Re-routing openreach cable underground

[MarkW1979]

So I got a quote last May to re-route a telecom cable underground (with me digging the trenches) for c£2k in VAT. Cable goes from one telegraph pole to another over a distance of maybe 30m. There are no other services connected to the poles. I wasn't able to do the work until now after which the quote had expired (fair enough) so I asked them to re-quote. Initially they told me that I would have to book and pay for a survey again (last one cost £400) - reason given that they now use different contractors. However today I received and quote/ invoice to undertake the work for £7k. When I phoned to question it the guy I spoke to says it is "more complicated than it looks" and it will take 70 man hours to complete (including his 'design time').  "I've been doing this job for 20 years I know what I'm talking about" and "we don't make a profit on this". He also said that it required 2 different gangs to undertake the work - 1 team that deal with the overhead cables and 1 team that deal with the underground cables. Does anyone have any advice about how I should tackle this nonsense? Many thanks

 

 

[saveasteading]

£2k sounds more like it. Plenty if you are doing the trench.

£2k / 30m is nearing £70/m. 

Ask them to check that they are allowing your trench, only 30m and that it is a telephone cable , not fibre.

Then ask for the original contractors back again.

There is probably an appeal process printed on the quote.

 

Or cancel.

 

[Marvin]

6 hours ago, saveasteading said:

£2k sounds more like it. Plenty if you are doing the trench.

£2k / 30m is nearing £70/m. 

Ask them to check that they are allowing your trench, only 30m and that it is a telephone cable , not fibre.

Then ask for the original contractors back again.

There is probably an appeal process printed on the quote.

 

Or cancel.

 

Wish I got paid for quoting for work.

[MarkW1979]

Marvin - I know it's incredible. Probably from a guy who would sh1te himself 2 feet up a telegraph pole. The whole "we don't make a profit" and "we're very expensive" pish nearly tipped me over the edge.

 

I can't cancel as I need to move the cable before I start work but I have emailed the disputes contact.

 

 

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, MarkW1979 said:

we don't make a profit

The contractor does

[Bozza]

Thinking back to when I had to deal with my services I’m pretty sure Openreach are limited to set charges based upon agreed schedule by Ofcom, to prevent overcharging.  set by law in telecoms act I think.  I think this might be it.

 

https://www.openreach.co.uk/orpg/home/products/pricing/loadProductPriceDetails.do?data=z75T9D0yfFKL0UorCMMA7OVMbA8c5ofXzFv23yZvBj9Z6rNZujnCs99NbIKJZPD9hXYmiijxH6wrCQm97GZMyQ%3D%3D

 

 

[Carrerahill]

14 hours ago, MarkW1979 said:

Does anyone have any advice about how I should tackle this nonsense? Many thanks

 

 

Chainsaw?

 

I assume, however it was setup, that there is no way to have them move it on the grounds you want it out your property and they have no actual right to have it there? I expect you have investigated all that?

Edited February 9, 2023 by Carrerahill

[MarkW1979]

Response received from Openreach - can someone help me out with the abbreviations NRC and NRV please?

 

Mark

I got a response back from the Exec complaints team yesterday. I’ve copied the response below. I understand your frustration at these events but it would appear that Openreach have acted in line with our equivalence expectations.

I know it’s not what you were hope to hear and I apologise for that

 

“So in terms of this one the following is the basic outline of why this was flipped to NRC from NRV (correctly)

 

The initial quote for the works on the CNS job was sent to the customer on 25/02/22, the customer is informed that the survey has an expiration date of 30 days and that in some circumstances, we can extend this for up to 3 months however by the time he contacted front desk again it had been 7 months with no payment or communication.

 

As such a further survey was required by an RPE and this was explained to the customer in detail by our front desk team - who also rightly then recognised that this had been qualified incorrectly in the first instance as there is a 20 pair ariel cable on site which should automatically have made this complex work as per our own guidance (it was clearly not noticed by the initial agent who qualified the works hence the much cheaper quote.)

 

As this has now been correctly qualified to be NRC work and the new survey has been completed (almost an entire year after their first contact to us) we would maintain that these new costs are correct and that the customer would have in essence been getting a bargain if they’d paid when our mistakes were made however the timescale for making payment had long passed prior to contact being made again and as such front desk did confirm to the Customer that they would have to pay the new price should they wish to proceed.”

 

[MarkW1979]

They are also saying a 2nd survey took place when it didn't! Or at least I never paid for a second survey despite them saying I would have to...