Open Reach cut my Virgin fibre cable

[Tr3v0r]

Hi there, my street (TW167PR) is been dug up by Open Reach to lay their infrastructure.  They are using an angle grinder to cut into the tar on the public pavement outside my house and in the process have cut the Virgin fibre line to my house. The above ground cable to my house is fine. They claim that the Virgin technicians who laid the fibre in the pavement did so incorrectly as it was too near the tar surface.

I am unable to register this issue with your automated helpdesk, cannot get to speak to a human and urgently need to get back online as I’m working from home. Are you aware of this issue?  Open Reach claim to have called Virgin.  By when will this issue be sorted?

[Tr3v0r]

Hi there, my street (TW167PR) is been dug up by Open Reach to lay their infrastructure.  They are using an angle grinder to cut into the tar on the public pavement outside my house and in the process have cut the Virgin fibre line to my house. The above ground cable to my house is fine. They claim that the Virgin technicians who laid the fibre in the pavement did so incorrectly as it was too near the tar surface.

I am unable to register this issue with your automated helpdesk, cannot get to speak to a human and urgently need to get back online as I’m working from home. Are you aware of this issue?  Open Reach claim to have called Virgin.  By when will this issue be sorted?

[MOD EDIT: Subject title changed for clarity]

[Tr3v0r]

 

[japitts]

You can check for known area outages using the automated line 0800 5610061.

Otherwise the quickest way to report any loss of service is by calling 0345 4541111 from any working phone.

What's the issue you're having with calling? Once you've chosen the "I have a fault" options, don't press anything else and just wait.

[Alex_RM]

Hi Tr3v0r,

Thanks for posting, and sorry to hear of the cabling issue.

So I can help I'll need a few more details from you, I've popped you over a private message (purple envelope, top right hand corner)

Alex_Rm

[Tr3v0r]

I’ve called 0345 4541111 and the process now is that they sms you links at the end of the options selected.  No option to hold for a human.  Furthest I got was to book a technician online to visit but that comes with a call out charge and this issue was caused by Open Reach cutting the pavement.  When last did you call them?

[japitts · Accepted solution]

Tried calling just now, and nothing seems to have changed if you press nowt - the queue beckons.

Mind, if you can book an appointment via the automated menu then go for it. You should only only charged if the fault has been caused by accidental or malicious damage on your part.

Getting a tech out has to be your number one priority here - VM may know of the problem but until you're certain of that, assume they don't.

Staff should respond on here in due course, but it's not a real-time forum.

[Alex_RM]

Thank you for sending your details over via private message 🙂

I've passed these details onto the team to get this looked into asap.

Alex_Rm

[Tr3v0r]

Thanks, they did get hold of me via private msg on here and the issue is logged, someone should be out in 48 hours.  Kelly Group for Openreach, who angle-grinded through Virgin's fibre cable, also are also sometimes contracted to Virgin they said.  These workmen are blaming the Virgin installers for not burying my fibre cable to the required depth and said they also cut through 2 other houses' cables down the road.  Apparently this is a common outcome of installing Openreach.

[Tr3v0r]

The Virgin team have not arrived yet after 24 hours and it was essential to get back online today so the Openreach contractors reconnected the cable themselves and tarred over the hole in the pavement.  They are also contracted to Virgin for work so knew what to do.  No need for Virgin team to come out now.

Thanks.