View Full Version : Getting driveway done but cable running under my grass
Hi all
Im getting my driveway done on the 12th of july but ive noticed that my virgin cable from the road comes out of a small drain cover ( on the pathway ) then under my front hedge ( this is going to be removed ) it then loops up in the air in the corner of the grass and runs under the grass to my house and onto a grey box on the wall.
Where the c able enters under the hedge its all taped up and looks like a right bodge job it then runs under the grass.
How deep is this cable dug into the ground?, as im very worried that the people doing my driveway are going to damage it.
Basically im having all my grass dug up and block paving layed down.
I phoned virgin but they dont seem to care at all!
Anyone got any suggestions, i can gets pics if need be
Thanks
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It's your responsibility to make sure it's not damaged during all the works, you could ask the builders to wrap it in piping. It should be about a spades depth. Damage the wire it's £99 charge
Er, not exactly. If the the original install was bodged and the cable is damaged because it wasn't where it was supposed to be (i.e. a spade's depth) then it is not the OP's fault, it's VM's, and they must repair the cable without charge.
TBH, that's such a mess I'd be phoning VM anyway and asking them to come and sort it. Tell them you're having the driveway done, the install is substandard and you want it rectifying before it gets damaged during the works.
hi thanks for the advice, i deleted the pics as they came out massive on the forum lol, im not too sure how i host them at the correct size.
I will ring virgin tommorow but they really didnt care when i rang them earlier lol
Will try again
I can post the pics back up if someone shows me how to do it correctly lol
That looks like an extremely bad installation, the cabling looks like it has been taped together as well.
I have had my external cabling replaced twice due to poor installation on both occasions, the first time I put a spade through it at a depth of around 4 inches and without the protective green tubing, the second occasion was when I had my front garden wall removed and found that instead of going under the wall the engineer had drilled through it.
After a call and inspection on both occasions we got a repull and no mention of any charges whatsoever.
Its defintaly has been taped together, all i remember is a few years back i had trouble with my phone line and the engineer was farting about in the green box up the road then he was in my garden at the same spot, back then i didnt care what he was doing as we just had too much to do and it was the last thing on our mind, whether he would of done something to it is another story, but it doesnt look pretty. The cable has always been there but ive sort of lived with it, but now i want my drive done its causing problems so im not sure if virgin would be responsible for how neatly it enters my property.
Just call up Monday and get an engineer out to look at the cable and they will book a repull if that picture is anything to go by.
To be fair there was no pic when I posted, doesn't look very professional
To be fair there was no pic when I posted, doesn't look very professional
That is putting it mildly.;)
With a repull would they be able to route it differently then?, such as running around the side of my garden instead of under the grass ( which will soon be block paved ).
Edit : they cant get anyone out to me untill the 14th ( driveway is being done on the 12th ) they just dont seem to care.
Think ill have to cancel with them and go over to Sky.
Its better to get it done after the driveway in my opinion that way there is no risk to further damage, you could leave the cable running over the dirveway for 2 days to avoid disruption to your services.
With a repull would they be able to route it differently then?, such as running around the side of my garden instead of under the grass ( which will soon be block paved ).
Edit : they cant get anyone out to me untill the 14th ( driveway is being done on the 12th ) they just dont seem to care.
Think ill have to cancel with them and go over to Sky.You could get a piece of conduit/tubing from B&Q/Homebase and when your driveway gets done, ask the builders to put it underneath the paving. That way all VM would have to do is pull their new cable through it, but whether they would, is another matter entirely.
I tend to find cable/sat installers a bit like librarians, ie they tend to do the minimum amount possible always with the maximum fuss. I tend to remind them that I am paying for a service and if they don't wish to provide a service, fine, I'll go elsewhere.
You could get a piece of conduit/tubing from B&Q/Homebase and when your driveway gets done, ask the builders to put it underneath the paving. That way all VM would have to do is pull their new cable through it, but whether they would, is another matter entirely.
