BT Line Installation Costs >£100?

[anotherhuman]

We actually already have Sky TV and are looking into their broadband option. 40GB a month is fine for us, we don't use more than 30GB on most months (that's downloads, not including uploads).

First thing first though, need to find out about line installation. Going to a wedding this weekend where I'll meet the person I heard about these freelance line installers from so I'll find out more and post my findings.

Thanks for the useful advice.

[tweetypie/8]

Originally Posted by anotherhuman

My first post so howdy all

We're thinking of moving from VM telephone and BB as it's just costing us too much.

We've been living in this house since it was built 7 years ago and have always been with NTL/VM here, so there is no BT line to the house (I assume). I found out installing a line will cost over £100.

First question - can you guys confirm this high cost?
Second question - I hear some people install lines on a freelance basis (and at a much lower cost); has any one heard such a thing? If so, where can I find out more?

Many thanks for your help.

i moved to my present home in 1978 and had a shared bt line with a neighbour across the street it cost me then £92 to get my own line,the bit that sickened me was when the opposition started coming in bt was offering all kinds of deals.i have continually been contacted by bt to come back[no chance ] they always have been and still are greedy ******s.

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by Rob

to Cable Forum

BT line install costs have always been quite pricey. Makes sense really since BT end up installing and then find the line is handed over via LLU rules to a competitor so BT don't even get their costs bak, let alone make money from phone calls and the like.

Yeah regulation has forced the costs up only 2 years or so ago they were £75.

Previously the install costs could be lower and simply absorbed by BT, now BT is all broken up and each department has to justify its expenditure with some like openreach making very little money. LLU as you said is also a big demotivator to reduce costs as BT have less chance of getting it back over time from subs.

---------- Post added at 19:52 ---------- Previous post was at 19:50 ----------

Originally Posted by Paul

£124.99? Bl**dy he** they put it up again? Wow, they must really hate new customers lol

Bear in mind if the line is already in place its free.

Here I had no line going to the house but wasnt charged, I forgot the reason it got waived but the engineer said something about it been easier then expected. I expect its to cover installations that require a lot of resources to complete.

---------- Post added at 19:54 ---------- Previous post was at 19:52 ----------

Originally Posted by Gavin

I remember when I had a line installed in my room. Dial-up internet those days so for a young, hormonal boy, that's important. I remember (to the pound) BT wanted 110 quid, but Cable & Wireless only wanted 11 quid. So that was the start of my C&W/NTL/VM career, way back in... '95-ish

Perhaps an answer as to why BT make money and VM dont

---------- Post added at 19:56 ---------- Previous post was at 19:54 ----------

Originally Posted by anotherhuman

We actually already have Sky TV and are looking into their broadband option. 40GB a month is fine for us, we don't use more than 30GB on most months (that's downloads, not including uploads).

First thing first though, need to find out about line installation. Going to a wedding this weekend where I'll meet the person I heard about these freelance line installers from so I'll find out more and post my findings.

Thanks for the useful advice.

Sky is probably your best option then as you can get 8meg BB free (in LLU areas) and they are soon to launch a cheap phone package. I would first check that you are in an LLU area and your phone line will be good enough quality, can check at samknows.com with your postcode but would be wise to ask a neighbour who has adsl.

[superbiatch]

I had aline installed in February and have not received a bill for it. The guy who installed it said i might not get charged because the builder has in fact done most of the work and all he had to do was connect it up. If your house is only 7 years old, is there any possibility some of the work up to the house may have already been done? Maybe ask a neighbour....

I was told when ordering the reason why BT charge such an amount for installation and they stated they allow for 3 hours worth of technician time

[anotherhuman]

After looking at our options, Sky seems to be the most appealing.

Chrysalis: samknows.com tells me Sky has enabled my local exchange (Glenfield in Leicester) for their services. How can I check the quality of the line? Is there any website that can estimate what speeds I might get? Unfortunately, all the people we know on our street have a cable service.

superbiatch: I don't have a clue whether work up to the house has been done. Is there any way I can check myself? Otherwise I guess I'll only know once an engineer comes down.

