Broadband installation engineer can't enter

[scotsllb]

I'm moving house next week and sky have told me that if my broadband is not able to be connected from outside my property, then they will rearrange the appointment for after the restrictions have lifted.

The engineers are unable to enter properties as of last Tuesday apparently.

I have a teen homeschooling, one at college online and myself uni online.

AIBU to think that broadband is an essential service in these times?
I'm terrified at the prospect of being without internet during this

This will be their own policy, I don't see anything in the restrictions banning workmen from entering houses for essential work, and broadband is essential.

If there is already an ADSL socket in the house, they just need to make sure the outside is connected up properly.

You can do the inside easily yourself if this socket is already installed. Just use the adapter and the wire provided with the router to connect it.

We had the same OP in the first lockdown. In the end we contacted BT and they came out no problem. We waited for 4 months for sky to do it! When BT came out the engineer did it from the outside of the property by drilling through.

@TurquoiseDragon

This will be their own policy, I don't see anything in the restrictions banning workmen from entering houses for essential work, and broadband is essential.

I'm in Scotland if that makes a difference

but what are they to do? you'd have them enter and risk catching covid? potentially spreading to many before symptoms? they could worse scenario die

you think they 'should be fine with a bit of ppe" and enter then?

I've had Fibre installed and set up in the house during lockdown with BT, they wore masks and kept their distance throughout.. must just be a Sky policy.

@Glamflimfloogety

If there is already an ADSL socket in the house, they just need to make sure the outside is connected up properly.

You can do the inside easily yourself if this socket is already installed. Just use the adapter and the wire provided with the router to connect it.

Yeah I'm hoping that's the case

Have you asked current resident who they use? Might be easier to start with same until Sky can come in.

They’ve come under flack in the last week. Some companies were still installing despite their guidance saying they were only fixing problems. A whistleblower went to the media and put a lot of pressure on them to only do essential works.
However in the current climate I would argue that broadband is essential if moving. No idea how to practically help though sorry.

Same in lockdown 1. We moved at the beginning of April and our broadband was connected late June. That was BT Openreach for Sky.

Get a router and a data sim, you'll be fine whilst you wait.

@LIZS

Have you asked current resident who they use? Might be easier to start with same until Sky can come in.

I already have a contract with sky that is for the next 2 years

Maybe they will pause it if there is an issue connecting it.

Maybe sky engineers should be moved up the vaccination list.

You’d be able to cancel the contract - what if you were moving to a shared house or leave by the country?

Would another provider's engineers not be same and be barred from entering if I chose someone else?

@Arnoldthecat

Maybe sky engineers should be moved up the vaccination list.

No of course they shouldn't but what a witty comment well done

Sky didn't charge us whilst they couldn't supply us.

My work brings me into peoples homes and businesses to provide essential services. I can tell you that all year its been BAU for me and the laxity indeed recklessness of the general public leads me to believe that many of them think the epidemic is something that only happens on the six o clock news.

In many cases i am having to have doorstep risk assessments and discussions with responsible adults to check their current state, their exposure risk ,my risk on entering and discussing precautions.

There is also a kind of class divide where the better off areas eg the cheshire set ,think that the virus generally only hangs out up in the city and theres non of it down here in the posh bits.

It is no wonder that some companies now have such policies.

@unmarkedbythat

Sky didn't charge us whilst they couldn't supply us.

That's fine but what do I do about internet connection?

@Arnoldthecat

My work brings me into peoples homes and businesses to provide essential services. I can tell you that all year its been BAU for me and the laxity indeed recklessness of the general public leads me to believe that many of them think the epidemic is something that only happens on the six o clock news.

In many cases i am having to have doorstep risk assessments and discussions with responsible adults to check their current state, their exposure risk ,my risk on entering and discussing precautions.

There is also a kind of class divide where the better off areas eg the cheshire set ,think that the virus generally only hangs out up in the city and theres non of it down here in the posh bits.

It is no wonder that some companies now have such policies.

That's awful if some people have flouted the rules however my family rely on the internet for everything just now and it's very worrying we might lose it for a long period.

Sky use Openreach engineers who are useless at the best of times. I had four engineer appointments with them, first one didn't know what to do, 2nd and 3rd engineers didn't even turn up to the appointments, 4th engineer took hours faffing about outside then left muddy footprints in my flat and over my furniture. This was over a 2 month period.

Openreach changed their policy last week and have pushed all installs where engineers have to enter the property back to March in the first instance. Openreach install for Sky, Plusnet, Talk Talk, BT, Vodaphone and other smaller ISP’s. This has especially hit new full fibre installs as this needs an internal visit to install the ONT.
However, if you have no internet at all, this is different and they should be able to do the install sooner.
I work for one of the ISPs above in customer service, so have been dealing with this all week!

Or you buy a payg mobile hub or tether to a phone.

@cynicbuthappy

Openreach changed their policy last week and have pushed all installs where engineers have to enter the property back to March in the first instance. Openreach install for Sky, Plusnet, Talk Talk, BT, Vodaphone and other smaller ISP’s. This has especially hit new full fibre installs as this needs an internal visit to install the ONT. However, if you have no internet at all, this is different and they should be able to do the install sooner. I work for one of the ISPs above in customer service, so have been dealing with this all week!

Thanks that's helpful so I did explain to customer service that as it's a home move there would be no internet for us until they install and all I was told was it's just the way it is

Worst case scenario can you all get dongles?