BT / Openreach issues for months - I finally want to cry about it

[RJ2023]

Not sure why I am posting but I finally feel like crying from months of dealing with BT and Openreach and want to write it down to make me feel better and in case anyone else has or will ever experience the same thing.

I've been a customer since 2007 and they (genuinely) charge me £90 a month for a connection that rarely even hits 40mbs (in a modern housing estate, not a field somewhere).

Since April they are trying to upgrade me to full fibre now, but there is a blocked underground duct affecting at least three houses that needs repairing.

All Openreach do (since April) is send three letters for a wayleave (to the wrong person) and then close the order. BT don't communicate this closed order until you phone them to ask for an update and they just say you have to start the process again with their sales team.

I've now done everything I possibly can.

I have paid for all of the land registry documents that prove who owns where they need to dig and spoken with the person who owns the house. He would sign a wayleave immediately. But Openreach have never written to him or care about this information.

I have the original covenants documents from when the estate was built in circa 1999 that make clear about the requirements for allowing infrastructure repairs - again, Openreach don't care.

The copper broadband will get turned off soon and then I am screwed (on a modern housing estate in Ipswich).

As I say - I don't know why I am posting - I just really want a hug due to the pain and time this has caused me.

If you have a good mobile signal it may be worth checking out 3s internet over the mobile network. It might have to be 5G but don't quote me on that. We have it and it's pretty good, certainly no worse than Virgin FTP for drop outs etc.
I briefly worked for BT taking customer calls. Wayleaves are a nightmare all round. Farmers threatening engineers despite getting rent to have a pole in their field. Unidentifiable property owners meaning work can't be done. BT were very vocal about having UK based call centres back then but it always amused me that Openreach's were offshore and we often struggled to have quite technical discussions with them.

We had open reach issues on a new build development. I launched a complaint which they closed saying that the issue would take 'at least 9 months' to resolve due to a similar blocked duct. I emailed the CEO, stating that I would be contacting my MP, as would other affected neighbours. Within a couple of hours I had my complaint reopened, the number for a dedicated complaints management team and five vans turned up 48 hours later to sort the issue out.

Submit a formal complaint now! You’re paying way too much.