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FTTP CityFibre installation issue

BeardedOaf

Casual Member
Hello,

I'm new here but joined with the intention of seeking some advice for a situation that is currently driving me mad, so I will try to explain it as best as I remember without getting too frustrated. CityFibre (No Openreach available) completed a full Fibre build of the area I live in (Kingswells, Aberdeen) in March 2023 however due to me finding no guarantee of when the fibre build was going to be rolled out I had locked myself into 24 months with Plusnet on a part fibre service in November of 2022. As my contract has now run down and having noticed CityFibre install at 2 of my neighbours on our street of 5 homes, I thought I would go about switching over to Vodafone 900mb for £31 a month late last month. Everything started off well with me checking my post code on the Vodafone website and receiving my modem next day (Still have it), then getting an install date from CityFibre of the 10/09/2024 (ironically today).

Unfortunately a few days later I was told that my installation had been cancelled by CityFibre because full fibre wasn't actually available at my post code (AB15 8QX). I thought this was odd as I had saw CityFibre install at two of my neighbours, so thought I would check with them in case the installs had failed and our street was unavailable for some reason. However on checking with my neighbours at 5 & 7 they both confirmed they had full fibre, 5 are using Zen as their ISP & 7 are with Giganet. So I tried calling up Vodafone to explain this, also pointing out that my neighbour at 5 is actually in the same terraced house as me (with 3 in the middle and me being 1) and they run the fibre up from the cabinet on Denview Wynd (AB15 8PF) past my home to get to his however they pointed out if CityFibre said it was unavailable they can't provide an installation or service if that's the case. I have also asked local CityFibre engineers if they can install on my street when working on nearby streets and they confirmed I can but were unable to provide me a contact to speak with to resolve (or didn't want to). On top of this whenever I enter my address and post code on the CityFibre website it says unavailable, even when I use my neighbours address of 5 & 7 even though I know full well they have full fibre installed by CityFibre!

In trying to resolve this I have logged a support query with CityFibre through X and seemed to be getting a bit of back and forth until I finally got somebody who just checked the post code and said the build isn't complete - even though I know this isn't the case. I even got this from the customer resolution executive: "I have checked both number 5 and number 7 and can categorically confirm that they may have connections with Zen and Giganet (who are some of our partners), however these partners are not utilising the CityFibre network to provide connections to the properties on Denview Mews." Which I found amusing as I know CityFibre installed their service and my neighbours definitely haven't paid for private full fibre lines to be installed!

I have also logged a complaint with CityFibre through the official website but other than being acknowledged I haven't had any feedback yet. So I'm now at the point where I know the build has been complete for my area (I still have a Vodafone leaflet that was posted through my door once the build was complete and even checked with the engineers at the time - I work in IT so particularly interested in moving to full fibre), 2 of the 5 homes on my street have full fibre yet I keep getting told that I can't get full fibre because the information held by CityFibre on their website is incorrect?

I spoke to my neighbours again to see if they had any issues with their install, 5 said he had a bit of back and forth with Zen saying he couldn't get full fibre but he told me that he just said to them knew 7 had an install complete and eventually they managed to get an install date organised for him, 7 Denview Mews had no issue at all. Also to add further complexity (possibly) when we first moved into the new build home in July 2021 we were issued the incorrect post code of AB15 8PN by the builder which is for some farms in the fields behind my house which definitely won't have full fibre available and I wonder if this information has somehow still associated with my address for some reason?

Anyway to end all this - I was wondering if anybody had any advice or suggestions to try next because I feel if don't think go to the effort to get this resolved the website will never be updated to accurately show that our street can get full fibre and isn't waiting on a build to be complete.

Thanks for the time if you bother reading this mini essay and any advice and suggestions will be most welcome!

Thanks,
Chris.
 
I would suggest that you speak with another ISP. Voda are okay until a small bump in the road shows up then they they don't bother as its too expensive to go outside of process.

They are more expensive but with IDnet and Andrews and Arnold or even Zen would be able to deal with Cityfibre better
 
Since you're in Scotland, BrawBand is probably your best bet as their exit node is in Scotland too
 
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I can pretty much guarantee you. You wont get the issue fixed. I was in a similar situation with them this time last year. I waited two months to be able to order with them. Put in countless complaints. And even for a month I was given a free 4G sim card and Mifi device by Vodafone as a resolution to my complaint to wait for CityFibre be be installable to my address and it never came.

In the end, I went with Yayzi who sorted the problem out with CityFibre after a weekend of no internet.

Something is not right with Vodafone when it comes to CityFibre. It seems Vodafone think there is no internet at your property if you have internet with any other provider.

 
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There should be a procedure in place to correct post code errors, as it happens quite a bit. With Openreach it’s called raising an ORDI request (Openreach Data Integrity request). I suggest you chase CityFibre for what their equivalent process is.
 
CityFibre won't do a thing. They will say only your ISP can resolve this issue and only your ISP can raise any issues with them.

I had CityFibre literally abruptly hang up the phone on me when I was telling them the ISP's won't help when I was having this issue.

Vodafone wont help. Vodafone won't raise anything with CityFibre. Even if you tell them you are taking the complaint to the Ombudsman. They still won't raise any issue with CityFibre on your behalf.

The big ISPs - Vodafone and TalkTalk etc are useless when it comes to any issues. They just say we cannot help and that is the end of it for them.

The smaller ISPs actually try and fix problems for you.
 
