Ordered broadband for copper wire connection, but found out there is a fibre connection.

[Pabs2]

It was hard to explain in the title, so I'll try to breakdown my current dilema.

so basically, I had ordered sky broadband to my new address for today, which I decided to coincide with moving on the same date, to avoid being with broadband. When I made my order, their website checked my address, and it told me that I would get speeds that coincide with having a copper wire connection. So I ordered that.

fast forward to today, an open reach engineer calls out, checks my line and tells me I have a fibre connection, and that his order to switch this line out for a copper line would be rather foolish. So I ask him what I should do. He tells me to call Sky, advise them that there is in fact a fibre connection, and to request an upgrade to fibre. He also tells me that this fibre line is good to go, I already have the router, it should be fairly simple to just upgrade and for sky to 'switch me on'.

i call sky and pass this information to them. They tell me that I must cancel my current order, then order fibre after the cancellation is processed.

Here is the issue I have...Sky tell me it can take up to 7 days to cancel, and I cannot order fibre until this cancellation occurs. Then, when I order fibre, I will have to wait several weeks for another open reach engineer to call (which would be unnecessary, because as per todays engineer, it is already active and ready to go). Worse still, I have to return the router they sent me, only to be sent the exact same router again once Fibre is ordered.

now, truthfully, I am not the wisest when it comes to this stuff, but is it not all a bit backwards to go through all this just to activate my line? I have the line, the equipment etc. so why are we waiting? Can't they just upgrade me to fibre and call it a day? 

the most frustrating part is that I work from home. My employment requires a broadband connection. And I timed this move to avoid any loss of earnings due to a lack of broadband. But if this takes 3 weeks, I am about to lose a lot of money in missed earnings. 

it crossed my mind after the fact, but would they have just activated my line today, and it work, despite me having a fibre line instead of copper? I'd like the benefits of having fibre, but I'd have taken lower speeds in favour of nothing at all in the interim.

any suggestions? perhaps my lack of knowledge here has just resulted in me moaning about something that can't be helped, but I honestly feel like this process to get connected is very dumb and a huge waste of time. 

sorry for ranting, but I am frustrated to say the least lol

[Chrisee]

@Pabs2 short answer is no there isn't a short cut. It sounds like the Openreach database search for your new address did not pick up the full fibre connection which is pretty odd. Sky will never allow two broadband services at one street address so the first order needs cancelling before the order for the fibre line can be placed. 

[Pabs2]

I appreciate your reply, thank you. 

i see your point, in that they wouldn't allow for 2 active connections at one address. But then I'd rather they just changed the plan I am on, rather than having to cancel and there being an overlap of active connections. And I use the term 'active' loosely, as there is in fact nothing active right now, but I digress.

I guess I am trying to simplify a process that is more complicated than I am taking into consideration.

and yes, I was honestly shocked when the engineer said there was fibre. Especially considering the previous occupants had been using that line too, I am not sure how openreach don't have that updated at their end. And I am not sure why he needed to add a copper line for him to activate my line either, wouldn't it have just worked with the fibre line anyway. 

a friend suggested just getting fibre via a different provider to save a little time, as I cannot imagine Sky rushing themselves to cancel my order. And given that each day without broadband would be losing me money, saving even a few days is important.

[GD1]

@Pabs2  Even if you decided to order through another provider on the Openereach network it would be a minimum 10 working days from ordering 

[Pabs2]

I know. But I wouldn't have to wait for Sky to cancel my current order before ordering, thus saving a little time.

[Chrisee]

@Pabs2 you could order from another isp assuming they pick up,the corrrect line and not make the same mistake as Sky. Sounds like there is an issue with the Openreach database which given there are over 30 million entries is not impossible. Where there arecdatabase errors these havecto be sorted beforecan order can be placed.

You can see what the database says by putting your full address into this checker Openreach Checker

If you want help,understanding the output post thectable and first 3 lines of the notes after obscuring  the reference to your address.

[Pabs2]

Is this what you wanted me to post? I cropped out the address info at the top, assuming the rest is safe to share.

 

[Chrisee]

@Pabs2 which shows exactly why Sky ordered a partial copper service as the FFTP line is "on demand" which means no fibre is laid to that address and standard full fibre cannot be ordered. The comment FTTP not being available is pretty clear.

Quite how there is a fibre line to the property in fact  is a mystery. Is there an alternative address? Was the engineer referring to a non-Openreach connection perhaps from Virgin Media or some third party network?

Ordering from another isp will access the record you have so is pointless.

[Pabs2]

Honestly, I know nothing other than what the engineer told me. To quote him, he said there is a fibre line installed, so ripping that out to install a copper line would be very silly. He then went and made a call, came back and set up the router with the fibre modem.

once he attached everything, he told me that there is a light on the fibre modem. If it flashes, it is doesn't work, if the light is constant, then the fibre line is active. It is at this point, that he advised me to call Sky and ask to change the package I ordered.

Just to be clear, I didn't decide to cancel this by myself, I just followed the instructions of openreach engineer. I honestly wasn't bothered about even having fibre, I was already under the impression I couldn't get it in the first place.

[Pabs2]

I forgot to mention, the light was constant on the fibre modem. The engineer told me this indicated that the line was active and that I should be on a fibre package. Hence why he told me to call Sky. The cancellation with Sky, was the advice from a Sky rep, who told me I had to cancel so I could switch to fibre. 

honestly, I am totally lost here. I can see from that table that it clearly says fibre is unavailable, but like I said, I was already under that impression anyway prior to the engineer call out.

[Chrisee]

@Pabs2 this is a total one off personally I would leave it with Sky to get this sorted as no other isp can order an Openreach full fibre service based on that record. The ONT will bear Openreach branding if it is one of their's if so how it got there is a mystery unless there is an alternative street address for the property as the record you posted shows no fibre infrastructure available in the road.

[Pabs2]

Under your advisement, I'll leave it with Sky then. The open reach engineer also seemed perplexed by the difference between the records and what he saw in the property. 

I too was surprised, but my guess would be that with the property being newly built a few years ago, perhaps the records are inaccurate? The apartments replaced an older building that was seemingly demolished beforehand. 

Do you think given the circumstances here, they would still arrange for another openreach engineer to call out before activating my line? According to openreach, his opinion was that there was nothing more required from his end, that it would just be sky that would activate it from their end?

apologies for all the questions and confusion, I am just trying to furnish myself with as much information and understanding as possible before I have make my next call to

order fibre. I fear it won't be easy lol

[Chrisee]

@Pabs2 try running that search again as it is possible there are multiple records for the old apartments one of which had a fibre connection. A powered ONT implies there was a service recently in the property clearly it wasn't on the record you searched on. 

Checking the post code database might show additional addreses for the property. Sites that are redeveloped can get complicated and sometimes havecan address on two different roads.

[GD1]

@Pabs2  How is your address listed on Royal Mail?  Is there a postcode discrepancy?

[Pabs2]

I tried to find another version of my property in the database but came up short. I really have no idea. It would make sense for there to be another version somewhere that may have the accurate records, but it certainly isn't obvious to me. I scrolled through every property connected to that post code.