Green box doors left open
 

Earlier on I noticed that the doors of a nearby green box (I think it's mine) have been left open, with no sign of an engineer nearby.

I say "left open" as it didn't seem to have been vandalised.

Should I report this? And if so, who to (what number)?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Before Christmas I reported the doors being open on the box outside my house to BT. They came round half an hour later. BT gave me a courtesy call to tell me the box was an NTL one and that they had reported to it to them, I followed that up with a call to customer services a couple of days later. Still no sign of any repair.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I gave up reporting green boxes being left open; they take the info of the box location and do nothing. I did see a thread were the engineers donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t have enough keys to go round so they are advised by line manager to use a screwdriver to open the box.

But if you ring 151 on your NTL phone you can pass this info on.

Oh and :welcome: A3rider ;)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I don't have an ntl phoneline. Is it worth ringing another number?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

0800 052 2000 is the equivalent of 151

be quick if you are going to do it today though because they close at 8pm :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

There is on in Rochdale up the road from me totally beaten to bits...door aint even on hinges...

Re: Green box doors left open
 

what area are you in?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I'm in the Cardiff CF5 area.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

If there are no contact details inside the box then call cs on 0800 052 2000

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Some of the NTL people on here are quite helpful and pass it on to the people that sort this out, or as you say, just phone up and report it.
Its so annoying finding the covers off. Kids then chuck litter in them and they get abused by the weather.
I always try and put mine back on if some chav has taken it off.
They should make them more secure.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Please only report cab doors open during work hours. There is little that can be done out of hours unless it involves loss of telephone service aswell. If you see a number on the cab please make a note and pass those details on. That number is worth more than any street name or postcode.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

i might be wrong here but isnt it possible to turn up your line speed slightly from them green boxes??? if mines ever open i gonna be trying

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I just go and lock them myself. As long as the lock's have not been broken off :D

I used to work for telewest. So i have my own set of cab key's. And also have the one's for ntl cab's, as my mate work's for them and supplied me with a set ;)

I'm in a ntl area. And have had to lock the cab that i get fed from on many of ocasion :rolleyes: Flippin kids

Re: Green box doors left open
 

lol. I reported one near my home three months ago, no one has bothered to lock it, someone stuck brown sticky tape on the doors. It seems really a basic thing to ensure your property is secure especially as customers can suffer loss of service, why on earth isn't there more of a response to these issues?


:D

Re: Green box doors left open
 

leeds

Re: Green box doors left open
 

No. It's not possible to up your line speed from a green box. It's only the signal strength. Which there is a difference.

And even if you could do this. You'd need some £4000 test equipment for setting the correct level's.

Believe me mate your not the first to mention this :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

rofl, sounds like the same one a few houses away from me. I told an engineer about it when he came once, he went and looked at it, then said he'd mention it to his people and they'd get someone to sort it.

Don't NTL realise that the cost of a kid booting a football into an open box could be pretty horrible??

Re: Green box doors left open
 

We've had a car crash into one on our street once.
I wasnt a happy person. Broadbnad was down for two days.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

ugh... I bet NTL came out and fixed it though (whether they refitted the doors or not is another matter ;))

Re: Green box doors left open
 

LOL In fact I dont think they could afford building a new one actually. They bashed it down and routed us to the other one.
It never got replaced.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

lol that was nice of them... so they left the doors open on that one instead? ;)
At least you got your BB back working...

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Problem is it's not only kids.Ex-customers who have been disco'd for non payment or those theives with chipped boxes often break into them when they have been caught & illegally reconnect themselves.
The one bloke who looked afther the cabs here has now been paid off!!!!!
M

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Na sorry doesn,t happen that way mate. wish it did thou.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

How on earth do they reconnect themselves? Ive seen the door open on the one down the road once, its just a mass of cables going everywhere.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

It's quite possible to electrocute yourself on some equipment in said green boxes, so please feel free to do us a favour :angel:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Easy,
All adresses have a label on them so ther're easy to find.often they cut the cablle with a knoie & bung it in or if the f is still on, screw it back in.And no,it's not possible to electocuet yourself at a DP cab,only at a mux or amp (da) cab
M

