Chorus quoting $3150 to pull fibre through conduit laid for them

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Chorus quoting $3150 to pull fibre through conduit laid for them - other options?

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#293319 13-Jan-2022 12:58

Hi all. I originally posted this on Reddit where a commenter suggested that Geekzone might be a better place.

About 2 years ago I had fibre installed at my house. Chorus replaced the existing overhead copper line with an overhead fibre line. It runs about 30m from the pole at the boundary to my house.

About a year later I got my overhead power lines undergrounded. At the same time I got a green conduit installed that runs from the bottom of the pole at the boundary (that has aerial fibre) to my house. It has a draw wire in it ready to go.

I then raised a job with my ISP to get Chorus to change the fibre line from overhead to run through the conduit that is all ready to go. I understand this is an extra service and need to pay. I get that. But the quote was for $3150. Of this, $2190 is for labour alone. This is beyond unreasonable. This quote is almost higher than what it cost me to get my powerlines undergrounded and the fibre conduit installed. Chorus has a monopoly so I'm not sure what I can do to get this done for a reasonable price.

So far I have:

Contacted multiple data cabling companies asking if they can do it, but they won't touch the line as they risk a fine because it's owned by Chorus
Offered some folding to some random Chorus techs I saw to get the job done which they declined

Wondering if anyone has any suggestions that could help me? Over $3k for this job is completely insane.

Thank you in advance.

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#2849929 13-Jan-2022 13:02

Is this a quote from a site visit or a remote estimate?
Requested a site visit for a quote if not already done, also make sure if you haven't already, you run a cable or string through as a draw wire.

Anything I say is the ramblings of an ill informed, opinionated so-and-so, and not representative of any of my past, present or future employers, and is also probably best disregarded.

Kiwifruta

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#2849931 13-Jan-2022 13:04

If too many birds sat on the aerial conduit and it broke, would Chorus put it underground for free?

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2849933 13-Jan-2022 13:05

toejam316: Is this a quote from a site visit or a remote estimate?
Requested a site visit for a quote if not already done, also make sure if you haven't already, you run a cable or string through as a draw wire.

This was a remote estimate and a draw wire is already in place and ready to be used.

chevrolux

4962 posts

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#2849984 13-Jan-2022 13:07

Scope out a local tech next time you see their vans and offer a few hundy cash to get it done.

Chorus will never pull their head's out of their asses when it comes to their additional work quotes. How cool is privatisation.

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2849985 13-Jan-2022 13:07

Kiwifruta: If too many birds sat on the aerial conduit and it broke, would Chorus put it underground for free?

I've definitely seen some fat birds around the place. There's also a big tree from the neighbour's house that has overhanging branches which could fall at any moment.

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2849986 13-Jan-2022 13:10

chevrolux:

Scope out a local tech next time you see their vans and offer a few hundy cash to get it done.

Chorus will never pull their head's out of their asses when it comes to their additional work quotes. How cool is privatisation.

I have tried this already and the tech declined my offer. Need to try another one.

I'm not going to start ranting about Chorus as I'm sure there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said a million times before about them. Privatisation would probably be fine if there wasn't a govt sponsored monopoly allowing them to rort people like they do. Anyway not here to be political 😀

coffeebaron

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#2849995 13-Jan-2022 13:32

Where are you located approximately?

Rural IT and Broadband support.

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Fatfly

8 posts

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#2849999 13-Jan-2022 13:37

coffeebaron: Where are you located approximately?

Northern Auckland.

Zeon

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#2850051 13-Jan-2022 13:45

Paying off a random Chorus tech cash is probably the way to go. Try and find someone from South Asia as they are often the ones who are getting shafted the most by the contracter-of-contracter system it seems.

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InstallerUFB

840 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2850053 13-Jan-2022 13:51

ok I can see what is happening here - I deal in this world

OHUG (overhead to underground) conversion of a fibre optic service is not a BAU function performed by the provisioning or maintenance contactors, on behalf of chorus, so the the job request is sent by Chorus to a contactor as a quotable design and build job - the job will be looked at by a designer, who will estimate the labour and material costs as per a schedule of fees that they can charge on behalf of Chorus. ( this will include a design cost element as well). - each job is treated as a one off - no subsidy - no averaging etc.

( the schedule of fees is based on generalised functions - so the rate for hauling in a fibre service lead is the same as hauling in a 50* copper cable etc, labour rates are set for the work types - fibre optic splicing rates are the same for all fibre regardless of function)

Yes ask for a review.

If your overhead service is actually blown fibre ( and i have no idea if yours is or not) - then the cost will include the replacement of the fibre from the street terminal to the termination on the side of you house - this could be generally up to about 800m away ( depending on the design of the community network and how long ago it was built - lengths of blows in newer constructions are shorter).