[Nedkelly]

Do you have a bt socket in the house and is there a line from the pole to the house unless its a underground system

[anotherhuman]

Originally Posted by Nedkelly

Do you have a bt socket in the house and is there a line from the pole to the house unless its a underground system

There is no BT socket in the house, only NTL.

There are no poles or cables in the air in this area, so the cabling must all be underground.

[Nedkelly]

Is there a grey point on the front of the house .I live on new estate and there are grey boxes on the front of the houses its a underground system .Or there will be a grey pipe at the front of the house

[anotherhuman]

Just checked and there is a brown box on the side of the house - I'm pretty sure this is the NTL box. There are no grey boxes (or any other boxes). However, there is a cable coming from underground going into the front of the house, as shown in this picture:

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

This goes directly into our living room and has never been used before. Here's a picture of where it comes in:

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

Could this be an already installed BT line?

[Chrysalis]

Originally Posted by anotherhuman

After looking at our options, Sky seems to be the most appealing.

Chrysalis: samknows.com tells me Sky has enabled my local exchange (Glenfield in Leicester) for their services. How can I check the quality of the line? Is there any website that can estimate what speeds I might get? Unfortunately, all the people we know on our street have a cable service.

superbiatch: I don't have a clue whether work up to the house has been done. Is there any way I can check myself? Otherwise I guess I'll only know once an engineer comes down.

you can put in postcode on samknows and it will tell you direct distance from exchange.

if its under 0.5km it will very likely be good, under 1km it will more likely be good then bad, under once over 1km is when it becomes a big gamble really as its possible for a 1.5km distance to be very good but also be bad. Remember these are straight line so reali distance will be more. ofcom state the average is 1.4km distance to 1km straight line but in many cases I have seen much larger gaps.

[themelon]

Originally Posted by anotherhuman

Just checked and there is a brown box on the side of the house - I'm pretty sure this is the NTL box. There are no grey boxes (or any other boxes). However, there is a cable coming from underground going into the front of the house, as shown in this picture:



This goes directly into our living room and has never been used before. Here's a picture of where it comes in:



Could this be an already installed BT line?

That looks like it maybe it, ive seen a very similar connection to BT before in another house. You could check by carefully taking off the blanking plate and seeing whats behine there. It will most likely be twisted pairs.

[anotherhuman]

I opened it up today and this is what I found:



What do you guys think? Likely to be a BT line?

[themelon]

That looks like twisted pairs. In theory it should just need connecting up at BTs end and a Master Socket Installing in your property. So shouldnt cost BT much. It might even be worth getting your own master socket and fitting it on to try and blag BT that it had been used before (by the builders or something!)

[superbiatch]

See what can happen when you ask

When you get onto BT, be armed with information and although not appearing cocky, explain you don't wish to be charged the full amount as you are aware some of the work has already been completed. It simply needs connecting.

[anotherhuman]

Well a number of other forum users have said BT waived the installation fee because there wasn't much work to do (in their new'ish homes), so if this is in fact a BT line I'm hoping they'll waive the fee for me too.

When I last called them a couple of months ago I told them it was a new property and a BT line had never been used in the house. I was told in that case I would need a BT line installing, costing £125. But now that I've discovered this I think I'll tell them there's a cable coming into the house which I think may be a BT line, and see what they say.

Thanks for the help.

---------- Post added at 15:42 ---------- Previous post was at 15:29 ----------

OK now a few more things have occured to me. (Note I don't have any experience with ADSL)

1. Is it standard to have only one BT line point in the whole house? We have 3 NTL ones at the mo.
2. Is installing points in other rooms in the house part of the BT line installation cost?
3. If this line in the living room is the only one, I presume both phone and BB will need to be connected to it (through one of those filters)?
4. If other points are installed in the house, would it still be best to hook up BB to this 'master' line in the living room for the best speeds? Or would that not make a difference?

Wow I never thought this thread would turn into this Thanks again.