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Spike,

I can assure you that not all cables are marked up. Sometimes we need to tone out a cable to find it ourselves. The problem is that if they (installers) don't have an indellible marker to hand, they use good ole biro. This rubs off with movement back and forth, then you are up the creek without a paddle:mis:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

*nods, I know, just hoping that his is a tap bank with a line extender / bridge amp in the same cabinet.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I was just making a generalisation,Iknow what a pain it is to try & find a drop with a old,blank tag on,especially in a terrace with no etb to connect the toner to the second pair.or when a landlord decides to re-number his flats,or a multi dwelling.
Our network over bere is probably a bit different than the UK,s We used to be Cable-tel many moons ago...
Mind you,i wish some of the little b****** would electrucute themselves,or the dogs that pee up the side of them,especially in hot weather!!.
Spike

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I looked at the green box on our road when walking home from work the other day and noticed it has 2 different numbers on the side in white... one on the lid and one on the side panel - which would NTL need? Or would they need both?

Also, some wiseass has spray painted "CATV NTL" on the top of the box for some reason...

Re: Green box doors left open
 

we only need the postcode and street name

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I have just had my phone line fixed , it turned out that the green box down the road from me was open and vandles pulled out my phone wires.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I passed the green box this morning which I've mentioned before to find one door propped up against the wall next to the box and a brown cable just lying on the pavement which goes down underground so it may have been pulled from the box perhaps? It was fine when I passed it on the way home from work yesterday, didnt notice the cable then so its happened between then (approx 5:15pm) and at 7am this morning.
I've attached the picture which I took on my phone showing the current state of the box. The box has the following numbers on - 40443314 (printed on the lid at the side) and 40443315 (printed on the actual side of the box underneath the first number).

From what other people have said on here, it appears notifying NTL would not necessarily get it fixed but someone could be without their NTL services because of this wire (I'd better not get home and find its our house without the services!! :mad: ).

Should I still call NTL? Do the people have email addresses I could send that photo to so they can see the potential severity of the issue (may cause more than just one person without service in the future if people are gonna take to pulling cables out (if that is indeed what has happened)).

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Well, if you don't call them to inform the box is broken, what chance do ntl have of fixing it? Call them, please. :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Of course you should.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Reason I asked is for 2 reasons...
1. I have rang them about this in the past and nothing was done
2. An engineer came to check a problem with our TV service and he checked the box and found a loose connection which he reseated and the issue was resolved. He said he'd report it as it could cause other people to get the same problem... obviously he didnt as nothing has been done.

I dont fancy the possibility of sitting in a queue waiting to get through to NTL only for them to tell me they'd get someone to fix it but nothing gets done about it again - I genuinely could be doing other things with my time - I'd like to know that something will be done about it if I take time out to call them to inform them of the problem.

You can see my thinking cant you??

Re: Green box doors left open
 

The only way you will get a definitive answer to your questions is by ringing ntl.

Let's hope it's not your services being affected eh? ;)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Thing is... my service was affected last time due to a loose connection - potentially caused by the doors being open on the green box. However, the box wasnt fixed, it has just gotten worse. So fair enough, they fix our services, but until they fix the box, its not going to stop these problems happening.
I will phone them tonight when I get home from work... 3rd time lucky I suppose

Re: Green box doors left open
 

:rolleyes: They could still fix the box and it wouldn't stop some stupid bloody moron from thinking it'll be funny to vandalise it again. If you really have an issue with calling yourself, please pm me the location (street, town, postcode or cabinet number if poss) and I'll call for you.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

This thread has just reminded to call about the cab down the road. :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I will phone them tonight... but I will not be impressed if nothing gets done about it on the 3rd time of asking...

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Well, I've emailed them through the website.

I suppose one of the largest communication companies in the country act on emails? :rolleyes:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

lol... one would certainly hope so.
I'm gonna wait til I get home before I contact them.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

This happened in my road, some chavs managed to pull the cover off. The NTL engineer said it was because they (NTL) canââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t unlocked it once its locked as they donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t have the keys so they leave it unlocked.

Surprisingly there was nothing damaged.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

If you got the BOX details PM them to orangebird, who is willing to get this problem resolved, orangebird works for ntl.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Thank you Mick :rolleyes: ;)

All I need is the street name & postcode if possible....

