Having been fed up with talking to chat bots and a community forum that is used by a company to exploit their customers good will to resolve technical issues, I embarked on finding a human to talk to that could reassure me that if l switched companies l would gain a human to talk to in relation to any issues.
Our Request.
To switch to a broadband and phone package that enables us to connect with the outside world. Employs humans that are able to use initiatives and not scripts to deal with customers issues .
Explained how imperative it was to have a smooth switch over due to not having a mobile phone signal where we live and having disabilities it was essential that we would need the connection for health reasons as well as our work and studies. This was guaranteed by the agent and so we took the plunge.
The day came and went and it is now two weeks later.
For the first five days we were left with nothing , no phone no internet. On the fifth day we found ourselves with a dial tone. Our misfortune was to think that people could now phone us. To our horror we found out this was not the case. We were, and still are, unable to receive incoming calls. As a result of this, l am unable to have ring back appointments with healthcare professionals and important work calls and appointments are being missed. We have also ascertained that we no longer have a telephone number. This came to light when my partner tried to call home to check that l was ok.
Once again, we spoke to the provider to try and rectify the situation, from a lay by two miles away from home, and we were informed that it is only Open Reach, that can provide the connectivity and not the service or product providers. This information is not that forth coming when switching or buying new products. The service provider issued us with a mini hub for the mean time. This buffers due to the amount of network traffic from the surrounding area and so we have very limited accessibility .
The UK is relying on one private network company to connect the whole of the UK. The theoretical assumption of Open Reach appears to be that where ever you are in the UK you are able to get a mobile signal.
The reality is that this is not the case. There needs to be an alternative operational network that accommodates the reality and not the theoretical landscape of the nation. One blanket model does not fit all.
What is the true ethos of Open Reach ? What value if any, do they place on their residential customers life’s ? In what way is a private company providing a public essential service to the individual ?
Open Reach, is a LTD company they do not sell products or provide a service to the public. What they do is to provide a service for the industry, enabling them to sub contract work out , to try and fulfil their commitments. They are not a public service, but a private company and as such, their business model is not one of ensuring the basic essential network is in good order and the public have accessibility to suit their needs, they are there to negotiate lucrative contracts with the industry on the premise of being able to fulfil the commitment to the private sectors which include the service providers. As such they are able to use the theoretical framing and narrative of the digital roll out benefiting the whole nation.
Sadly, the companies selling the products and services, have their hands tied in relation to connection issues. Open Reach hides behind automation and as such, the companies that provide the products and services are left to flounder and bat off the continuous stream of complaints.
All the while Open Reach sit back and accumulate profits and profiteer from the public’s misery. Open Reach appear to be oblivious or totally nonchalant to the strain and pressure they put on the customer service teams trying to resolve the issues. As a result of Open Reach’s elusiveness, reviews, (the terminology used by the companies when an issue is raised) are constantly closed without being rectified.
For us, this has happened on a daily basis . Again, they seem not to understand that we cannot receive incoming calls and we can not get a mobile signal.
We have not seen nor have we been contacted by an engineer, we have not even been asked what would be a suitable time to contact us, and l am in fear of leaving our home just in case that valuable commodity that is an engineer arrives unexpectedly.
Missed university deadlines and work deadlines all feed into the stress and anxiety and exacerbate pre-existing health issues, we have no way of having a call back from health professionals and no longer having a telephone number does not help matters.
The slogan ,’ Connecting you to the world’ . (About us | Openreach) appears to be false advertising within the context of the residential customer. They appear to preach an idealism that they cannot fulfil and yet the government appear to turn a blind eye. It appears that engineers are no longer are provided with all the relevant equipment to fix issues and therefore have to go make several trips to rectify the issues. I can’t help thinking this has to be a money saving exercise for the benefit of the investors.
Why has the government allowed Open Reach to have the monopoly of the UK’s essential communication network ?
Who thought it was a good idea to give just one private company the monopoly of telecommunications being, that it is an essential service for not only the business sector but for residential customers nationwide ?
Unfortunately, we are not an isolated case and it appears that public frustration is growing. The excuses have worn thin and the reality is, Open Reach are unable to fulfil their obligations within a timely manner and the blame has to lie firmly at the feet of the person who gave just one company the contract to provide an essential service for the nation.
The question begs, why are the public paying tax, for an essential service that is not nationalised and, is dependent on just one solitary private company whos’ profits for investors will naturally come first ?
Openreach Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.openreach.co.uk (trustpilot.com)
Openreach kept us waiting nine months to install broadband | Money | The Guardian
Openreach is failing to connect me | Internet, phones & broadband | The Guardian
Has anyone seen a real human engineer ?
Still waiting !!!!
Happy to say we now fully up and running and the engineer that came to sort out the issue was brilliant.
I wish companies stop abusing technology when it comes to customer service issues.
To think you can just flick a switch and all would be well is the stuff of fairy tales and not reality !