I'm still not having any luck - as a few of you have said CityFibre won't hear anything about their post code information being incorrect even though it clearly is - while the other 4 addresses on my street of 5 have either now have full fibre or the option to set it up. I'm struggling with ISP's as well - they seem to just stick to what the post code check is stating although I have a query in place with ID Net and had a bit of back and forth with a local ISP as well but they seemed to hit a dead end when CityFibre wouldn't agree to a survey to confirm the post code was wrong and the address could have full fibre installed.

I'll stick at it but can't believe how frustrating this process is and why it's so hard to resolve when it's purely an address and post code issue. It's also became clearly obvious this won't be fixed unless I keep sticking at it. My Plusnet part fibre contract ends in January .. surely i'll have it fixed by then .. surely?
 
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My limited experience with trying to talk to CityFibre would bump them a long way down my list of preferred networks if other options were available, they are impossible to talk to and also seem to tell different ISPs different answers to the same questions. Openreach have a bad reputation but I've always had sensible responses from them to queries I've raised, even if the initial response wasn't always very helpful and needed to be pushed back on.
 
Unfortunately it's only CityFibre that carried out the fibre rollout for where I live and it isn't on Openreach's planning for Aberdeenshire so it's them nor nothing at the moment. I'll just have to stick to trying to get the address issue resolved.
 
What does Yayzi's postcode checker say for you? This one is usually quite good and better than many others.

But if they cannot help. The only option left would be Andrews and Arnold. If it can be fixed they would be the only ones to do it. They seem to solve complex problems like this from reading many forum posts
 
OP, are you absolutely sure that your neighbours have full fibre from Cityfibre and not part fibre (FTTC) from Openreach? Its not unusual for Joe Public to refer to FTTC as ' full fibre' given the brainwashing which has been going on for donkeys years.

Have you actually seen any Cityfibre branded equipment or ONT inside/outside your neighbours houses?

If your neighbours definitely have Cityfibre FTTP then it sounds like a database issue with Cityfibre, in that case I suggest sending ISPr editor Mark.J a direct message through the forum. There's a chance he may be able to prod someone at Cityfibre to get this fixed.
 
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Hi @baby_frogmella - both neighbours definitely have full fibre as I wanted to double check the installs hadn't failed when I encountered my issue. Number 5 are 500mb with Zen and Number 7 are 900mb with GigaNet. Also as I live in a terraced building, number 5 is actually the opposite end terrace from me which adds to my frustration, where as number 7 is actually a separate split terraced house. Cityfibre engineer's with their horrible orange and pink branded vans carried out the install at both homes. I actually checked with them when they carried out the work at number 5 if It was available at my address and they said of course, this is before I actually placed my order with Vodafone unfortunately.

I'm currently on a part fibre service via Openreach through Plusnet. I will try your suggestion of contacting editor Mark.J.

Thanks,
Chris
 
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I had a similar problem
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/someone-covered-up-the-toby-box.41740/#post-362402
CityFibre is getting all the praise for the premises covered but then is unwilling or unable to install in some of those premises. There seems to be nothing the consumer can do other than chase around various ISPs in the hope of finding one able to prod CityFibre hard enough to wake them up.
I wonder if MarkJ of ISPreview can prod CityFibre as well?
 
Hello
The problem my lie in the first post code the builder gave you AB15 8PN this may have been placed on the registry that city fibre and Vodafone use if you put that post code in city fibre and Vodafone post code finder and see what streets show on the dropdown box
Check the post office post code finder and you will probably see your postcode is correct city fibre and Vodafone register my take years to be corrected
 
Hi just an update to try is to update Google maps as some use this register go on maps highlight your house then go to make a suggestion and put in information say house number, street name, postcode this maybe will help
Have noticed on cityfibre if you put AB158PN in postcode finder it shows all addresses but not yours
 
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Hi just an update to try is to update Google maps as some use this register go on maps highlight your house then go to make a suggestion and put in information say house number, street name, postcode this maybe will help
Have noticed on cityfibre if you put AB158PN in postcode finder it shows all addresses but not yours
Hi DaveKay, yes I think one of the isp's (Converged) I have been dealing with managed to get my address associated with my actual post code of AB15 8QX but it hasn't helped with the fibre showing available at my address even though the other 4 houses are associated with the incorrect postcode which is in an area that the fibre rollout wasn't completed in.

I have an official complaint open with CityFibre that will be responded to by Friday - I'm hoping I get a chance to reply that makes them realise the mistake in address and availability.
 
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@BeardedOaf

How does your existing copper phone line arrive?

Is it in a duct shared with one of the other houses? Sometimes the Openreach data for this kind of thing isn't accurate and I wonder if Openreach think your house is served at all.

Also, have CityFibre provided their own route to the neighbours that are served or do CityFibre use Openreach access (either by pole or underground)?
 
@Barnet
My copper line comes in under the street and in the side of the house, as my housing estate is all 2019/20/21 new builds it looks like they have run ducting under all the roads and CityFibre have been making use of this along with BT. I watched them run the fibre up from the cabinet using a machine when they installed at the side of my neighbours house, who is the other end of our terraced building.

I'm sure it's just the post code mix that is the issue here, if you enter AB15 8PN and select any of my neighbours (3,5,7 & 9) it states that the CityFibre build is complete and they can get full fibre however if you use the AB15 8QX address it will say that it hasn't been completed. I've logged this in my complaint to CityFibre and hope they fix it but not very confident considering my dealings with them so far.
 
Aah!

If CityFibre use the Openreach ducts it may be that it's Openreach who need to fix the data regarding your house.

There is a thing called an ORDI (Openreach Data Integrity) request and I suspect CityFibre going through that process so that the duct that serves you is noted a serving your property is the way to unblock this.
 
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