Re: Green box doors left open
 

This is a ongoing problem! What we can do is band it shut with a steel band.Problem with that is you have to cut the band to open it & reband it after.Most install crews dont carry a banding machine.
The problem with the locks is that 90% (in my estimation) of the cabs have had the locks smashed by vandels or illigal re-connectors.If the doors are vandelised,then the locks jam & the keys break.A gas key is the most common key used!
As i said before.the only option is to fit 4 x tee bar keys, ( which are not available to the public & ARE tamperproof!) 2 on each door.
Unless you hav 4 x tee bar keys you cant open them except with a big crowbar!Mention this to them & see what they say.
And there is normally a lable inside the cab (top left usually) with the cab id on it)
M

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Last week , only after one week of haveing ntl phone my phone wires were pulled out of the green box down the road from me because the door was off. I went to work on friday and noticed the door of again.

I phoned up ntl and explained that the door was of and i was worried my wires would get pulled out again, The chap said he would e-mail the department that deals with this problem , when i came home from work last night the door was still of, so i have put tape around it to hold it together.

When putting the door on i noticed the lock looked damaged and really needs a whole new door in fact the whole cabinet can be tilted . It will be interesting to see how long it takes for ntl to come out and fix it properly.
(I say green box but its more a brown then green ) and the box has not got a number on but i was told ntl will know which box im connected too.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

We reported a green box near our home was left open, someone stuck parcel tape over it and it's still the same today six months later, yes six months!

NTL very poor when it comes to monitoring the security of their equipment.

:LOL:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Blimey!

They've fixed it.

Noticed today a new lock on the doors.

Thats only 6 months or so!

Re: Green box doors left open
 

One Sunday I saw that there had been an RTA a few 100 yards from where I live, the green box having been smashed into by a car. When I returned home and tried my TV there was no signal from NTL. I phoned and reported that my TV wasn't working and that there was a problem with the green box. I was assured that the fact the box was smashed was nothing to do with my not receiving a signal. Later that day there was a BT engineer working on the box, so I stopped and asked him if it could be connected with my TV not working, he replied, "highly likely". By the time he had finished my TV was working again!

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I noticed some more doors wi.....de open last night.

I didn't clock the street name (we were driving past at the time) but I think the cab is at the west end of Albert Street, Knutsford (WA16 0LY).

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.sr...=newsearch.srf

Re: Green box doors left open
 

D'ya know what? I never got pm about this. I'm sure some people come on here for whingings sake... :rolleyes:
__________________

Have you reported this to ntl?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

No.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

*sigh* :banghead:

Look, I know this is a real helpful site and everything, but it's NOT the official place to go. If you see an open cabinet and you're concerned, you need to call ntl.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Maybe people are a little scared of you :erm:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

People scared of OB ..... nah .... pussycat is what she is :D

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Go to ntlworld.com and follow a link to a fault report form - excellent, now I could cope with that.

Post a note on a forum (albeit an unofficial on since the 'official' one was stillborn) - well, I can cope with that too.

Seek out a phone number and call it and sit in a queue for goodness knows how long for the benefit of trying to talk clearly enough to give all the correct details to someone who can fill out a form on their computer - well, I can't be ******, I'm afraid. After all, it's not my problem.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Seems fair enough to me. :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

My Dog [img]Download Failed (1)[/img] Harry likes to pee on those green boxs [img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

Re: Green box doors left open
 

How can you be scared of someone you don't know and have never met?? :confused:
__________________

If it was the cabinet that affected your service, I'm sure that attitude would be different. :rolleyes:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Indeed it would. But it isn't. People is people, OB. Everyone has a limit to their public spiritedness, and I'll be surprised if you can't see that that limit falls some way short of sitting in one of NTL's famously long call centre queues to report a random open street cab. As Altis says, if there were a simple online process, then fine. But AFAIK there isn't.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Something to work on mebbe ;)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Hopefully, they are water (& Pee) proof.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

We had to report one in the next street recently, it doesn't serve our street so it wasn't impacting our service but I thought I'd be nice and let NTL know that someone had driven a van into one of their boxes and had left it leaning over at 45 degrees to the ground. Turns out that even though it had been like it 2 days no one had rang NTL :erm: Maybe they thought the green cab genie might put it right by magic :dozey:
Is there a department in NTL that handles green box queries? If so maybe they should let people contact them by email?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

D'you know what? My dog, also called Harry, likes to pee on those green boxes!

