View Full Version : Damaged Cable = No Internet for a month!?
sniper007
01-07-2009, 15:03
Hey all, the other day I lost my Virgin on Demand TV services, and cable broadband. My telephone and normal TV channels through virgin still worked. I phoned for support and I have had an engineer out today who has said that basically the cable coming into the house has been damaged in the past and bodge fixed hence is losing a lot of signal and has just enough for only some of the services to work. Could this be down to the heat recently?
Anyway, I've been with Virgin since day 1 and am ex ntl and in all the years I have been with them, have generalyl had really good service until this....he told me I can't get this fixed until 27th July! I now have no on demand (quite annoying) and no internet (completelly unacceptable) for the whole of July. Can I not get the priority raised under the circumstances? Why can they get an engineer out within a day but not fix the problem till then?
Appreciate any help.
Thanks
The bloke who visited probably believes the solution is to re-lay the cable through your garden, or worst-case re-pull it all the way from the street cabinet. This requires a special team that may not be as readily available as a regular house-calling tech.
Although I have never heard of a damaged cable cutting off some TV services but not others. I can see why you might lose all TV and internet, but not phone, because the phone is on separate wires inside the cable sheath, but some TV and your internet, leaving basic TV channels unaffected ... seems strange to me.
The bloke who visited probably believes the solution is to re-lay the cable through your garden, or worst-case re-pull it all the way from the street cabinet. This requires a special team that may not be as readily available as a regular house-calling tech.
Although I have never heard of a damaged cable cutting off some TV services but not others. I can see why you might lose all TV and internet, but not phone, because the phone is on separate wires inside the cable sheath, but some TV and your internet, leaving basic TV channels unaffected ... seems strange to me.
If its changed the resistance of the coax it will restrict the higher frequencies, The channels are in transport streams sent at different frequencies on the cable. If the cut has changed the resistance at the higher end of the frequency band then those channels will drop off leaving the others OK. Hope that makes sense.
Clear as a bell, thanks for that. :tu:
sniper007
01-07-2009, 15:20
The bloke who visited probably believes the solution is to re-lay the cable through your garden, or worst-case re-pull it all the way from the street cabinet. This requires a special team that may not be as readily available as a regular house-calling tech.
Although I have never heard of a damaged cable cutting off some TV services but not others. I can see why you might lose all TV and internet, but not phone, because the phone is on separate wires inside the cable sheath, but some TV and your internet, leaving basic TV channels unaffected ... seems strange to me.
Re-lay it? Don't like the sound of that as it's rented house I am in and not sure the landlord would be happy with his new garden being dug up :(
did the engineer not cut the cable at the t outside your property and run some cable loose to be getting on with also if you have no phone line it should have been booked as an emergency re pull which could have been done in a few days
What needs digging? Is it under paving or grass? Getting new cable under the lawn doesn't really make much of a mess, it's just a matter of easing the ground apart with a spade and then pressing it back together.
If he's laid flags or block paving over it however, it could get a little messy.
sniper007
01-07-2009, 15:36
Garden is basically 2/3rds grass, then the last 1/3rd is patio :(
also if you have no phone line it should have been booked as an emergency re pull which could have been done in a few days
You know suddenly my phone has intermittantly stopped working ;) Is that still an emergency?
Garden is basically 2/3rds grass, then the last 1/3rd is patio :(
You know suddenly my phone has intermittantly stopped working ;) Is that still an emergency?
You know i am sure you said not working at all ;)
sniper007
01-07-2009, 15:56
You know i am sure you said not working at all ;)
My mistake, not working at all now. ;) But in all seriousness, surely they would run some diags when they come out to check? Or should I just gamble on them going "yep, that will be because of your current problem with the cable sir, we'll get someone out tomorrow to fix it as it's now a high priority due to the loss of phone service" or something like that?
EDIT: I suppose them phoning me up and me answering to "yes this is he" wouldn't help? ;)
My mistake, not working at all now. ;) But in all seriousness, surely they would run some diags when they come out to check? Or should I just gamble on them going "yep, that will be because of your current problem with the cable sir, we'll get someone out tomorrow to fix it as it's now a high priority due to the loss of phone service" or something like that?
Phone from a friend who has cable and make sure your phone is unplugged. But you should be ok.
graf_von_anonym
01-07-2009, 19:52
They'll probably check, and you could get hit for a callout charge, which is, iirc, £99. As for the garden situation, your landlord will (probably) have granted wayleave, but it might be an idea to let them know that Virgin are going to be re-laying the cable.
sniper007
02-07-2009, 20:37
Well I phoned VM up to have a moan and this was the result:
Phone Call 1:
Got through to a helpful guy. Told me they need to do a full re-pull/lay. i.e Shouldn't have to dig up the garden as the trunking is already in place deep in the ground, so they apparently pull it through and out. Then they push the new one through somehow all the way up to the house. Any lifting of slabs and garden is supposed to be minimal. He put me through to an Indian robot and she could barely speak English. She was perplexed as to why I wanted to bring the appointment forward to before 27th July. I explained I wanted it sooner as I wanted it fixed asap. In the end I had to hang up and get someone else......
Phone call 2:
Got through to a nice girl in Manchester Call center. She was massively helpful and promised to phone me back having spoken to her manager. She did as well, early! I missed the call and she left me a message ensuring she would call again. She did, and managed to get my appointment brought forward from 27th to 13th July. Good girl :)
To post this I've bodged a shared internet connection through my laptop using my friends wireless network a few doors away. Roll on 13th July. I want my on demand...I haven't watched TOP GEAR yet! Shock horror.
Roll on 13th July. I want my on demand...I haven't watched TOP GEAR yet! Shock horror.
Watch it on iplayer via the tinternet :)
Normally what should happen is a normal repull is booked only when a customer has lost tv and bbi connection as it is not considered as important as a phone line but you could be waiting weeks which i do not agree to.But at least youve got it sorted now well done.
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