Failure to connect broadband or adequately communicate

[Steve-Hall]

On the off chance that someone from sky views this; is is a copy of an email sent to them earlier today. Should anyone else have or be experiencing similar or have suggestions to speed up a resolution, please let me know.

I am not one that usually moans, however I find myself left with no choice. I write further to your most recent text message (today) with an update confirming that we will be updated next on 15th November!!!. What?

To confirm, we have now been without broadband since last Thursday (26th October).

For a well known company like Sky, I find it completely unacceptable that this is the case. This unbelievable failure on your part is preventing me from undertaking work from home at this time.

I note that my charges from Sky will not start until the service is fully connected and working. That's good to hear, however I am left paying over the odds for a service that I no longer want (Virginmedia) and should have been swapped out the original date it was booked as promised by Sky. Also, your potential offer of £6.10 per day is an insult.

You made me aware that it is Openreach that you are waiting on. They have been to the house and checked everything, saying they would let us know what was going on. Only to get back in the van and drive off. Never to be seen again!

I was originally told that this changeover from one supplier to yourselves was straightforward and would be completed in a matter of a few hours.

You contracted to supply a service to us from 24th October 2024 and have failed to do so. The excuse was that the broadband connection is third party work. I’m sorry?? Was the functioning of it not checked before agreeing to take on our custom? So, you basically contracted to supply a service without checking that you could?

The words ‘are you having a (bleeping) laugh’ have emanated from my wife on several occasions now. It is an absolute joke. I did phone to complain (as I had not been updated on what was happening) and was told then that due to ‘staffing issues’ with the third party in securing the necessary specialists I MIGHT have a service by 6th November! MIGHT??

I was instructed not to call back or contact you again before 6th November as there was nothing that you could do. No urgency, ownership or responsibility and I think there is plenty you could be doing.

It has transpired that I am the first in our street to request to have Sky (and I’m beginning to understand why that is the case). The issues with third party suppliers are YOUR issues, not mine. I am a new customer and this situation is certainly not my fault. It is up to you, as the provider, to get this matter sorted as a matter of urgency. Third party issues or not. It is a totally unacceptable situation. As a customer, I do not feel at all valued, in fact, it seems that my experience is immaterial.

I expect the service to be connected and up and running successfully within the next day or 2. I also expect suitable compensation for this debacle. A ‘Sorry’ and derisory compensatory payment (credit) is not acceptable. Neither is being told we have to wait until 15th November for a further UPDATE!

[jamesn123]

Hi @Steve-Hall 

Can understand your frustration with the lack of communication from Sky, however I can say that this is down to the fact that Sky, like most other ISPs rely on Openreach to give them updates when an install/fault fix isnt straight forward.

With note to your start dates & compensation, the activation date is not strictly contracted, if there is additional work required by Openreach to connect your line then this date can, and will slip. Then depending on specialist team availability you may not be given another activation date for a short period while Openreach sort themselves out. The compensation of £6.10 per day is standard as part of the automatic compensation scheme that Sky and many other ISPs have signed up to https://www.sky.com/help/articles/auto-compensation personally I think its more than adequate considering after around 7 days it will have already totted up to around a months broadband service bill.

I would also note I am not a Sky employee, I am simply giving you info that I know about how Openreach deals with installs which are not straight forward. 

[TimmyBGood]

@Steve-Hall 

If it's in the UK, putting the address into the BT Wholesale Availability Checker should indicate which broadband provisioning type is applicable and where a delay might occur.

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome 

It's the table and the two text lines below it which are most useful.

Remove any personal information (such as the address itself) if you post an image.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Steve-Hall wrote:

It has transpired that I am the first in our street to request to have Sky (and I’m beginning to understand why that is the case). The issues with third party suppliers are YOUR issues, not mine. 

The most likely cause of delay is where an address is scheduled to be provisioned with a new Openreach FTTP circuit underground but no useable duct currently exists: this requires specialist digging teams which are hugely in-demand while Openreach attempts to carry out over 80,000 full fibre installations each week to meet the national rollout target.

