NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

When I moved into my property (block of flats), there was cable in the building but I intended to go with freeview and get broadband via a BT line that I had in the flat.

I realised that the aerial connection in my flat didn't work, and after investigation (quizzing the neighbours) I discovered that after NTL entered the building, all the residents analogue connections were mysteriously cut off. Lo and behold, further investigation (trip up to the roof) showed that all the connections had been cut and were left lying there. :erm:

Not only that, but when I got BT out to check and activate my phone line (hadn't been active for 3 years, which was when NTL was installed), the engineer discovered that all the BT lines had been cut at the box (it was deemed too expensive to fix it for just one customer). I asked if he thought it might have been industrial sabotage and he just gave me that knowing look and asked "what do you think?". :mad:


Does this kind of underhand tactic really go on? Or is it like the Freemasons and is something we shouldn't talk about?

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

I don't know Action, something for you to investigate perhaps? Maybe if you went downtown and spoke to the Mayor, then you'd get some answers. :D

Actually, maybe this does happen but it will be a minority rather than a majority i think.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

'Action' will commence shortly on this matter, but only after a cup of tea, and only if it's not raining outside.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Its seems odd that anyone could cut all the BT cables and let it go 3 years without knowing..... If my BT line got cut before 11pm i would know within minuites.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Everyone switched over to NTL phones at the time (were given special deals to do so - according to my neighbour - who is quite old, but shows no signs of dementia just yet - so is deemed a reliable source).


Must have been to prevent them from going back.


Sneaky devious animals that they are. :mad:

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

IF they did it.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

when we had telewest installed many moons ago they cut the BT line in our house by the front door

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

The guy that came here connected into the cables that run to the existing socket, but said he couldnt disconnect BT's and left me with a double plate, the left one is BT but the RIGHT one is virgin...

If the building owner agreed to it, maybe they asked for everything to be cut.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

According to the old lady next door then they DEFINITELY did.


This is a woman who survived the war and sports a blue rinse with no shame, so I'm inclined to take her word as gospel.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

I recently had an NTL engineer to install at my new address (well, it took 4 of them, but thats another issue).

He said that Sky always rip out NTL/VM connections in homes.

He was not impressed, but I suppose they do the same to Sky connections.

They should all get along and focus on services, not stupid things like this.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

I suspect that response and knowing look were saying "Industrial espionage? What have you been drinking"

Were the flats wired for cable when they were built? ntl didnt do much network expansion in recent years and that includes wiring existing buildings. The flats were probably set up for cable more than 3 years ago.

Does no-body in the building have sky?

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Would like to make things clear here, the people you call engineers are in fact installers who work for contractors who in turn work for Virginmedia. They may be wearing the Virginmedia uniform but are not employed directly by Virginmedia.

Over the years you will find that they have installed a phone line and used the existing BT extensions within the property or possibly in the case of flats/MDU have cut off the existing BT cable and used the BT extensions already installed. This i'll be honest has been something i have mentioned before, as to whether they should do it, but am not really sure on the policy, which has probably changed over the years due to different contractors and cable companies polices.

But one thing i do know is, there is no conspiracy to deliberately cut off BT lines with the intention of blocking people from using BT again in the future, more a case of bad working practices.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

The funny thing is, its likely to be the same contractor installing for sky and cable.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

i have to say, that the virgin engeneer that came here, didnt touch Sky, or BT.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

they did not touch mine but a friend of mine had his tv aerial cut so they could use the hole for cable

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

I used to work for the NTL cabling team many moons ago. It was common practice for them to don fake bt engineer jackets and cut up a few bt lines in the middle of the night. BT did much the same.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Oh really.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Surely you mean...















...














https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2007/05/55.jpg

? :)

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Well maybe the guy who installed my sky system is a nice fella, my old NTL connections are still in tact.;)

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

What...even if the BT line is still active and in-use? I know people (students) who have both BT and NTL (Virgin) telephone lines in use at the same time in the same property. Also, doesn't the BT copper cable belong to BT all the way up to the box in your house? The contractors would be committing an offence by deliberately causing criminal damage to someone else's property. The ones that did it as part of an install would lay themselves open to prosecution with a very good chance of conviction, since the customer would be a witness to the act. I'm a bit sceptical about this particular urban myth - if it happened so often, wouldn't there have been at least one prosecution?

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

LOL, Zeph

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

this thread gets worse by the post!

NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact? wtf do you think?? do me a favour, they get £12 an instal, do YOU reckon they are gonna take the time to cut cables??

---------- Post added at 21:11 ---------- Previous post was at 21:10 ----------

Zeph has made the only post with any cred!!

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

around 3 years ago, this NTL engineer just went into our front garden without asking he just used our cable box thing thats attatched on our house for our internet and used some of its cable to connect to my neighbour's box. I saw the NTL engineer and was asking what is he doing and why didnt he ask us? because it is our property he said "oh its just temporarily use, dont worry." But the thing was that he never even asked if he could use it....also when he did this my internet went mega slow.

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Lo, what blade through yonder cable breaks? 'Tis a slag, and you are undone..

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

I would be concerned, and more so if " the neighbour " was still hooked up!

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

we called up NTL and made an official complaint about that and the high bills O_O

Re: NTL engineers performing industrial sabotage: Myth or fact?
 

Is the box still connected to your neighbours?