NTL Installation - Digging Up The Road Costs?

[VSPNET]

Me and my partner want my NTL account to be transfered to our new address but NTL have said NTL is availble in this area but our sstreet isnt cabled. So they quoted £229 for them to dig up our road and install the cabling to the property. Is this correct?

[MovedGoalPosts]

Strikes me as being very cheap.

[Wicked_and_Crazy]

is you house on an unadopted road? if so there may be cable up to the unadopted section and theyre quoting for the last little bit

[kronas]

Strikes me as being very cheap.

i remember a quote on here where someone was being charged thousands, proberbly to install a cab though...

what are the services you require from NTL ?

[Graham M]

Sounds very reasonable for the manual labour involved :tu:

[punky]

Depends on how much needs to be dug up. Also it depends on the services wants. If the person wants all 3 (4?) services for a year, they'll charge less for installation than if he just wanted the select pack.

[VSPNET]

We are looking into transfering my NTL 10mb Broadband service over ot this property. They said on the phone that they will be needing to dig up and lay cable down the whole street. If this is a NTL service area shouldnt they be paying for this not us???

[MovedGoalPosts]

There doesn't seem to be any complusion on the cable co's to extend their infrastructure anymore. That's despite them having franchises that were supposed to mean the country got cable :(

[Shaun]

They should be forced to add so many extra miles of cable (resi not dark or backbone) each year. Saying that IMO they should be allowed to put the cable up from existing BT poles where they exist rather than dig the road up. :)

[georgepomone]

Hi All,
like wise they could have had Local Microwave links to their distribution points in the same way that Telephone company was started. Sadly that came to nought.With the costs that would be involved now I wonder if Cable will ever expand to more than now.Look at how many companies were involved when it started.For most of them they took the money and ran when it was offered.
Still who knows what the future will bring.
Regards, George.

[kronas]

We are looking into transfering my NTL 10mb Broadband service over ot this property. They said on the phone that they will be needing to dig up and lay cable down the whole street. If this is a NTL service area shouldnt they be paying for this not us???

well its a reasonable price to pay, if you look at it, normally as has been said if you cannot get the service then tough luck as expansion of networks is no longer being done, its up to you though, if it was me i would pay, unless you can get a faster ADSL connection provided your close to an exchange ?

[VSPNET]

I am happy to pay it but I cant see why I should when this area is specified as an NTL service area. This property is about 1 mile from my old house which I have the NTL boradband installed.

[daggman]

Seems cheap to me ,hopefully u will get to know your new neighbours, and get some of them to sign up to ntl as well and maybe then ntl will do job for nothing or split the cost between you.

[Red Robin]

Hi
I'll try to help a little, although be patient, as this is forum is new to me!
NTL don't have any money at the moment to expand the network in any way. This means any New housing Developments, new blocks of flats, or any extension to the network which means basically spending money is not possible, unless the costs are met. As far as I *know* this is the same country-wide, but definately the case for where you are, as this is the region which I know.
I suspect when the main network infrastructure was built, there was a reason why your house and road were not cabled. There isn't much value in working out why, because it won't make a difference now, but some examples are if the road had recently been resurfaced by the council then they may have stopped it being dug (called "highways embargo"), or if (as said before) it was a private road not public highway, etc, or perhaps your road was a new road off an existing one, and built after the rest of the network.
The only way that the network can be expanded at present, is if the costs are met somehow. In the case of New Developments that means the housing builder meets the costs, or in the case of one off properties like yours, it means the householder has to. Mean I know, but there simply isn't any money to be spent at the moment. It's most frustrating for people such as yourselves who are only a short distance off-net. If I'm being honest, I think the price you have been quoted is pretty cheap!! I suspect there probably isn't very far to be dug... a few meters tops?
I don't know if this has been of any help?

[MovedGoalPosts]

:welcome: to Cable Forum Red Robin :D

[VSPNET]

We live in the last house in the coldisack thats off a small road so about 50 meters. Yes i agree the price they quoted was cheap and am conciering paying it.


Thank you guys for your advice.

[handyman]

I'm convined sales have been give a figure more like £500 for the works and have subsidsed it inorder to tempt you to sign up.

[VSPNET]

Two NTL representatives arrived today and told me that they have found another way to connect us from behind the property and that it will be free of charge. Also got offered a job by one of them :O

There coming next week to dig up the garden.

[homealone]

well partial result, then :)

[Graham M]

Just make sure you have right of access to where they want to lay the cable!!!

[VSPNET]

Yes they are enquiring about the right of way and are sure there is no conflicts.

[Red Robin]

Hi
Sorry to get bossy here, but I work in ntl, and I've made some enquiries for you this morning because I know the planners who cover your area (going on the assumption that you are still in the "northants" area).

I think it's probably an idea if you can PM me some details.... I don't want to cause problems and I'm sure we will resolve this, but the planning office ARE NOT aware of any people from their dept. who have been out and told you there is a way to bypass digging up the road. I'm not saying it's impossible, but as said before, certain legalities must be checked if you are going to cross someone elses land. Unless it's done properly, you could be left wide open. "Right of Access" (which is a very basic permission which Sales have the ability to get) may not be enough. You may need to get (what is called) a full "Wayleave" from the person who's land you are crossing. In any case, with something this complex, it should be a planner for the area looking at it for you and I am troubled that maybe it is sales or installs that are pushing it through.... and althought it may ultimately work, you may be compromised legally (and we don't want that).

If you want to PM me some details of where you are, I can make sure that a) what has gone on so far can be verified and b) that a planner contacts you to take things forward. If you have any details of who came out to you, that would be a bonus (not to drop them in it, or stop you getting installed, but just to make sure it's all done correctly for you).

HTH a little.

Red robin.

[MovedGoalPosts]

It is safe to PM Red Robin details ;)

[Red Robin]

Mark
Can you let me know if someone has sorted this for you yet? Have you been installed, or someone surveyed?

I passed your details as per our PM's to a planner in your area. She was going to speak to the sales team, and see what was what for you. Can you let me know where things are at now, so I can chase again for you if necessary? Don't want you to get messed about.

Red Robin

[tekman]

I'd also be very interested in the outcome.

It took us 6 to 12 months to get Telewest to extend their network to our block of flats and that was only about 100 feet plus.

Had to go through their planning department who then had to get all the permissions etc, as they had to dig up an access road and also dig up quite a lot of the pavement.

If you're being quoted £200 plus to extend access then i'd grab it with both hands.

We were advised that it would cost more than a few thousand to extend access to us, but fortunatly Telewest picked up the tab and didn't cost us anything at the end of the day.

[VSPNET]

Rang NTL today about the incident for the third day running and the first person on the phone today told me there systems were down and she put me on hold and transfered me to the proper dept but during the holding proccess it cut me off this then happnened for another 2 times within 1 hour. I finally got through to one of the customer service people in the right dept and the woman sorted out an installation date.

Then 5 minutes ago some skin headed NTL reperesentative knocked on ym door and told me that he has just spoken to the neighbours and that they have consented but he will need to get them to sign the form.

He said that installation should commence next week and will take approximatly 1 hour.

I am rather annoyed it wasnt until i started moaning on the phone that no one from NTL has contacted me about it that they have sent somone round.

This is not how a company should be run. And i do thank Red Robin for her support and advice in this matter.

[2old4this]

I am moving to a area that has cable anyone know what NTL charge for putting in the cable

[simpsonsFAN]

I am moving to a area that has cable anyone know what NTL charge for putting in the cableInstallation is free in cabled areas.

-Chris