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tomg3's avatar
tomg3
Joining in
3 months ago

Virgin engineers cut my cable during neighbours installation

Virgin engineers cut my cable during neighbours installation on Thursday 5th Dec. An engineer came to me on Friday 5th but said he wasn't able to repair it and would book another engineer to come to fix it that same afternoon. Nobody showed up. Now being told I need to wait until the 23rd December, during which time I have no service. 

  • Make sure you register for a total loss of service re automatic compensation. 

  • Another engineer came on Friday 6th and put these tags on the cables. He then told me that he had booked another engineer to come out that same day to repair this. As you can see he has put tags presumably to help the next engineer to fix the cable. 

  • Virgin are now telling me that I need to wait until the 23rd December for this damage to be repaired

  • -tony-'s avatar
    -tony-
    Alessandro Volta

    i can see one end of the cable has a crimped F connector on it - wwhat does the other end look like - has the tech put a connector on that - if so what gap is there between them when you put them together - if they touch thene its just a matter of a barrel connector a if there is a gap then there are other bits that will get you up and running - the tech makes no sense - he has parts on his van tha could get you up and running - might not looke very neat but what the hell it would work

    • tomg3's avatar
      tomg3
      Joining in

      Hi, thanks for the comment. Here are more pictures of the two ends. One of these I can see goes directly into my flat where my router is. (Left image). The other one goes down into a metal casing on the corner of the building, down into the ground with a load of other cables. (Right image). The both say 'Cabelcon 4.9'. LH cable (from my flat) says on the yellow tag 'please fit omni and reconnect here'. The yellow tag on the RH cable (into ground) says 'pull on this for new drop'. So these just need to be reconnected? Please if someone can help me understand what is going on here.
       

  • -tony-'s avatar
    -tony-
    Alessandro Volta

    cannot see picteres until they are approved but from your description its unclear what they have done and exactly what the description on the cable marked  "pull on this for new drop" means - so am guessing a bit - you dont say how close the 2 ends come together but if they are close then get one of these and join them

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/183829316019

    if they are a distance apart then you will need to try a bit of 'make it up as you go' - so

    the above fitting or 2 and 

    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282077526694

    assuming the cable marked to the drop is good then that should work

    those are just examples from ebay - B & Q may sell them - they certainly sell the 1st one

     

     

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    Yes, it looks very like the cable is to be used to pull a new one back to your house. That would explain the long wait, as the local VM subcontractors will have been booked to do that work.  In that case the Dec 23 date will be a nominal holding date and not to be relied on.

    If you can join the two ends and that works it would be ideal. But there are two cables on the  left. If the cut end left hanging is the live feed then joining the connectors isn't going to work.

    • tomg3's avatar
      tomg3
      Joining in

      Thanks for the comment. The cut cable you refer to in the left image goes up to a different flat in the building, so presumably is just totally redundant. The one with the connector goes to my flat and was presumably connected until Thursday when my service went down. What does it mean to 'pull a new cable' in? The cable on the right goes into the ground and the engineer has put a connector on and tagged it 'pull on this for new drop'. Why would he have put a connector on it if it isn't a working cable? And if it is a working cable, why didn't he just join them together? (They can reach together and touch easily)

      • -tony-'s avatar
        -tony-
        Alessandro Volta

        good questions that no one here including VM staff cannot answer - buy a connector and join them up - costa a £1 or there abouts and it might do all you want - long term it needs an omni box which is what the tech has said - they are usually fitted by contractors 

        to pull a new cable means just that - a new cable from the street cabinet to your omnibox - thats the ideal solution but if its with outside contractors it could be days weeks or months - the date you have as said above is a holding date - no guarantee they will come on that date

        the puzzle [to me] is why they cut a good connection that was working to connect a new customer - its not unknown for tem to piggy back onto an existing cable - you and the new customer dont need a unique cable bck to the cabinet although thats the usual method

        so as said go spend a £1 or so at your local B & Q and see what happens - if it works you are there until they finally turn up - wrap it in waterproof tape and [hopefully] you will be running and fine

  • jpeg1's avatar
    jpeg1
    Alessandro Volta

    Pulling a new cable means using the old cable through the ground or duct to pull a new one. In the worst case it could mean digging. 

    But first try joining the cables with a suitable adaptor, and wrap it with waterproof tape.