BTW 99 times out off 100 - trying to get a local tech, who works under the chorus contact, to do the job as a cashy you will get a "no way" answer - chorus will not tolerate their contactors & techs doing this and the tech will lose access to any work on the networks ie their job if found out (this is spelt out to every tech) - I personally know of installers and restorers who have lost their jobs over this type of thing.

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2850054 13-Jan-2022 13:51

Zeon:

Paying off a random Chorus tech cash is probably the way to go. Try and find someone from South Asia as they are often the ones who are getting shafted the most by the contracter-of-contracter system it seems.

Will keep my eyes peeled for one. Haven't seen too many Chorus techs floating around my ways lately.

Fatfly

8 posts

Wannabe Geek

#2850055 13-Jan-2022 13:58

InstallerUFB:

ok I can see what is happening here - I deal in this world

OHUG (overhead to underground) conversion of a fibre optic service is not a BAU function performed by the provisioning or maintenance contactors, on behalf of chorus, so the the job request is sent by Chorus to a contactor as a quotable design and build job - the job will be looked at by a designer, who will estimate the labour and material costs as per a schedule of fees that they can charge on behalf of Chorus. ( this will include a design cost element as well). - each job is treated as a one off - no subsidy - no averaging etc.

Yes ask for a review.

If your overhead service is actually blown fibre ( and i have no idea if yours is or not) - then the cost will include the replacement of the fibre from the street terminal to the termination on the side of you house - this could be generally up to about 800m away ( depending on the design of the community network and how long ago it was built - lengths of blows in newer constructions are shorter).

BTW 99 times out off 100 - trying to get a local tech, who works under the chorus contact, to do the job as a cashy you will get a "no way" answer - chorus will not tolerate their contactors & techs doing this and the tech will lose access to any work on the networks ie their job if found out (this is spelt out to every tech) - I personally know of installers and restorers who have lost their jobs over this type of thing.

Thanks for the explanations and advice. I don't think the current overhead service is blown, it's just a black cable slung from the pole to my house. So would you agree that the quote I've received is excessive?

InstallerUFB

840 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2850060 13-Jan-2022 14:07

Fatfly:

InstallerUFB:

ok I can see what is happening here - I deal in this world

OHUG (overhead to underground) conversion of a fibre optic service is not a BAU function performed by the provisioning or maintenance contactors, on behalf of chorus, so the the job request is sent by Chorus to a contactor as a quotable design and build job - the job will be looked at by a designer, who will estimate the labour and material costs as per a schedule of fees that they can charge on behalf of Chorus. ( this will include a design cost element as well). - each job is treated as a one off - no subsidy - no averaging etc.

Yes ask for a review.

If your overhead service is actually blown fibre ( and i have no idea if yours is or not) - then the cost will include the replacement of the fibre from the street terminal to the termination on the side of you house - this could be generally up to about 800m away ( depending on the design of the community network and how long ago it was built - lengths of blows in newer constructions are shorter).

BTW 99 times out off 100 - trying to get a local tech, who works under the chorus contact, to do the job as a cashy you will get a "no way" answer - chorus will not tolerate their contactors & techs doing this and the tech will lose access to any work on the networks ie their job if found out (this is spelt out to every tech) - I personally know of installers and restorers who have lost their jobs over this type of thing.

Thanks for the explanations and advice. I don't think the current overhead service is blown, it's just a black cable slung from the pole to my house. So would you agree that the quote I've received is excessive?

On the face of it yes if looks a bit excessive

One more thing that black cable you are talking about will be connected/spliced into a terminal somewhere (not just from the pole to the house) and if it can't be reused ( to short to be rerouted underground ) then it will have to be replaced from the terminal to the house ( that could be 100s of meters of cable ) and you have to pay for its replacement - (yes I know that you can put joins into a length- I do do that if need be - but that is only done if a new cable can not be hauled directly through from Terminal to the house - as well as more joins - more loss - more chance of failure)

Behodar

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#2850064 13-Jan-2022 14:26

For what it's worth:

My power and copper phone came in overhead, both from the same pole (which is likely a crucial part of my story). When I ordered fibre they replaced the copper with overhead fibre. Several months later the power company came out and moved all the power cables underground, and pulled most of the poles out, but my pole remained. Several months after that, Chorus came back out and moved the fibre underground, then someone pulled the now-bare pole out.

All of this happened for free, and I didn't need to ask for it. If power and phone are/were on the same pole, then it might happen for free eventually.

quickymart

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#2850234 13-Jan-2022 15:50

Something like that is usually where the power company owns the pole, and Chorus shares services on said pole with the power company. In this case, the power company is undergrounding services and Chorus usually has to follow suit, as sooner or later the power company will be removing their pole.

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