Well, my broadband woes continue.

Since I became aware that Bt had extended the reach of their ADSL
enabled exchanges, and their online availability checker now told me I
could possibly receive the service (it had been a definite no last
year!), I decided to risk an attempt at signing up for their £24.99
set up, with free modem and activation.

Amazingly the default date for activation and delivery of the modem
etc was one of my rest days, so I hoped everything else would go as
smoothly... Big mistake!

Modem and filters arrived, as promised, at 10.30am on the allocated
day. I eagerly set up the hardware and installed the software but on
trying to connect it failed miserably. No problem, I thought,
obvioulsy just not connected up yet.

About an hour later I received a phone call from a Bt representative
telling me that my order had been cancelled as they could not provide
me with the service, due to the wiring serving my home (on a new
development) being of fibre construction.

Fortunately, I have a neighbour who is a Bt engineer, who encountered
exactly the same issues when he tried to get the service last year.
After much 'banging of head against brick wall' he now has an adsl
service at his home, which is served by the same cabling as mine.

He managed this by finally convincing someone at Bt that there were
spare 'copper pairs' available at the junction box serving the
development that could be utilised.

If engineers, who know their way around the techie side of things have
problems, what chance have the rest of us got?

I tried explaining this to the person who called me and she informed
me to hang on to my modem etc, as it was free anyway, and to place a
manual order, rather than an online one.

I duly did this only to be told that all possible checks had been done
and I could not receive the service. When I asked if an engineer had
physically been out to check I was eventually told that they hadn't,
as all the information for my line was available remotely.

I may be wrong, and all the available copper pairs might now have been
allocated, but I would have thought a physical check would be
necessary to confirm this.

If I knew for sure that absolutely every check had been done I could
accept this outcome, but I am not convinced this is the case.

I seem to be going round in circles here and wonder if anyone has any
suggestions as to what I should now do? Bang on at Bt some more?
Order a satellite service? Give up and stick with good old 56k?
Help.......

On 28 Sep 2004 in uk.telecom.broadband, douthers@douthers.com wrote:

since your neighbour eventually got it sorted for himself, you could
at least ask if he can do any checking, since he knows the problem +
solution... if you're the last to get copper then he knows it will
be a firm 'no' for anyone else...

"douthers" douthers@douthers.com wrote in message
news:8af05fd3.0409280810.7e872846@posting.google.c om
My suggestion would be to try again - you may get lucky.

My estate is served by a TPON cabinet. I made a couple of applications back
in April and both failed because of either it or line length. I applied
again post-Sept 6 and on the appointed activation date a BT engineer called
asking if I knew I was on a TPON and there may be problems.

I feigned partial knowledge and asked very nicely if there would be spare
copper available. A couple of hours, several cups of tea and chocolate
biscuits later, and I had a working ADSL line....

"douthers" <douthers@douthers.com> wrote in message
news:8af05fd3.0409280810.7e872846@posting.google.c om...
Have you spoken to your neighbour about this? Seeing as he is a BT engineer,
maybe he could check for spare pairs in the vacinity.

"douthers" <douthers@douthers.com> wrote in message
news:8af05fd3.0409280810.7e872846@posting.google.c om...
What area of the country you in?

Sounds like a carbon copy of the situation I was in.

BT have a little known policy of actually investigating what the problem is
if you can stamp your feet and say my neighbour has broadband why can't I
have it.
That is the first question you should ask.
Next you should report a fault on your telephone line, don't be specific
just say you think the line has a fault and you would like it checked.

Then you should write to BTs MD threatening press exposure etc because they
refuse to actually investigate what the problem is. If there is an actual
problem you will have to accept it but it is BTs refusal to investigate the
problem that pisses most folk off.

I would also write to OFCOM about it as well because sometimes that helps
put pressure on BT also.

The initial problem I had was the line still had a DACS on it and the BT
bird I spoke to said that would have no impact on an ADSL check. After
having this removed they then lied to me and said the line had been
physically checked within 12 hrs of the DACS being removed

Keep at it you will get there but the only way to get anywhere with BT is to
complain
"Steve" <steven_pilbeam@NOSPAMhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:cjcde5$g4s$1@sparta.btinternet.com...

"Scott" <scott251170 not@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<2ruapaF1eseifU1@uni-berlin.de>...
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply so promptly. I
will 'kick off' with Bt and see where it gets me! BTW I am in
Thornton Clevelys, Lancashire. Exchange is Cleveleys, which is
enabled.

Scott wrote:
Tis no lie, the line would have been checked within minutes of it being
de-Dacs as part of the procedure (should be checked at every stage of the
way), but what the hell, don't let the truth get in the way of a good old
anti BT rant...