I tend to find cable/sat installers a bit like librarians, ie they tend to do the minimum amount possible always with the maximum fuss. I tend to remind them that I am paying for a service and if they don't wish to provide a service, fine, I'll go elsewhere.
I dont think there is an installer in the country that would not feed the cable through the tubing, its like an installers wet dream (no digging).
I always find fussy/awkward customers who are paying a pittance compared to what they are recieving always threaten to "go to sky" when they go in a tantrum becuase they ask an unreasonable request
Its like water of a ducks back to them, they are still paid either way,
You could get a piece of conduit/tubing from B&Q/Homebase and when your driveway gets done, ask the builders to put it underneath the paving. That way all VM would have to do is pull their new cable through it, but whether they would, is another matter entirely.
I tend to find cable/sat installers a bit like librarians, ie they tend to do the minimum amount possible always with the maximum fuss. I tend to remind them that I am paying for a service and if they don't wish to provide a service, fine, I'll go elsewhere.
That's what we did when we got block paving in the front of the house - when the builders dug up the garden, they were on the look out for the cable, and then put it in a piece of tubing under the block paving, in the sub-base, but below the sharp sand; still working fine.
I dont think there is an installer in the country that would not feed the cable through the tubing, its like an installers wet dream (no digging).
I always find fussy/awkward customers who are paying a pittance compared to what they are recieving always threaten to "go to sky" when they go in a tantrum becuase they ask an unreasonable request
Its like water of a ducks back to them, they are still paid either way,
Im not "threatening" to go to sky, i will go to sky....if VM cant acccomidate me after the years of service then ill go elsewhere, simple really.
It would probably take an engineer an hour maximum to sort out my "mess" of cable in my garden but VM dont really seem interested in helping me out.
With a repull would they be able to route it differently then?, such as running around the side of my garden instead of under the grass ( which will soon be block paved ).
Edit : they cant get anyone out to me untill the 14th ( driveway is being done on the 12th ) they just dont seem to care.
Think ill have to cancel with them and go over to Sky.
As the others have said get some conduit and get the pavers to bury it exactly where you want it from the point the cable comes iin up to the outlet for the house.
You will be the repull guys friend as it will make the job so much easier now and in the future.
Im not "threatening" to go to sky, i will go to sky....if VM cant acccomidate me after the years of service then ill go elsewhere, simple really.
It would probably take an engineer an hour maximum to sort out my "mess" of cable in my garden but VM dont really seem interested in helping me out.It's not that they aren't interested, if the repull team aren't available until the 14th it's because they are fully booked to then.
Virgin can't just magic up workmen
It's not that they aren't interested, if the repull team aren't available until the 14th it's because they are fully booked to then.
Virgin can't just magic up workmen
Maybe if some of them actually got onto the next job on the list instead of sitting outside in their van for an hour after they have done a job would help? ;)
Maybe if some of them actually got onto the next job on the list instead of sitting outside in their van for an hour after they have done a job would help? ;)
That's shocking, virgin media staff shouldn't be allowed breaks
Maybe if some of them actually got onto the next job on the list instead of sitting outside in their van for an hour after they have done a job would help? ;)
I know a fair few VM engineers and believe me they'd LOVE to be able to have the time to sit in their van for an hour after doing a job. Hell just 10 minutes would be like paradise for them.
Most of them have long since forgot the meaning of the word break.
the-cable-guy
04-07-2010, 20:55
You could get a piece of conduit/tubing from B&Q/Homebase and when your driveway gets done, ask the builders to put it underneath the paving. That way all VM would have to do is pull their new cable through it, but whether they would, is another matter entirely.
I tend to find cable/sat installers a bit like librarians, ie they tend to do the minimum amount possible always with the maximum fuss. I tend to remind them that I am paying for a service and if they don't wish to provide a service, fine, I'll go elsewhere.
but why should the op have to pay to get that done ? its VM's responsibility not his.
---------- Post added at 20:55 ---------- Previous post was at 20:51 ----------
I know a fair few VM engineers and believe me they'd LOVE to be able to have the time to sit in their van for an hour after doing a job. Hell just 10 minutes would be like paradise for them.
