Hey guys...I decided to write a little (horror) story about the problems iv been having getting fibre installed...Its now up to 4 months and ongoing...
My property is one side/half of a two unit building. Its single story and is about 15 meters from the foot path.
It all starts back in January when I checked online and saw Fibre was now available at my address.
Wohoo, I thought. I was currently an Orcon customer so I gave them a call to upgrade / switch plan to fibre. They took all my details etc again; I got sent a modem and some emails with info re my first date with the techs. The email gave a date and said to be sure your home all day, and have your modem ready etc for when the tech calls. OK cool I thought. So I took a day off work and sat around waiting for a phone call.
I never got a phone call. So I give Orcon a call to check what the problem was. We then discovered that they had never updated my phone number when I changed plan so the tech had been trying to call the wrong number...
Ok, well that sucks, but hey, this is the internet in NZ after all...you don't expect it to just go smoothly!!
So with Orcon (again) informed of my new phone number my date with the tech was pushed out another week or so.
This time I wait for the tech to call on the day and rush home from work to see them.
They then come back another day and install a fibre line through the existing underground pipe to the neighbour’s side of the building. (Who does not want internet)
A week or so later the techs are scheduled to come again. The techs come and ask the neighbour if they can access her roof space to run the fibre from the box they installed on her side over to us. She will not give access to the inside of her house but anything outside is fine. They can dig the garden, cut the concrete, run it along the outside. Whatever anything but go inside her house. Stale mate. Ok.
Time passes and I follow up with Orcon about what is happening and through a series of Chinese whispers, try to tell the story of how the fibre box had been installed on the side of the neighbours house, who would not give access to her roof space and that anything outside her house to get it to us is fine. I’m then told Chorus will not cover any more work at the property!?!??? wtf To make things even more fun the neighbour called spark who told her "yes they (us) could get fibre no problem, and would not need to access her house in order for them (us) to have it!" Further cementing the no access to her roof space...UGH!!!
(I thought chorus was supposed to cover the cost of one installation, up to 200m from the road, that if down a right-of-way all parties must be able to access it). This obviously did not happen here and they took the quickest, easiest possible route and put it where no party, other than the lady who does not want internet can access it!!???
Luckily I found a contact directly at Chorus who I was able to properly explain the situation to. After my contact got her head around what had happened another Tech was dispatched to look at how they could run the fibre to us. They decided they would need to dig a trench across the garden, cut the drive way and a path so they could run it to us and a consent was required. Ok no problem. I get the consent signed and sent back.
I then go back to the end of the month long waiting list to get connected to fibre.
The day the tech is supposed to come. I get an email from Orcon saying my connection is complete (18/4/16) and I can now connect to the internet! That's odd I think as the tech hadn't been yet...I hung in there and the tech called later in the afternoon, visited the property, dug the trench, cut the driveway, installed the box inside etc and tells me it should be good to go. I see flashing lights on the modem and the fibre box and assume it’s good to go.
I was not staying at the property due to some renovating so had not actually tested it until this weekend. I go to test it this weekend. No go. Does not do anything. No "internet" light on the modem.
Called up on Saturday and was told they could not fix it from their end and would need to send a tech. I was told a tech would be coming on Monday.
That brings me to today....im still waiting for the phone call from a tech.
This is the worst, most disjointed process I have ever been through. I’m a patient person. Very patient even as I have not been staying at the property until now, but this is just stupid.
It’s now almost 3pm and no one has called. I would not be at all surprised if they have my wrong phone number again...even though I called them today to confirm my correct phone number!!! Its looking like there is little chance ill have internet today...so close yet so far!!???
I started the process back on 25/1/2016
One thing I want to say is that the person I’ve been dealing with at Chorus has been awesome!!! I can’t thank them enough. Without them I would be stuck at the "they won’t cover any more work at your property" stage, after their stupid screw up.
This is frustrating....very frustrating!!
If anyone reading this can help in any way...please just let me know what you need! This is beyond a joke.