Sky, like every other ISP on the Openreach network, does not (and is not permitted to) carry out this work itself.

[Steve-Hall]

@jamesn123 James, thanks for your response. I understand what you are saying, but am dissapointed nevertheless. If the connection was not ready to use, someone, somewhere has not completed their work and the quality control has failed. 

I am an earliy addopter of this new infrastructure in my street, but should not suffer due to the failings of other third parties, as in this case. Somethings can be unforseen, this was completely avoidable, hence my dissapointment.

[Steve-Hall]

@TimmyBGood Timmy, thanks for your response, screen dump below.

Sky have responded and reitterated their standard terms etc. but not actually done anything more to rectify the situation. Standard corporate abdication of responsibility.

[jamesn123]

@Steve-Hall 

So the screenshot you posted states your connection should be an overhead feed from a pole, it states no anticipated issues. This would by why Sky thought it would be a simple install for you, they go off the records Openreach hold for your property, which currently states no anticipated issues for install. If Openreach have turned up on the day and found something that wasnt anticipated, this would be the cause of the delay. 

[Steve-Hall]

I'm glad that you could interperate that!

So this issue is with openreach and their subcontractors, or provider of the infrastructure that they use. Any idea if or how I could seek redress from them? Should I, or is there any benefit, in me contacting Openreach? Is it likely that Sky will more activly pursue this rather than passing on info. 

[jamesn123]

@Steve-Hall 

Correct, the issue is Openreach thinking they could connect you but now realising they cant right now due to an issue which could be anything, from a crowded pole, to kit not being ready in the Exchange. Openreach do have contact channels on their website, but these are usually only for reporting damage or contacting them about an address/wayleave issue. Its likely if you did try to contact Openreach they would just tell you to go back to Sky.

Best I can offer is to escalate your post here on the forum which will open a chat with a Sky rep for you. However they may just tell you that you have to wait until the 15th Nov as you stated in your original post. Personally, If I were you, I would source a tempory solution at least, perhaps a 4g/5g connection/dongle to keep you going as Openreach are known for being slow. 

[Steve-Hall]

@jamesn123 

Thanks again for your continued assistance.

Is there a particular way to escalate a post, or do Sky reps just graze posts to see waht is occuring?? I'm somewaht new to the forum.

[TimmyBGood]

@Steve-Hall 

OK, so the significant information there is that it's a new optical fibre installation coming in overhead, and so typically requires either a pole and ladder team or a cherry picker.

Any other Openreach ISP would be in exactly the same situation: that's a legacy of British Telecom privatisation in the 1980s and the establishment of Openreach as the monopoly network maintainer.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Steve-Hall wrote:

Is there a particular way to escalate a post, or do Sky reps just graze posts to see waht is occuring?? 

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There's no escalation path for priority provisioning: you're in the queue for Openreach resources in your area, almost certainly alongside hundreds if not thousands of other households: as I said, in excess of 80,000 households a week nationally.

[TimmyBGood]

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@Steve-Hall wrote:

Any idea if or how I could seek redress from them?

That's the £6.10 per day. Nothing more is available.

Should I, or is there any benefit, in me contacting Openreach?

No: the provisioning contract is between the ISP and Openreach, and on the same terms for every ISP.

Is it likely that Sky will more activly pursue this rather than passing on info. 

Realistically no: ISP communication channels with Openreach are limited by design (specifically to prevent BT from gaining competitive advantage from Openreach Ltd still being part of BT Group)

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[Steve-Hall]

@TimmyBGood 

So in essence , I'm stuffed for the time being! 😞

[TimmyBGood]

@Steve-Hall 

Unfortunately it's a waiting game: the vast majority go smoothly but on that kind of scale the inevitable small percentage of exceptions leads to many unhappy customers.  Our FTTP installation, through BT Broadband several years ago, took in excess of three months from order to activation.