Manhole cover broken

[Andrewwinwibsey]

 

Why after 2 months won't VM come and fix this broken dangerous hole that's appeared no one at VM responds.

[goslow]

Reporting section on the forum for this is here

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Digital-life/How-to-report-damage-to-street-equipment/ba-p/4151...

No guarantee of any better/quicker VM response but that is the correct section to log the issue.

Also try your local authority for reporting issues in the street. They should refer to VM and possibly put a barrier around the hole.

[jpeg1]

How has this been broken?  Holes don't just "appear".  If it's been done by vehicles driving over it then as @goslow says that will have to be prevented.

[Adri_G]

Hey Andrewwinwibsey, thanks for posting on our forum with this issue and for bringing it to our attention.

We're sorry to hear of this damaged equipment not being fixed in 2 months time, we're eager to best assist with sending someone out to fix this.
Please, expect my private message here shortly so we can share more info.
Check the top-right corner of our forum and you should see a purple envelope. Click this and you'll see my message.

[Andrewwinwibsey]

It was broken by the council grass cutters with their ride on machines.  Every time they come it gets smashed more.  Thought I would be proactive in reporting it but this should be a sunken cover rather than raised.

[David_Bn]

Thanks for coming back to us @Andrewwinwibsey.

We've been able to have this reported to the appropriate team, and we certainly hope that this has been resolved for you as soon as possible.

Kindest regards,

David_Bn

[Andrewwinwibsey]

Any update on this guy's, we've had the temporary cover now for two weeks that's knocking on for almost 3 months.  Is there a shortage of manhole covers and concrete with your teams.  I hate to say it but the council would have sorted this in a faster time.

[jem101]

Would it not be a good idea to stop waiting for VM to sort this out and instead formally report it to your local authority as a dangerous trip hazard?

After all in the unfortunate case of someone falling over it after it had been reported and then if said person were to call one of the ‘ambulance chasing  lawyers 4U’ companies - it won’t look good!

[goslow]

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@Andrewwinwibsey wrote:

Any update on this guy's, we've had the temporary cover now for two weeks that's knocking on for almost 3 months.  Is there a shortage of manhole covers and concrete with your teams.  I hate to say it but the council would have sorted this in a faster time.

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Just to manage your expectations on this ...

Your speed of a fix may depend on how well the local VM operation works in your area.

In some cases there is a fast turn around and those reporting a cabinet/manhole problem post back about a quick fix.

In the 'repairs' section of the forum linked at #2 above, they used to leave all the entries on display. The list was extensive. Some of the repairs were still pending months later. the list is now regularly edited to recent reports.

In another topic here

https://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Tech-Chatter/Cable-box-broken-for-over-5-years/m-p/4825278

the OP mentioned the cabinet had been broken for a long time which Google Streetview showed as first broken in April 2019.

If you view the latest Streetview for Sept 2022, the cabinet is still broken 3 1/2 years later (although VM have put up some new barriers!)

As with all things VM, your outcome and timescale for a fix may be a total lottery!

[Andrewwinwibsey]

I came to this forum for some help and assistance to move this broken manhole issue on, as its a VM manhole I would expect that its VMs responsibility to fix rather than the council.  I have reported it to both VM and the council but struggling to see what they would do other than escalate with VM.  It appears that as stated repairs are a lottery with VM they must have resourcing issues as I have seen underperforming companies fix thigs much quicker pot holes , bus shelters , fly tipping , burst water pipes etc.  Please do not respond to this message unless you are confirming direct from VM that the issues will be fixed and the timescale as open / sarcastic questions are not really helpful.  Pretty disappointed with the outcome so far to fix a simple issue, in the meantime I'll send a quick email and copy in all the VM Chiefs and local newspaper about this maybe one of them might look into it some time soon.