topic Re: Getting help with installation after Openreach disaster in Broadband

Getting help with installation after Openreach disaster

jmf49 — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:03:30 GMT

Returning customer, had Openreach here yesterday to lay cable from street box to house. Despite clear advice given by me, they managed to cut through existing ISP(VM)'s cable leaving me with no broadband, landline and TV services. Have made several calls to Customer Services and Complaints, who are sticking to their mantra that there is nothing they can do until my scheduled installation date of May 12th! They refuse to get anyone to call me with regard to options, which could include lending me an old-style set top box to connect with the old satellite dish which is still in place with cabling. Does anyone have any advice on how I can escalate this? It is highly unlikely that VM are.going to do anything to expedite repair which they have currently set for next Thursday(16th).

Re: Getting help with installation after Openreach disaster

TimmyBGood — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 09:32:11 GMT

@jmf49 wrote:

They refuse to get anyone to call me with regard to options, which could include lending me an old-style set top box to connect with the old satellite dish which is still in place with cabling.

There's just no mechanism to do so: it would be the content subscription rather than the hardware which is the complication.

If there's an older LNB on the dish you could acquire a second hand Sky+ HD box for a few pounds to provide free-to-air satellite reception.

A Q LNB needs a Freesat 4K box.

Re: Getting help with installation after Openreach disaster

jmf49 — Thu, 09 Apr 2026 10:02:31 GMT

Thanks for your reply. It is a "Q" dish. My problem would appear to be getting Sky to enable and send me the viewing card. The agents I have spoken to are adamant that my installation date cannit be changed, so I am not hopeful that I will be able to get a card before this date.