My Spark/Chorus UFB install so far

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DarthKermit

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#1493046 16-Feb-2016 09:37

andrew027:

My street is not due for fibre for some time yet, but I "enjoy" reading these threads in the hope that I will learn something to ease my install when it's available. I might be wrong, but I get an overwhelming impression that techs are opting for the quickest (and cheapest?) solutions they can find, even if that means leaving homeowners living with ugly cabling choices marring their property or suboptimal equipment location potentially degrading wifi performance. What I can't figure out is whether this is laziness on the installers' part or a directive from higher up to save time and money due to the sheer volume of work.

It's human nature to find short cuts and the quickest/easiest ways to do things. Since Chorus deem that along-the-nearest-fence installs, direct burying the fibre carrying tube at a depth of 200 mm and other such techniques are ok, it must be official policy. I don't know if this was directed from their pay masters (Crown Fibre Holdings) or ultimately from the government because there's a fixed amount of cash left to complete the infrastructure roll out.

Some of these quick and nasty installs will no doubt come back to bite the customers and Chorus in the future.

Approx. when is your street getting it, andrew027?

andrew027

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#1493688 17-Feb-2016 09:51

@DarthKermit: Approx. when is your street getting it, andrew027?

When I enter my address on the Chorus web site it shows in an area shaded to mean "Fibre planned by Jun-17" but the text above the map says "UFB fibre up to 200 Mbps by Oct-2016". So I'm keeping the 2017 date in my head and if I get a letter in the mailbox saying it's available any earlier then I treat that as a bonus.

shortcircuit

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#1499997 26-Feb-2016 16:52

Just thought I'd update the update :0

Exactly 2 weeks ago I got a call from 'someone higher up in Chorus' after my PM to Jase2985.

The Chorus person was empathetic and said that she would go back to the design people to see what could be done.

Today she called me back and confirmed that they could not run 2 fibre cables down the ducting for the old copper line behind the units, but that they will 'design a new fibre connection' for us.

She was upfront and told me that the fibre install will happen- it will just take quite a while longer to get through the design and install process, but that she will keeps tabs on it until it is done.

Must say it's refreshing to speak to someone who actually takes ownership and appears to know what they are talking about.

minimoke

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#1500464 27-Feb-2016 17:49

Im about to enter the Spark fray. First attempt on website failed. I've a static IP and there website says some plans are eligible for one and some are free. (Most Spark Broadband Plans are eligible for a Static IP. Some plans include a free Static IP, while with other plans there is an additional cost.")". So tried the call center. After 30 minutes on hold gave up. Second attempt a 10 minute wait and then transferred to someone else - but got left on the line for another 30 minutes so gave up.

Got sent an email saying I had called customer service and they sough my feedback. I gave it 0 out of 10. A complete fail for a communications technology company.

Got a phone call today. from a customer service person. All seems straight forward (except my supposedly free Static Ip apparently isn't and they been charging me for it). Ive ordered the 100 plan and looks like the modem is on its way (for $14). They need to do something with Enable and stressed here was no timeframe. Added complication may be the 60m shared driveway. Shouldn't be a problem as they undergrounded wires about 6 years ago and its been dug up so many time over the past five years i've lost count.

So time to sit back and see what happens next.

shortcircuit

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#1526433 5-Apr-2016 16:28

Yesterday I came home to find two guys working on cutting channels across the concrete driveway for the fibre cables after Chorus advised me it could take a few weeks or more to get to that stage.

No notice that they were coming (but they did leave a message on my mobile same day to say they were here). They came back today and dug down the side of the drive, put the cable(s) in and filled the cuts in the drive with resin/cement.

I have to say they did a really good job (compared to some I've seen in my travels!) and tidied up well without any drama, but it did block the drive most of the day and it would have been great to have more notice before they came yesterday.

Just have to wait for the next step in the never-ending story, which I believe is another tech coming to install the outside ONT and hook up the other end at the street, then presumably more wait before the individual indoor cabling is done.

Only 4 months since starting on the journey and we're almost there

trig42

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#1526438 5-Apr-2016 16:44

I've got a scoping visit tomorrow.

It was supposed to be last Friday (and I was off work for another reason which is why I asked for that day) but they postponed because the guy was sick.

I can't be there tomorrow, but have left instructions with the wife (pretty simple, I want the ONT in the hallway cupboard, I have put power in there and run an Ethernet cable from there to where the router will be and I have drilled a hole in the floor for the cable to come in - very easy access to under the house - on poles).

