Installation delayed due to wayleave issues

[grahamwharton]

Placed order for FTTP mid February, install date booked for 20th March. Was notified today, 2 days before install that the installation won't go ahead due to openreach requiring new wayleave agreement. The pavement is council adopted. The dig is about 1m from the box to my land. I signed permissions when they surveyed my land, and I even dug the trench to make sure the cable went where I wanted it to go, and at the depth I wanted,.which the openreach engineer said was absolutely fine.

Is it usual for BT to not already have wayleave in place for council adopted footpaths that they've already got boxes installed into.

Vodafone are now telling me it could be 3 months, and possibly even cancellation of order if openreach can't get wayleave. They won't tell me who they're trying to get wayleave with.

Anything I can do, apart from sitting tight.

[Gemma]

Hi @grahamwharton - thanks for explaining what's happening and the image you've sent across. I can understand how important it must be, to have the installation take place as soon as possible. We'd need to check your account and speak to our Activations team for you. Please send us a message over on Social Media. 

[grahamwharton]

Thanks for your reply Gemma. I spoke to a member of your team this morning, who explained the wayleave problem to me. Unfortunately he couldn't answer any further questions because Vodafone can only report what Openreach tell them. I'm still finding it hard to believe that Openreach do not already have a wayleave agreement in place to cover the 1m of footpath that is currently riddled with existing Openreach infrastructure.

I may be completely wrong, but can't help thinking something is wrong here. My installation across the council owned footpath has got to be on the more simplest installations for Openreach.

It really sucks to be told it could be another 3 months wait, and possible cancellation of my order due to lack of permissions.

[grahamwharton]

I'm not looking for the installation to be completed as soon as possible. All I ask is for it to be completed on the date you gave me. It's almost 5 weeks from my order date and you seem to have left it to 2 days before the install date to tell me that you don't have permission to dig a footpath that you already have equipment installed into. If openreach believe they don't have permission to access my land, then this can easily be resolved without delay. I have already given written permission twice by signing the survey engineers tablet on two occasions, and all they need to do if they need it again is to ask.

[Gemma]

@grahamwharton  I understand why you feel like somethings not right and that you'd like it to be completed the date by the date you were given. For us to look into this with our Activations team, we'd need to access your account. Please message us via one of our Social Channels. 

[grahamwharton]

I got in touch with your Social Team, but they didn't seem to have access to my account so couldn't help. I contacted the Activations team for Home Broadand via chat, and to begin with they seemed to be making up reasons as to why they thought there could be a delay, from explaining that they have emailed my landlord for permission (which isn't true, as I am a homeowner), through to openreach emailed me, and all I need to do it reply to the email (they haven't emailed me) through to, openreach have emailed someone, but don't know who. After speaking to several people, I managed to pursuade someone to actually contact openreach and find out the real reason for the delay, and at the same time relay my concerns over the fact that if they are having to seek permission from someone other than myself (which I have already given permission) and the council (surely they already have permission, since the councils pavement is chocka block full of openreach cables and manholes), then they may have made a mistake. I was informed that someone from Openreach will be visiting to carry out the install on the 26th now, but to be perfectly honest, I'm considering putting some money down on it not happening. You know when you get that feeling that people are just telling you what they think you want to hear so that the customer goes away happy, instead of actually taking ownership of a problem and getting to the bottom of things. Maybe i'll be surprised.... Who knows. Not a great position to have your customers in.

[grahamwharton]

Amazing, it's the 20th March, my original installation date. Guess who's outside digging up the pavement, Openreach who are busy installing fibre to two of my neighbours, but not my house, apparently they don't have permission to dig the pavement for my house, but my neighbours is fine. ##~##.