They’re not that good. Really there are better punchier routers especially if you’re punching PPPoE through them > 500 Mbps. Although they seem to have patched their firmware now to no longer embarrass themselves.
 
Hi need some advice,

Currently on Vodafone FTTC but have been waiting for FTTP on Openreach to be available. I checked last week and it was showing as available called Vodafone to upgrade and was told BT have a monopoly on the line when first available and a lease has to be agreed by other ISPs before they can offer me FTTP and it could take between 6-24 months.

I desperately need the increased upload for my backups.

Now this is where the story begins, I've had BT years ago in the past and left due to terrible customer service. BT are the only option I have for FTTP so I gave them a call a week ago. Sales agent was nice as per agreed the package and an install date. I specified a few things regarding the install and contract with him
  1. that my existing copper infrastructure would not be removed, if there is any issue with the FTTP, switch back to FTTC or use a landline in case of emergency.
  2. Black Friday was approaching and I was told I would be able to switch my deal if there was a better offer with no affect to my install date as i have to book time off work well in advance.
  3. Explained that this wasn't going to be a straight forward install and that the engineer on the day will nee to quite a bit of work.
So I checked Black Friday deals yesterday and saw the package was now cheaper so I call to swap my deal
  1. agent I spoke to said something along the lines of "what you want to swap your deal? this is like buying a loaf of bread from Tesco then finding it cheaper at ASDA and returning the loaf from Tesco makes no sense, who told you that? we don't do that here" I told him the agent I took the package from I was then cut off.
  2. Sales agent seemed to have lied to me as I called back to their complaints department and I was told I cant switch with out them cancelling the order waiting 24 hours and starting a new order process which would mean I loose my install date.
I think this is a sign from the universe that I should wait for other ISPs to be available in the area and cancel my BT contract.

What do you think I should do? Anyone else had similar experiences?
Once on fttp, you will not be able to go back to copper unless its for health and safety, eg having a care alarm that relies on the phone line. Openreach are very strict about people moving back, especially since over 500 exchanges are on a stop copper transition.

Black Friday lies, that original agent wanted your sale as you were not clued up on things.

But aren't on an exclusivity deal, but lots of providers who deal with fttp don't have the hardware for fttp in every exchange yet.

When signing up you agreed a contract for a price and minimum term, no changing for a better price after this, unless you use the time before install, minus 1 working day to cancel (you also have 14days after the installation date to cancel also bt will try and insist on a 30 day notice period, of oms rules state that you must give them reasonable notice and they can not charge you etc if so, insist on an immediatecancellation), then call up again to reorder, or use a different email address and sign up online for a brand new account.

Other options are, calling round lots of different fttp providers, cuckoo have a rolling contract fttp deal which you can cancel any time without charges.

In all honesty, bt fttp is fantastic, I currently have it, my house has had access to fttp for 3 years and no one else would pay for the engineers, I was with sky at the time, and sky have a large workforce where I live and they refused to allow me to have full fibre
 
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They’re not that good. Really there are better punchier routers especially if you’re punching PPPoE through them > 500 Mbps. Although they seem to have patched their firmware now to no longer embarrass themselves.
What would you recommend instead?
 
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