NZHerald running story on shoddy Chorus contractor installation work

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cisconz
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#1602678 2-Aug-2016 08:37

andrew027:

Even if the garage was lined I'd prefer to see the cable go through to the interior and run up the inside wall (with the assumption this would still get the cable to where it needs to be). The garage is already filled with tools and other "utility" items so a bit of conduit would not be too out of place, and it saves having a scar on the outside of the house that's visible from the street.

I think that is a good install - especially for free.
I have a Conduit run from the ETP into where I want my ONT to go with a draw cable already, I also have one from the boundary to the ETP as currently the copper is overhead and I don't want to keep that.
This way it is by far easiest for them to do exactly what I want.

Hmmmm

andrew027

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#1602687 2-Aug-2016 08:53

cisconz: I think that is a good install - especially for free.

I have a Conduit run from the ETP into where I want my ONT to go with a draw cable already, I also have one from the boundary to the ETP as currently the copper is overhead and I don't want to keep that.
This way it is by far easiest for them to do exactly what I want.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's a bad install. I've seen many that are much worse. Just that if it was my house I'd want it done differently.

cisconz

cisconz
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#1602691 2-Aug-2016 08:56

andrew027:

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's a bad install. I've seen many that are much worse. Just that if it was my house I'd want it done differently.

So do something about it then - In the words of good old JM - Help me to help you.

Hmmmm

DarthKermit

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#1602698 2-Aug-2016 09:27

During my own scoping visit, the man from Downer wanted to mount the FTP where it's shown in the below photo and run a conduit to the vent on the right.

I asked him if he'd leave the box with me so I could mount it myself and drill a hole thru the concrete foundation behind the FTP. He was happy to let me do that. It gave me a much tidier looking install.

andrew027

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#1602874 2-Aug-2016 13:13

cisconz:

andrew027: Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying it's a bad install. I've seen many that are much worse. Just that if it was my house I'd want it done differently.

So do something about it then - In the words of good old JM - Help me to help you.

I'm not getting your point. Are you doing my fibre install?

I plan on doing something about it. When I get an initial scope meeting (probably January) I will explore all options to have all cabling use the existing conduit my copper line runs through, and internal routing. My house is my most valuable asset, and it happens to be a house I really like. If I have to disfigure it to get UFB installed I'll stick with VDSL a bit longer while I do some new trenching and internal cable runs, in my own time and at my expense. To me, that would be like owning a Ferrari and being told that in order to upgrade the radio I have to have the aerial wires duct taped to the outside roof.

cisconz

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#1602877 2-Aug-2016 13:18

andrew027:

cisconz:

So do something about it then - In the words of good old JM - Help me to help you.

I'm not getting your point. Are you doing my fibre install?

I plan on doing something about it. When I get an initial scope meeting (probably January) I will explore all options to have all cabling use the existing conduit my copper line runs through, and internal routing. My house is my most valuable asset, and it happens to be a house I really like. If I have to disfigure it to get UFB installed I'll stick with VDSL a bit longer while I do some new trenching and internal cable runs, in my own time and at my expense. To me, that would be like owning a Ferrari and being told that in order to upgrade the radio I have to have the aerial wires duct taped to the outside roof.

My point is, the install shown in this thread is completely in scope of the guidelines.
If you want it done in a different manor, make it easy for the installer by getting stuff pre run. Sure it may cost a bit extra, however then you know it will be done right first time.

Hmmmm

froob

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#1602962 2-Aug-2016 14:16

andrew027:

...

I plan on doing something about it. When I get an initial scope meeting (probably January) I will explore all options to have all cabling use the existing conduit my copper line runs through, and internal routing. My house is my most valuable asset, and it happens to be a house I really like. If I have to disfigure it to get UFB installed I'll stick with VDSL a bit longer while I do some new trenching and internal cable runs, in my own time and at my expense. To me, that would be like owning a Ferrari and being told that in order to upgrade the radio I have to have the aerial wires duct taped to the outside roof.

I'd suggest having a plan and putting something in place prior to the scoping visit.

I also place value in my home's street appeal and wanted to avoid having anything too visible on the front wall. Our copper is an aerial lead that is attached to the fascia on the street side of the house, and I knew that the Chorus standard installation would be to run the fibre to the same place and drop it down the front wall in a conduit to the ETP. To avoid that, I put some conduit up through the soffit and ran it down through the house internally to a point for the ETP (which they didn't actually install in the end), then back to my comms cabinet.

When I arrived home for my "scoping visit" the Chorus technicians were already up the pole starting to connect the fibre. Predictably enough, they were very keen to just run the fibre down the front of the house in a conduit as above. It took quite a bit of convincing to get them to use the conduit I had installed, and they continued the install immediately after 10 minutes or so scoping.

