Chorus work swapped lines - how/who to get this fixed?

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crichton

111 posts

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# 78009 25-Feb-2011 17:23

Does anyone here know how to contact Chorus and get them to come back to tidy up their mistakes? They swapped two phone lines across the street. Big pain getting each others call. Neither of us had asked for any work to be done - probably a job for someone else in the street. But Chorus can't look up the records and tell the tech to come back and do the job properly. We have to go through the process of calling our own providers and getting new faults lodged to be repaired at some future date. Maybe next week.
Surely there must be some way to get the tech back asap to sort out the problem and why would he be disconnecting and reconnecting several phones in the area?

freitasm

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Geekzone

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# 443458 25-Feb-2011 17:46

Best way is probably your provider. Chorus doesn't deal directly with consumers, only the networks.

crichton

111 posts

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# 443473 25-Feb-2011 18:15

Yes, but what it amounts to is that Chorus will not accept responsibility for their error. No company should be permitted to deny responsibility for their own mistakes.
Why should my phone provider be lumbered with my complaints when they haven't been involved in the circus?
And where should I direct my demand for compensation? My provider will presumably opt out since they didn't initiate the fault. Chorus have already opted out since they won't even discuss the matter.

keewee01

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# 443482 25-Feb-2011 18:27

It's the same as any time a job is contracted out - you have to go back upstream. In this instance neither of you raised the job, but you still have to go to your phone companies to get the ball rolling. Ask to get it esculated. Don't know if it will do any good, but worth a try.

richms

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# 443487 25-Feb-2011 18:37

possibly a mistake when replacing a cabinet or something.

the guys I was talking too said that sometimes their records are not the best on old installs.

Richard rich.ms

Handle9

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# 443506 25-Feb-2011 19:49

crichton: Yes, but what it amounts to is that Chorus will not accept responsibility for their error. No company should be permitted to deny responsibility for their own mistakes.
Why should my phone provider be lumbered with my complaints when they haven't been involved in the circus?
And where should I direct my demand for compensation? My provider will presumably opt out since they didn't initiate the fault. Chorus have already opted out since they won't even discuss the matter.

Chorus aren't responsible for providing a phone service to you - your provider is. They are Chorus' customer so Chorus answer to them, not to you.

If you are unhappy with the service you get you direct it to the party who you pay. If they are unable to provide service due to their subcontractor's incompetence then they need to compensate you, not Chorus.

crichton

111 posts

Master Geek

# 443518 25-Feb-2011 20:36

Interesting take on the situation, but useless as far as resolving the situation goes.
People should be held responsible for their actions. If the Chorus van ran over my cat I would hold them responsible. If the Chorus tech had cut my power line I would hold them responsible.
How I get the problem fixed is an entirely separate matter.
Ii the neighbour and I had been at home and noticed the phone problem we would have approached the technician directly. You're saying that would be wrong, that we would have to go through the lengthy process of asking our service provider to file a fault report so that the sub-contractor to the service provider's contractor could schedule a visit next week to repair the fault. Too many people in the loop and all denying responsibility.

Handle9

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# 443521 25-Feb-2011 20:53

crichton: Interesting take on the situation, but useless as far as resolving the situation goes.
People should be held responsible for their actions. If the Chorus van ran over my cat I would hold them responsible. If the Chorus tech had cut my power line I would hold them responsible.
How I get the problem fixed is an entirely separate matter.
Ii the neighbour and I had been at home and noticed the phone problem we would have approached the technician directly. You're saying that would be wrong, that we would have to go through the lengthy process of asking our service provider to file a fault report so that the sub-contractor to the service provider's contractor could schedule a visit next week to repair the fault. Too many people in the loop and all denying responsibility.

The line of responsibilities are very clear.

Your provider is responsible for providing service. If their subcontractor is incompetent that does not remove their responsibility to you. They are responsible for providing service to you. You should be escalating this via their escalation process. It is unacceptable for them to blame their sub as you are paying them. They have a duty of care to you to fix the fault and, depending on your contract with them, provide compensation. It is your providers responsibility to get this fixed.

Chorus's responsibility is to them not to you unless they have damaged your property which they have not. They have made provider XXX's service unusable however they are authorised sub contractors to provider XX which makes it the providers responsibility.

If Chorus runs over your cat they have damaged your property and therefore are responsible to you.