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I will sort that out for you next time I am in the area, thanks
__________________

I work at those boxes so please don't let your dogs pee on them how would you like if I let my dog come and pee all over your place of work, not very nice is it.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

:tu:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Sorry that kind of made me giggle :disturbd:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I also work at those boxes your dog pees over.Do you realise what diseases we could catch fron dog pee?A lot of us have our hands covered in scratches from work,so the risk of infection is quite high.Also,on a hot day,dog pee smells very,very bad!!
If i catch a dog peeing up a box while i'm working there,it WILL get a boot in the b*** & i dont care if the owner is there or not!So,please think before you let the dog have a pee.Find a lamp post or a tree.
M

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Thanks i'll remember that next time i put my hand down whilst working in the cabs, actually now it's getting warmer it tends to give off a nice aroma:disturbd:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Its just my thanks for the lovely jerky TV which you have been unable to fix on 2 visits, and the BB which, most of the time, is slower than 56k!

p*** for p***!

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Not necessary.

NTL may have been unable to fix your telly but that's not the fault of the guys that frequent this forum.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

But you could say the cabs they work on are not the ones my dog pees on?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

And that makes it ok?

Is it ok that people vandalise grave stones, because they are not in the cemetary that you will be buried in?

Is it ok that people litter the streets, because they are not doing it where you live?

Is it ok that my NTL reception is perfect and yours is not, because I don't have to watch your television?

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Uncalled for. Stop it, please.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

The box near me was open today.

I saw an ntl van passing - flagged them down and they closed it up :)

Nice.

(if i'd had any sense I'd have asked them for some coax on the qt to move my digi box - not that they'd do that - and I shouldn't ask 'cos I'm an honest kinda guy)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

As doors falling off these boxes is happening so frequently , mine falling off twice in one week and is held on by tape at the moment, would it not be a good idea for ntl to start doing a refit of all boxes so eventually the problem would hopefully be solved. Lets face it if it was a new car where doors kept falling off they would all be recalled and problem then fixed.
At the moment ntl could creat a new job where someone just drives around fixing the doors as its so commen.
Do bt have these boxes , if so how many of these are open compared to ntl , perhapes ntl could could ask bt where there going wrong in there box design.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

A good idea that would cost a lot of money that NTL doesn't have :( Like most companies NTL are in a position where equipment will probably only be replaced when it completely fails. Now if they were to find a way of stopping people trying to force cabs open they might last a bit longer lol

Re: Green box doors left open
 

It's an in-built problem of the cable network unfortunately. Cable is most cost effective to install where housing density is highest. Housing density is highest on council estates. Council estates have a higher concentration of chavsters and other morons who are more likely to vandalise street furniture. That's a sweeping generalisation but I suspect it's a factor.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Yes i agree this will cost , but so does paying an engineer to come out and fix phone lines that have been pulled out like mine was after one week of being with ntl, Lets face it the boxes are far to flimsy anyway, And would it not be nice to know that at least one problem would have a permanent fix .

Re: Green box doors left open
 

BT had these boxes long before cable came along. The BT boxes appear to be constructed more solidly and have better locks than the NTL boxes and be situated in high traffic areas. NTL boxes quite often are a bit out of the way and some of them, the tiny green box with sloping top, seem to be very flimsy.

BT engineers around here have been working in their cabs quite a lot recently and also replacing many of their telegraph poles. You can often see them connecting a telephone to the wiring in the box. Perhaps a lot of damage to green box doors is done by people who have seen them doing this and breaking into them to connect their phone via crocodile clips to someones pair of wires and therefore charging their call to your bill.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

one option is to epoxy them shut

Re: Green box doors left open
 

A couple of years back my local box was vandalised loosing me my connection as the cables were ripped out. I rang CS and was told they couldn't do any about it unless they got three calls from people who said they had lost their connection to!!! - unbelievable.