In the end I think they were quite happy with the outcome, because the time saved let them do the entire connection in one afternoon. But, if my experience is anything to go by, I would be prepared for them wanting to do the exterior install straight after the scoping visit.

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andrew027

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#1603067 2-Aug-2016 16:21

froob: I'd suggest having a plan and putting something in place prior to the scoping visit.

While I understand everybody's needs are different, in my case I really need that scoping visit first, to find out what needs to be done, before any work starts.

I have copper installed through conduit that's sealed under reasonably expensive textured "pebblecrete" which I'll only cut to create a new trench if absolutley necessary. Obviously I'd prefer them to reuse the existing conduit, but if they can't then I want some say in where the cut goes, and get it done cleanly so I can do a decent repair afterwards. And I don't want to slice through my driveway before the scoping visit, then be told they could have used the existing conduit after all.

jmh

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#1610114 11-Aug-2016 14:20

I had ufb installed last year. The company had the option to cut through my concrete driveway or around the edge of the fence of my property (there is public reserve on the other side. They took the easier around the fence route. I recently had a guy round to fix the fence and he found the wires just lying on top of the ground:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JTPjHtWwPbfAmAMMl-jWbcYHZIw5aUbgZg/view?usp=sharing

I expected them to dig them down a bit under the ground alongside the concrete base. Pretty sloppy if you ask me.

DarthKermit

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#1610115 11-Aug-2016 14:32

^^^

Baboon

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#1611914 15-Aug-2016 13:47

I'm fairly happy with my fibre install back at the beginning of 2014. I ordered it late 2013 and it took nearly three months for the contractors to get to me. But I can accept there was very high demand over the christmas break, and hadn't expected instant service at that time of year.

Once they turned up, they did a fairly professional job that looks safe, and ought to last. I do think some kind of larger studier surround (for the piping enclosing the cable as it comes out of the concrete next to my house), would have been a good idea to prevent damage from contact with people and objects. I've placed some pot plants around mine to make such damaging contact less likely. Here's a pic with the plants removed, so you can see what I'm talking about.

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

- Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

cisconz

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#1611915 15-Aug-2016 13:49

Baboon: I'm fairly happy with my fibre install back at the beginning of 2014. I ordered it late 2013 and it took nearly three months for the contractors to get to me. But I can accept there was very high demand over the christmas break, and hadn't expected instant service at that time of year.

Once they turned up, they did a fairly professional job that looks safe, and ought to last. I do think some kind of larger studier surround (for the piping enclosing the cable as it comes out of the concrete next to my house), would have been a good idea to prevent damage from contact with people and objects. I've placed some pot plants around mine to make such damaging contact less likely. Here's a pic with the plants removed, so you can see what I'm talking about.

That is UFF not Chorus

Hmmmm

hyperman

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#1611944 15-Aug-2016 14:27

cisconz:

Baboon: I'm fairly happy with my fibre install back at the beginning of 2014. I ordered it late 2013 and it took nearly three months for the contractors to get to me. But I can accept there was very high demand over the christmas break, and hadn't expected instant service at that time of year.

Once they turned up, they did a fairly professional job that looks safe, and ought to last. I do think some kind of larger studier surround (for the piping enclosing the cable as it comes out of the concrete next to my house), would have been a good idea to prevent damage from contact with people and objects. I've placed some pot plants around mine to make such damaging contact less likely. Here's a pic with the plants removed, so you can see what I'm talking about.

That is UFF not Chorus

Yes and no... UFF still use Downer and broadsprectrum etc, however it seems their standard requirements are a tad bit higher

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer

Baboon

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#1611948 15-Aug-2016 14:29

cisconz:
Baboon: I'm fairly happy with my fibre install back at the beginning of 2014. I ordered it late 2013 and it took nearly three months for the contractors to get to me. But I can accept there was very high demand over the christmas break, and hadn't expected instant service at that time of year.

Once they turned up, they did a fairly professional job that looks safe, and ought to last. I do think some kind of larger studier surround (for the piping enclosing the cable as it comes out of the concrete next to my house), would have been a good idea to prevent damage from contact with people and objects. I've placed some pot plants around mine to make such damaging contact less likely. Here's a pic with the plants removed, so you can see what I'm talking about.

That is UFF not Chorus

You're right, perhaps I ought to have specified. My point is I got a good job, and it was just some random sub-contractor of the type Chourus frequently uses too. There are good ones and bad ones, regardless of the company paying their bills. And we shouldn't tolerate the bad ones.

"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us."

- Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)

profrink

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#1612787 16-Aug-2016 20:53

Anyone had experiences with UCG (Universal Communications Group) in Central Wellington?

I've just had my external network install done today... based on old designs I did not consent to. They never sent the updated network design to the field techs.

Their communication has been woeful at the best of times.

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