I hope there are no issues with this... Install is supposed to be next week. I'm finding it a bit hard without internet (just moved back into house last Friday, haven't bothered setting up copper)

New World

Shop on-line at New World now for your groceries (affiliate link).

shortcircuit

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#1533509 15-Apr-2016 12:40

The Chorus guy came this morning to hook up the cable from the street and 'scope' the internal build

First thing he said was 'why didn't they put the pipe down the side of the house?... it would have been a lot easier than cutting the driveway in two places'. As this is what we had been trying to have done- and been knocked back repeatedly- I was not impressed.

Next thing I pointed out to him that we were told the ONT had to go on the concrete block base of the second unit and could not go on the wooden outside wall of my garage (30cm to the right). The Chorus guy said he can't put the box on the concrete block of the neighbours basement as it would be trespassing (A term they seem to use often nowadays!)

Turns out that the Chorus guy was only here to hook up my cable and the neighbour has to have a separate ONT box outside... which they have to order through their ISP, then the same Chorus guy will come along within about 60 days and install it next to my already installed box.

So, now we will have two terminal boxes side by side in the front of our units (only a minor eyesore) when they could have gone behind the units where no-one would see them.

Next problem the Chorus guy looked at where I wanted the internal fibre terminal (where there is already a copper phone socket in a closet) and he said he couldn't do it because he couldn't get the fibre cable to the closet from the garage (an internal garage connected to the house). I pointed out that there was already a Cat5 cable I'd run from the garage under the house to the closet, so he seemed to think that was OK. I'm assuming that if I could run a cable from A to B, he should be able to do the same.

I checked with him that he would be the technician coming back on the 27th to do the internal install (just save me going through it all with yet someone else new) and he commented that was a long time to wait...

The last bit of fun was that I had to fill out a form giving permission for the tech to 'drill holes', 'access under house' 'attach things to outside of house' etc...

shortcircuit

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#1548712 9-May-2016 14:37

I was going to let this thread die as I eventually got the fibre connection hooked up (with help from Wheelbarrow 1 and other Chorus people- whos' help I really appreciate despite this rant)

After the install of the ENT outside my garage a few weeks ago the Chorus tech advised me that my neighbour's wasn't getting done at the same time (even though they had told their provider they wanted fibre at the same time).

So, the neighbour's wire is sitting beside my box and Chorus tell me that they don't have any request for neighbour's fibre install on file.... will take up to a month from now.

Chorus guy is booked to come back 2 weeks later to do the inside connection, in the mean time my copper phone line mysteriously disconnects two days early. I phone Spark and explain I am getting fibre installed... disconnection something to do with that? The call centre guy (in the Philippines I reckon) just says they will get Tech out and insists on reading me the 'We will charge you if no fault found" speel. I explain that they have already charged me before when my phone line went down and instead of getting a tech out especially I would wait until the fibre tech turns up in two days... Guy hangs up on me without a word... phew

Copper phone line suddenly starts again next day, tech comes to finish fibre install and all is going good.

After four months of the most grueling backwards and forwards with any company that I have dealt with.... Success!!!!

The person at Chorus who was keeping an eye on the install for me called me almost immediately they finished the fibre install, just to check it was all OK and I was 'happy'. I thought that was the end of the story, but this week I had a few missed calls from an Auckland number on my mobile, answered the last one and it was a guy from Colmar Brunton (advertising survey people) on the line. When I told him I wasn't interested he said a bit snarky "You don't even know what it's about..." I asked him and then he informed me that he was calling on behalf of Chorus because I had recently had fibre installed. I hung up on him.

This is why I'm pissed, after dealing with about four different companies and 10 different people over my fibre install over a period of 4 months you'd be pretty sure that I was not going to give a glowing response to a survey. I'm even less likely to after a service provider is happy to give my phone number without my consent to a third party 'customer survey company'.

Basically Chorus- as someone else on Geekzone said recently.... Get your shirt together

If the company I work for acted like this we would not be in business very long.

timmmay

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#1548718 9-May-2016 14:44

Why wouldn't you give them feedback when they asked? That shows they want to improve, or at least document how good / bad it was.

shortcircuit

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#1548722 9-May-2016 14:56

timmmay:

Why wouldn't you give them feedback when they asked? That shows they want to improve, or at least document how good / bad it was.

Because I had just given my feedback to the person at Chorus direct (as politely as I could). I think they were aware of what needed to improve :)

Sideface

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#1548776 9-May-2016 16:16

shortcircuit:

timmmay:

Why wouldn't you give them feedback when they asked? That shows they want to improve, or at least document how good / bad it was.

Because I had just given my feedback to the person at Chorus direct (as politely as I could). I think they were aware of what needed to improve :)

That's called "cutting off your nose to spite your face".

Colmar Brunton would have recorded your response/criticism - the call centre will have deliberately forgotten it as quickly as possible and moved on the the next unhappy customer.

I would have welcomed the survey with open arms, and told Colmar Brunton exactly what I thought of Chorus.

Sideface

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