Most of them have long since forgot the meaning of the word break.
to be fair tho iv seen engineers that iv booked sitting in their van for upto an hour & a half after they called me to say that they would be ten mins & i had a perfect view they were eating sandwiches, im not saying that their all like that but some are.
but why should the op have to pay to get that done ? its VM's responsibility not his.
---------- Post added at 20:55 ---------- Previous post was at 20:51 ----------
to be fair tho iv seen engineers that iv booked sitting in their van for upto an hour & a half after they called me to say that they would be ten mins & i had a perfect view they were eating sandwiches, im not saying that their all like that but some are.
Sandwiches!!! Did you get the reg number? We need to report this technician for having a lunch break and eating a sandwich.
Technicians should be robots and work non stop 8 till 7.
---------- Post added at 23:06 ---------- Previous post was at 23:01 ----------
I know a fair few VM engineers and believe me they'd LOVE to be able to have the time to sit in their van for an hour after doing a job. Hell just 10 minutes would be like paradise for them.
Most of them have long since forgot the meaning of the word break.
That's what a typical day is, it's very unusual to get a break and eat my sandwiches
the-cable-guy
05-07-2010, 10:08
Sandwiches!!! Did you get the reg number? We need to report this technician for having a lunch break and eating a sandwich.
Technicians should be robots and work non stop 8 till 7.
---------- Post added at 23:06 ---------- Previous post was at 23:01 ----------
That's what a typical day is, it's very unusual to get a break and eat my sandwiches
im not saying that they cant have breaks far from it, however why ring me up & say they will be at my house in ten mins & then sit in the van for an hour & a half ? surely it would make sense to have their break first & then call me.
I am sure there was a topic here originally.......;)
im not saying that they cant have breaks far from it, however why ring me up & say they will be at my house in ten mins & then sit in the van for an hour & a half ? surely it would make sense to have their break first & then call me.
I agree with that seems an odd thing to do
An hour and a half lol. Course he did. Anyone with a spare hour and a half is on 50% quota :D
the-cable-guy
06-07-2010, 16:35
I agree with that seems an odd thing to do
indeed as i say i wouldnt of minded if he had of rang after his break.
---------- Post added at 16:35 ---------- Previous post was at 16:34 ----------
An hour and a half lol. Course he did. Anyone with a spare hour and a half is on 50% quota :D
ok so i made it up, is that what you want to hear ? i know what i saw & tbh your comment is pointless & you need to grow up imo & stop making pointless posts as just because you dont think that something happened doesnt mean that it was made up.
I could have sworn that this was a thread about "Getting driveway done but cable running under my grass" not "How long is an engineers break/lunch";)
I could have sworn that this was a thread about "Getting driveway done but cable running under my grass" not "How long is an engineers break/lunch";)
How long do you get for a lunch break masque? ;)
calmpitbull
12-07-2010, 21:25
Do as previously suggested and get the builders to fit a sturdy tube between the tee on the pavement and the box on the wall of the house. That way the cable will just be pulled in without disruption. Also this way the cable will be at a good depth and protected, it will last years and years like this.
Get the builders to expose the existing cable and leave it on top, then call VM and get a tech out who will book in a repull for you. This way your services should not be disrupted. Obviously once the re-pull is done the old cable can be discarded.
Just make sure you keep the photos of the install as is, so that if they try to charge you it can be demonstrated that the original install was not up to standard.
As for breaks, as a VM tech I could count the number of breaks I had in 18 months on one hand. Life in the fast lane!
Cable was dug up from my drive ( wasnt even sleeved ) and was at a depth of about 1 inch and half into the grass.
They have put the cable under my new driveway in a sleeve now but im getting slow internet and my phone is intermittant.
If i go and wiggle the taped part which was there origianlly as per my pictures everything works for a while then goes back to intermittant so i can only assume where the bad taped join has been disturbed it has made it worse.
Going to see what Virgin say.
Cheers
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