I run sub contractors on lots of jobs and this the way it works. We make a margin on the sub contractors services and therefore assume responsibility to get things fixed if they go wrong. Obviously we will pass this onto the sub contractor but if they go bust then we still have to get it fixed. We make profit so we assume risk. It's how business works. Same with your phone provider.

swalker5872

60 posts

Master Geek

# 443538 25-Feb-2011 22:24

You could also ask your provider about getting your phone line temporarily diverted to a mobile number if its calling which you are most worried about.

Ragnor

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# 443543 25-Feb-2011 22:39

Technically you don't own the phone line to your house so your cat analogy is flawed.

The reality is you rent a service from your ISP who rent the service from Telecom wholesale who rent access to the physical infrastructure from Chorus.

The bottom line is call whoever you pay for your phone service, they will lodge a job with Telecom wholesale and chorus will correct the mistake.

For example:
Recently at a friends place a contractor doing road works backed into a phone pole resulting in the phone line going down. He rang his ISP/phone service provider (in this case vodafone) and the line was repaired the next day promptly.

keewee01

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# 443549 25-Feb-2011 23:29

crichton: Interesting take on the situation, but useless as far as resolving the situation goes.
People should be held responsible for their actions. If the Chorus van ran over my cat I would hold them responsible. If the Chorus tech had cut my power line I would hold them responsible.
How I get the problem fixed is an entirely separate matter.
Ii the neighbour and I had been at home and noticed the phone problem we would have approached the technician directly. You're saying that would be wrong, that we would have to go through the lengthy process of asking our service provider to file a fault report so that the sub-contractor to the service provider's contractor could schedule a visit next week to repair the fault. Too many people in the loop and all denying responsibility.

Yes, equally as useless as you trying to go direct to Chorus!! Go to your provider like everyone is telling you to. That is the only way you will get it fixed. Doing anything else is just useless and makes me think you are more interested in stirring fecal matter rather than getting it fixed. If you really want service restored then go to your service provider. Stir fecal matter later.

If a Chorus tech had cut your powerlines you would still need to go to your power company, who would then go to the relevant lines company to get it fixed.

Chrous can't do any work without a work order to carry it out first. Yes, one of their techs screwed up (but as someone else said - may not have been his fault, it could have been poor records), but you have to get a work order created via your provider to get it fixed! It is also not up to you to hold the Chorus tech responsible. They'll be answerable to their boss.

We have a local contracting firm digging up out street and foot path to replace the water mains. They cut the underground phone lines in the process. Me jumping up and down at them wasn't going to help anyone or get us any closer to getting our phone and internet restored - and I certainly would not have wanted them to do the repair. My first call was to... the phone company! They then contracted Chorus to come out and repair it.

John2010

532 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 443598 26-Feb-2011 10:37

Crichton, we had the same problem except we handled it correctly in the manner everyone is advising you to do but with which you only want to argue.

As soon as we recognised the problem after a repair to a pillar outside our home I phoned our provider and even though it was end of the working day they had the Chorus technician on the phone to us within 10 minutes apologising and advising that he would be straight around to fix it as soon as he finished his current job. In the meantime all our calls were diverted to mobile - turned out all was done and dusted within an hour.

crichton

111 posts

Master Geek

# 443617 26-Feb-2011 11:50

You were lucky then.
I reported it to my provider as soon as I found out. (Who said I had not?)
It was Friday, almost 5pm. I expect to hear from them Monday or Tuesday.

johnr

19282 posts

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# 443652 26-Feb-2011 13:59

crichton: You were lucky then.?
I reported it to my provider as soon as I found out.? (Who said I had not?)
It was Friday, almost 5pm.? I expect to hear from them Monday or Tuesday.

Your not the only person that has a fault right across New Zealand and many Chorus staff will be working over time in Chch

richms

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# 443654 26-Feb-2011 14:08

crichton: You were lucky then.
I reported it to my provider as soon as I found out. (Who said I had not?)
It was Friday, almost 5pm. I expect to hear from them Monday or Tuesday.

Name and shame because that is just not on.

Richard rich.ms

Spyware

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# 443660 26-Feb-2011 14:25

This type of incompetence seems normal with Chorus. Example, 3 lines into business with one split to fax and pabx. These 3 lines were connected incorrectly after telco change from Telstraclear to Vodafone as the number on each line was not identified. Chorus tech sent to resolve the issue didn't even have a handset to identify number on each line. I thought I was technically incompetent but after this I have no respect for these ignorant people at all. I had even emphasised the fact that one line was split specifically for a fax, what its number was and the fact that the line that the adsl was on was unknown to me. Second tech claimed a pabx tech was needed yet all rewiring related to a shift off a Telstraclear cabinet. Nothing had actually been changed within our building. It was like dealing with total idiots that shouldn't have technical jobs.

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