Chorus OHUG quote that makes no sense...

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17 posts

Geek

#2139591 5-Dec-2018 09:19

Wheelbarrow01:

Hi @chrisallen,

Can you please flick me a PM with your Spark and/or Chorus order number, and I will look into this for you.

Many thanks,

Simon @ Chorus

Thank you @Wheelbarrow01 ! I have just PM'ed you my details.

Sabertown

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2139684 5-Dec-2018 11:02

I wonder if there quotes are made up of things like this, received from their Network Services when requesting green pipe...

Costs: Free Green Pipe

As you are within a Chorus UFB area, the first 100 metres of 20mm pipe is free.

Thereafter we will invoice you $224.25 (GST Incl) for any length up to 100m.

So if you end up needing 1 meter of pipe they will charge you $224.25??

Very frustrating and they don't want to discuss a break down of what they are wanting to charge you for, what companies can get away with quoting a big lump sum then say take it or leave it when they are the only ones authorized to do the work...

chevrolux

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#2139723 5-Dec-2018 11:56

Sabertown:

Very frustrating and they don't want to discuss a break down of what they are wanting to charge you for, what companies can get away with quoting a big lump sum then say take it or leave it when they are the only ones authorized to do the work...

Haha yep, and how did Chorus come in to existence again? Oh that's right, to increase competition in the telco market.

kingjj

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#2139774 5-Dec-2018 12:48

That's an incredible cost considering the work you've done. I'm not in the know at all but I did get our fibre moved at our old house 3 years ago (we got it installed underground then decided a year later to build an extension over the top of the install so it had to be moved) and it only cost us $660 which involved a contractor retrenching (new microtrench would have been 2-3 metres longer than previous) and installing a new duct as well as blowing new fibre to the ETP. Took the fella a solid 4 hours (including repair time to our water main that he clipped). This was Enable mind you not Chorus, I was very happy with the price and the work done.

DarthKermit

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#2139880 5-Dec-2018 14:07

@ Chris, I take my hat off to you for all that work. I did a similar job for my own install to yours. Except I didn't already have fibre to start with.

How long is your run of green conduit in total? Did you install some kind of draw string inside it?

Chorusnz

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Chorus

#2140321 6-Dec-2018 08:32

Hey all, I Just want to drop in here and provide a little bit of clarity around our pricing structure.

Remember that while we don’t charge you initially for the scoping and design, that is still time and money for us. This additional time is factored into the overall quoted cost.

Regarding having done the trenching and burying conduit yourself. While that does reduce our overall required labour, we still need to ensure its been done correctly. As part of our network, the onus will be on us to maintain it (even though we didn’t install it) and we would be taking on the risk it may get damaged. This is additional work and time that must be factored in.

@ chrisallen If you want to message us directly, we’re happy to look over the full design and go into it more detail with you. ^Richard

Taubin

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#2140362 6-Dec-2018 09:20

Chorusnz:

Regarding having done the trenching and burying conduit yourself. While that does reduce our overall required labour, we still need to ensure its been done correctly.

Certainly ensuring it's been "done correctly" doesn't cost nearly as much as it would (in labour/time) as it would for you to do it. The savings of what he was quoted is absolutely ridiculous, especially if that's your excuse for only knocking a couple hundred bucks off.

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2140367 6-Dec-2018 09:40

Chorusnz:

Regarding having done the trenching and burying conduit yourself. While that does reduce our overall required labour, we still need to ensure its been done correctly. As part of our network, the onus will be on us to maintain it (even though we didn’t install it) and we would be taking on the risk it may get damaged.

I don't want to sound petty, but Chorus lets some absolutely atrocious work slip through and be connected to their network. The OP has clearly documented the work which was done, with photographic evidence. I doubt any of your contractors would document their work to that extent.

If I were in his situation, I would be doing the same. I want to ensure what Chorus connects to my network is done correctly.

evilonenz

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#2140378 6-Dec-2018 09:50

Chorusnz:

Regarding having done the trenching and burying conduit yourself. While that does reduce our overall required labour, we still need to ensure its been done correctly. As part of our network, the onus will be on us to maintain it (even though we didn’t install it) and we would be taking on the risk it may get damaged. This is additional work and time that must be factored in.

I'm sure this would be relevant, however considering almost all of your sub-contractors/installers tend to tack fibre cables to fences, or other stupid places, I'm sure the OP's install will be better than 90% of the Chorus lead installs.

If Chorus are wanting to take the full onus of this so called 'maintenance' of their installed networks, perhaps it should be put into practice that the installs should have a certain set of requirements met (eg, not pinning to a bloody fence), and then your comments will actually be taken with some seriousness.

Smokeping

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chrisallen

17 posts

Geek

#2140384 6-Dec-2018 09:59

Update:

I have been in contact with Simon @ Chorus (@Wheelbarrow01), who has been awesome at understanding my situation, and is currently looking into my OHUG order.

