UFB Overhead to Underground are we on the right side of the street

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Topdeck

14 posts

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#208576 17-Feb-2017 16:19

On our street fibre is only laid underground along the west side. All power poles on that side are prepped for hanging fibre aerially across the street for properties on the east side regardless of whether the east side house will be overhead or underground.

We read our Chorus website and asked the Chorus contractors that visited our site about changing from aerial to underground and we were told that if we trenched from the house to the closest point on our boundary we would not have to pay. So we trenched and laid the conduit. A cost of $69 for a site visit and $196 for cabling was then quoted in writing to complete the installation.

Completely out of left field Chorus then announced they wanted an extra $2000 for our proposed overhead to underground installation to pay for work beyond our boundary to run cable down the street pole plus 9 metres under the grass berm and the 1m wide concrete footpath to the point on the boundary it enters our pre-laid conduit.

Our installation is in all other respects a bog standard residential installation on a flat site with easy access for the internal installation between EPT and ONT with absolutely no costly remedial work.

Questions:
1. Is this a standard cost?
2. Why does the side of the street dictate what one pays for a standard UFB installation?

DarkShadow

1647 posts

Uber Geek

#1721924 17-Feb-2017 16:22

Your copper is overhead isn't it?

The free standard install only covers like-for-like replacement. (ie the fibre runs the same way as the copper)

If you want your fiber installed underground then you'll have to pay the OHUG fee.

Topdeck

14 posts

Geek

#1721942 17-Feb-2017 17:08

Yes we are currently overhead and the point is what is an acceptable charge to change from Overhead to Underground if anything. Those on the side of the street the primary underground fibre is trunked have a boundary just 500mm from the UFB cable but being on the other side of the street one is penalised if one wants to underground. How can this be justified ?

BarTender

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#1721946 17-Feb-2017 17:33

Topdeck:

Yes we are currently overhead and the point is what is an acceptable charge to change from Overhead to Underground if anything. Those on the side of the street the primary underground fibre is trunked have a boundary just 500mm from the UFB cable but being on the other side of the street one is penalised if one wants to underground. How can this be justified ?

Well someone has to pay for it, it's either you or "us all" as the Tax payer.

lucky015

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#1721947 17-Feb-2017 17:33

Was the initial quote provided by Chorus or built by the ISP based on the Chorus price book?

In your case it sounds like the infrastructure on your side of the road is not present for underground connections where it is on the other side of the road, Based on that they will need to feed it down the pole to connect underground or cover some additional distance.

Based on that assumption I would not be expecting Chorus to cover the cost of adapting the network to provide an alternative type of install method simply because you request it.

gregmcc

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#1721950 17-Feb-2017 17:53

Topdeck:

On our street fibre is only laid underground along the west side. All power poles on that side are prepped for hanging fibre aerially across the street for properties on the east side regardless of whether the east side house will be overhead or underground.

We read our Chorus website and asked the Chorus contractors that visited our site about changing from aerial to underground and we were told that if we trenched from the house to the closest point on our boundary we would not have to pay. So we trenched and laid the conduit. A cost of $69 for a site visit and $196 for cabling was then quoted in writing to complete the installation.

Completely out of left field Chorus then announced they wanted an extra $2000 for our proposed overhead to underground installation to pay for work beyond our boundary to run cable down the street pole plus 9 metres under the grass berm and the 1m wide concrete footpath to the point on the boundary it enters our pre-laid conduit.

Our installation is in all other respects a bog standard residential installation on a flat site with easy access for the internal installation between EPT and ONT with absolutely no costly remedial work.

Questions:
1. Is this a standard cost?
2. Why does the side of the street dictate what one pays for a standard UFB installation?

You got a written quote? then they are legally obliged to provide the service for the quoted price

DarkShadow

1647 posts

Uber Geek

#1721957 17-Feb-2017 18:12

Topdeck:

Yes we are currently overhead and the point is what is an acceptable charge to change from Overhead to Underground if anything. Those on the side of the street the primary underground fibre is trunked have a boundary just 500mm from the UFB cable but being on the other side of the street one is penalised if one wants to underground. How can this be justified ?

As BarTender alluded to, we're already paying for your free fibre upgrade. Should we pay for your OHUG conversion as well?

Also I doubt the people on the other side of the street will get underground fibre unless they already have underground copper.

Topdeck

14 posts

Geek

#1722034 17-Feb-2017 21:45

Thanks for responses. I too don’t mind paying my fair share for my OHUG conversion and I think it is ok to save cost by doing the trenching inside my boundary myself.

Chorus’s original price (in writing) was about $270 and we did the trenching on that basis. To then get told the price had gone-up by 1000%!. Chorus pointed to the one liner elsewhere in the quote that ‘there may be some additional costs’. Seriously, 1000% additional cost for a site they had already inspected?

That got me thinking (actually it got me upset) and that is why I am having great difficulty understanding why customers on one side of a street (i.e. me) should pay $2000 for an OHUG connection while my neighbour across the road, simply because the UFB cable runs down his side of the street right by his fence, only has to do his own trenching to his boundary and voila he gets his OHUG. You cannot tell me he has to pay $2k plus for his 500mm connection.

Ironically the existing street copper is underground along both sides of the street, is trenched under the footpath to the pole and up the power poles for aerial feeds to houses. All that will now happen with UFB is it goes down the pole under the footpath to the boundary and then in the trench we have to the house. A simple reversal. Where’s the $2k + ?

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timmmay

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#1722113 18-Feb-2017 08:07

Overhead connections are fine. Not ideal, but fine. Though given your quote Chorus should honor it.

atomeara

324 posts

Ultimate Geek

#1722154 18-Feb-2017 10:57

Chorus changed the process in early Jan, to make it more stream lined and consistent. Not sure when you got your quote. Your ISP should be able to query it if it was after 19 Jan and they gave you a fixed cost.

OHUG installs are changing

Change Notification 94: 19 January 2017

Customers with overhead copper requesting an underground fibre install, now enjoy a more streamlined process.

What's happening?

We’re making the process more efficient for overhead-to-underground (OHUG) fibre installations. Going forward, your customers’ requests will be created, reviewed and completed by the same team – all on one order. This ensures they’ll get a faster, better customer experience. Please forward this Informer internally, so your team’s aware.

What's the detail?

Requests will now follow this process:

Once a scope’s completed, the technician lets us know that an underground install’s preferred by your customer. We create a Design/Build task.
Once the OHUG design has been completed, a quote is loaded into the order in Chorus Portal (or Wireline). You’ll then need to check with your customer and accept or reject the quote - as you’ll be billed if the OHUG build proceeds. The quote will be valid for 90 days.
If…

the quote’s rejected, you’ll have 7 calendar days to confirm order cancellation or ask us to proceed with an aerial installation. If an aerial installation is requested, either you or our install support team needs to book an installation date with your customer. If we haven’t heard from you within 7 calendar days, we’ll cancel the order.
the quote’s accepted, the OHUG build will be completed and the order will progress from Design/Build into Held-Schedule Install status. This allows either you or our install support team to book an installation date with your customer.
we receive no response on the quote within 90 days, the order will be cancelled.

bales

116 posts

Master Geek

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#1722182 18-Feb-2017 11:49

they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it youll end up with twice as many road crossings you did say your copper line is o/h from the pole to your house