I tried the the H & S angle and quieried the possibility that the other prople who used that box might be on holiday for 2 weeks. Would that mean I would be disconnected for two weeks? But they wouldn't have any of it to begin with. I think they relented in the end through my persistance.

I made a post about it on the old site and a very nice NTL local manager gave me his number to ring to discuss the incident. What a nice man, a very nice man:)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

And when I can't find a public toilet open and come and p**s all over your front door and perhaps have a nice steamy dump on your flower beds, we can have a right good chuckle about it, can't we?
That also applies to cat owners, who let their stupid bag of fleas crap their way around everyone elses gardens and scatter contents of bin liners down the road. Then they have the audacity to tell all and sundry how clean their lovable, disease spreading pet is, at home.
Animal lovers, I will gladly send some of my excrement for you to sample in the comfort of your own garden, from somebody else who has to work around the smell and possiblities of animal borne diseases. :mad:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Without going too OT, we find its the foxes that do that ;)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

And if anyone in NTL is reading.....

There is a green box at the top of Pendle Way, Burnley that has been open for several days & if your not too quick, you will find that you no longer have a door to close as it's moving further & further away. :D

Re: Green box doors left open
 

They do indeed, but I know my neighbours numerous cats are the worst culprits as I have often thrown the contents of my kettle at them, unfortunately missing them.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Oh how I love animal lovers....but back on subject I once reported a box open and nothing was ever done about it :(

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Uncalled for! I don't CARE what YOU have to work in. You cannot stop a cat doing these things. Dog's I agree - you can lead them and keep the leaded to stop them messing the boxes but cats! no.

I would also be careful about throwing your contents of your kettle over them as I and many others would call the RSPCA and have you sorted out mate.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Good on you Ben :tu:

Re: Green box doors left open
 

My dog Harry will not stop untill other dogs stop. Its a sense thing and he own the boxs

Re: Green box doors left open
 

CAN WE GET BACK ON TOPIC PLEASE. I will remove any further posts about animals using street cabs as toilets, or NTL techs using animals as punchbags.

For discussion about cabs that have been left open, please post away. Otherwise, please go away.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I think what really annoys a lot of people is that for the majority of the open boxes, an NTL van will most likely drive straight past it, the driver seeing that it is obviously open & the driver will not stop & close/lock it.

Now I'd stop & close them, esp if I had a key and I'm not an NTL employee. It seems that these days people won't do anything unless they are told to.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Perhaps the NTL driver is doing that because it isn't a NTL box but belongs to BT. :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Nah, BT ones are rarely seen open, NTL ones always.
cheaper & crappier locks etc :D

Re: Green box doors left open
 

Fair point. I posted before saw this, I was that angry at Ben.
I urge you to leave my last post though as it addresses workers rights to a safe environment and shows the distress caused to those that just don't care what their animals get up to..
It will be my last comment on it. :)

Re: Green box doors left open
 

And as you asked so nicely, I'll leave your last comment alone as a reasonable response to what others have said. :)

If anybody wants to discuss animals and hygeine any further, please use PM.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

I was a contractor for NTL, in a NTL badged van. I could probably say 80% of cabinets were unlocked or broken. As a contractor we are paid per job, no financial incentive to report boxes damaged were offered and on the odd occasion I did, it would take sometimes up to an hour to report (unpaid). The simple truth is as there are no auditing of contractors and the very poor treatment they receive by NTL and the firm that they contract for, the contractor will never behave like a valued employee. i had high hopes when starting of maintaining my excellent customer service skills but eventually I couldn't cope with the way customers were treated and walked.
Getting back to cabinets, BT would send engineers out on call to shut cabinets, guard and secure damaged ones that would need replacing. They have an online internal website that engineers report damged equipment thru, stating the priority of the job etc. The way BT deal with it compared to NTL bears very little resemblence.

Re: Green box doors left open
 

<off topic stuff removed - Chris T>

Anyway, a valid post without reference to animals etc - I remember reading an april fools joke thread a while back (in April believe it or not!) which said about people adopting NTL boxes... I think if NTL went out and fixed the boxes in that the doors stayed on the hinges and then got certain people who live nearby to monitor them with a key or something (of course for a small discount off their services :)) might help keep an eye on these things.