Cost of moving cable entry point?

[NTLveteran]

Hi folks I would like to change my VM cable entry point from the back of my house to the front so that I can use a wired connection to my PC in the hope of increasing my broadband speed. It would mean cutting off about 15m of cable and re-routing it to the bedroom I now use as an office. I have spent a lot of time trying to improve the wi-fi in my house but it has been an expensive lost cause. An Ethernet cable to the PC would hopefully give me something closer to the M200 speed I pay for for rather than the painfully slow speed I get at the moment.

Does anyone know how much VM would charge for this work? Has anyone done it themselves? (It looks pretty straightforward)  Would VM raise any objection to me doing a spot of DIY? At least I would be a happier customer if I could get my speed up to three figures.

Cheers

An NTL old boy

(Apologies if this question has been asked many times in the past)

[Anonymous]

no electrician would go out and do a hours work for less than £99 if they are good. if you want an electrician to come and change a light fitting expect a minimum of £100

[NTLveteran]

Thanks Ap

I have got a BT line, but it very old and known as a 'shared line'. I think it means one cable serves two houses. The trouble is that my neighbour who shares the line, has got a BT internet service on his part of the line and when I tried to get the same service BT said the line couldn't handle it. They said it would costs me hundreds or even thousands of pounds to have a new line run from the telephone exchange to my place, which sounds daft as there is a green box only about 50 yards away. I don't really understand all this telephone line stuff, but  NTL's cable sounded much more useful so I went with them.

[Anonymous]

do £1000's to get a Openreach line or £99 to get VM to move your line.
Or as much as you want to spend on getting anyone to install an ethernet cable from the Hub to where ever you want another switch or wireless access point.

[Roger_Gooner]

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@NTLveteran wrote:

Thanks Ap

I have got a BT line, but it very old and known as a 'shared line'. I think it means one cable serves two houses. The trouble is that my neighbour who shares the line, has got a BT internet service on his part of the line and when I tried to get the same service BT said the line couldn't handle it. They said it would costs me hundreds or even thousands of pounds to have a new line run from the telephone exchange to my place, which sounds daft as there is a green box only about 50 yards away. I don't really understand all this telephone line stuff, but  NTL's cable sounded much more useful so I went with them.

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You are sharing a drop cable with two pairs, one for your house and the other for his. And it isn't DACS as he has internet.

[NTLveteran]

Blimey! Hundred quid labour to change a light fitting? You could only get away with scams like that if you are dealing with clueless people with money to burn. As I mentioned earlier, I know enough about electrics to know when a rip-off merchant starts quoting crazy figures for basic tasks. At least if I do need major work carried out I can trust relatives and neighbours to quote a fair price. Sadly, such good guys are a dying breed. 

I would also like to add that if any electrician tried to charge me £100 an hour labour I would charge him £15 for every cup of tea or coffee consumed and £10 for a biscuit.

[jbrennand]

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@NTLveteran wrote:

Thanks John

Luckily we have two electricians and a computer systems engineer in the family and three electricians live within 50 yards of our place. They are all top blokes and don't charge daft prices.

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Excellent, ask them how much they would charge for moving an electrical socket for someone who they dont know and lives 20 miles away.

[NTLveteran]

Thanks John

i would agree that moving an electrical socket plus a 40-mile trip is going to cost more than simply changing a light fitting but I would still be wary about paying £100 an hour for labour. Also, in more than 50 years of owning modest little homes, I have never had to find an electrician I didn't know. I am lucky to live in a village out in the sticks where we have electricians within walking distance. The last time we had an emergency (a Christmas Day morning about 20 years ago when the cooker packed up) one of the local chaps strolled round, fixed it in a few minutes, wished us 'Merry Christmas' and charged the basic rate.

Looking back to our first two homes, both of which needed total re-wires, father-in-law did the work and at 'family rates'. He had learned his trade as a 'Sparks' in the RAF and while I worked alongside him as a sort of apprentice, he talked about the aircraft he worked on: Spitfires during the Battle of Britain,  'Mossies and  'Lancs' during his time with Pathfinder Force trading in in Canada and on ops in Norfolk and finally Sunderland and Catalina flying boats with Coastal Command in India. 

What's all this got to do with my VM broadband, you might be asking? Nothing really. I was transported back to the good old days when we didn't need 10ft wide televisions, streaming films, high-speed news and social media and it was possible to find skilled electricians who didn't charge a fortune. 

However, I am not a miserable old git and I am very grateful for the advice given so far. I'll do the decent thing and will pay the £99. But not a farthing more!

Cheers

NTLoldie

[NTLveteran]

Thanks John. 

I accept that moving a socket and making a 40-mile round trip is likely to cost more than changing a light fitting, but I would still be wary about being charged £100 an hour for basic electrical work.

However, I am not a grumpy old git and I am grateful for the advice given. I might pay VM £99 to re-route my cable, but not a farthing more!

[dannylau]

To be fair the £100 is a fixed price if takes an hour or a day it's the same cost

[Pmcdonald]

My electrician did it for £30 & a cuppa.