I'll provide an update as things progress.

Sabertown

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2140518 6-Dec-2018 13:28

Chorusnz:

Regarding having done the trenching and burying conduit yourself. While that does reduce our overall required labour, we still need to ensure its been done correctly. As part of our network, the onus will be on us to maintain it (even though we didn’t install it) and we would be taking on the risk it may get damaged. This is additional work and time that must be factored in.

^Richard

From the photos Chris has posted which he passed onto the technician it's immediately clear the amazing job he has done, if done by Chorus it would have been a shallow spade slot trench in the ground with no conduit and micro trenched over the drive with much more risk to damaging it in future.

I know this because I tried to get a fibre put in the same 200mm slot trench when it was open and being done for a neighbor to save time for my install but was told they wouldn't because I didn't have an order at that time, When I did have an order I got the free green pipe from Chorus which was then checked by Chorus tech who delivered the pipe when the trench was open. I was not told I'd later be charged for this guys time in my OHUG quote when I requested "free" green pipe.

When I told the Chorus contractor who originally did my neighbors fibre that it took me 6 hours to dig that and lay my conduit next to his bare fibre I said at least mine would be better protected, he said "yeah see we can't spend 6 hours to put in green pipe we would make no money" So Chris has spent so much time to do better install than any contractor of Chorus would to give an end result of a far better protected fibre for your network.

My OHUG quote for a new connection included items that Chorus themselves hadn't even installed for my neighbors underground install that mine followed such as a hand hole and extending my green pipe 1 meter to meet a 50mm pipe when it didn't need extending, that would over shoot the 50mm pipe if you did that and a 32mm pipe got fitted after my quote as part of my neighbors install. It also didn't need a joint between 50mm and 20mm pipe.

Chorus is so sketchy about the charges and what you say differs from what I've been told in my quote such as technicians time isn't charged on an hourly basis...

"Install 32mm duct down the pole(4m)

Joint ruggedised fibre cable and haul it from pole up to the new handhole Locate end of 50mm duct and install a handhole over it.

Extend the 20mm duct laid by the customer to the handhole(1m) Provide as built plan

The code costs are commercially agreed with our service partners, and signed off on by commercial, legal and product teams for the work undertaken. In terms of charges for the technician’s time and materials, as this is not charged in a per hour format I am unable to provide that information."

Mine is a new OHUG connection unlike Chris's but otherwise near identical story of $974 charge of $450 plus gst for materials that aren't needed and huge labor charge for a 1 hour or less cable pull, they just cancelled my order so now I have to start again to get another quote. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofDshfKsV20

Why make it so hard for people to get connected, I thought that was why they changed the legislation to get better access to share property to get more people connected but then you do the good old kiwi DIY to have a nice neat install and you get stung for it! I can get a free aerial install that can't use my existing copper connection point becasue it can't be reached so they want to attach to some other part of the house that wasn't designed to have the pull of an aerial cable on it which is still more difficult for the chorus tech to do but free for me, of the Chorus tech can have an easy 1 hour ground level cable pull that costs me $974 when I already spent all the time doing the hard work??

It's just frustrating and disappointing, we are both willing to pay something but not these huge sums being asked that don't make sense and aren't/can't be justified.

chrisallen

17 posts

Geek

#2142378 10-Dec-2018 10:49

Update:

So after having my OHUG order looked into by Chorus, the pricing that was quoted has been confirmed as accurate. Sadly the cost is more than I can afford at this time, so I will be canceling the OHUG order, and waiting till mid next year when it's in the budget to pursue this.

Sabertown

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2142399 10-Dec-2018 11:55

chrisallen:

Update:

So after having my OHUG order looked into by Chorus, the pricing that was quoted has been confirmed as accurate. Sadly the cost is more than I can afford at this time, so I will be canceling the OHUG order, and waiting till mid next year when it's in the budget to pursue this.

So what are you exactly paying for then if the quote is accurate? Or are they just confirming the number they picked out of the sky is definitely still the same?

DarthKermit

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#2142400 10-Dec-2018 12:00

I guess because your property has already received its subsidy from the government for the UFB rollout, you're expected to pay the full cost for a new install.

BMarquis

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Chorus

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#2142414 10-Dec-2018 12:17

DarthKermit:

I guess because your property has already received its subsidy from the government for the UFB rollout, you're expected to pay the full cost for a new install.

I wont get involved in the OHUG cost - as that's not my area and others have looked at it.

But its worth pointing out that there is no such thing as a UFB install subsidy from the government.
Chorus is paying for the install of the communal UFB network and the home installation.
https://www.crowninfrastructure.govt.nz/ufb/who/ (select "read more" for Chorus)
"Chorus is not a Local Fibre Company; instead CIP invests directly in Chorus as the UFB network is deployed, in the form of non-voting equity and debt securities."

This article from 2012 has some detail of how it works...
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6730198/Chorus-gets-first-govt-cash

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