A car crash in rural Wales left 200 homes and businesses without internet and phone service for almost six weeks.
Residents report downed phone lines and limited internet access. Openreach thanks people for their patience while engineers work to fix the issue. Nikki Crewes-Sweet, who runs a local business, says it’s been hard for over five weeks.
While some people still have internet, no one has working phone lines. Nikki, who lost internet this week, leaves home for 4G signal to check email because the mobile signal is poor and her landline is down.
The mobile signal is often poor, and Nikki’s phone often cuts off during calls. She feels they are forgotten and says residents received no firm answers during an Openreach visit, and a line check said it maybe summer before the issue is resolved.
Openreach said they completed repairs this week, and phone and internet should work soon, claiming it should be fixed by week’s end. Nikki, who still receives normal bills and was told she must pay or be cut off by BT, asked why she is being charged.
She joked that scam calls have stopped, but noted that although the bad signal is not ideal, the biggest issue now is no internet. She explained that everything is online, and filing taxes was a nightmare, leaving people worried.
BT customers can get compensation for the lost connection time after repairs are complete, and are asked to contact them directly. Customers should contact other providers too regarding compensation.
People asked why it took so long to repair the service. Openreach cited the location of everything for making a quick fix impossible. They apologized to the people there and hope that everything works by Friday.
Openreach stated that engineers are fixing the problem, working on service to 200 properties where the pole broke due to a car crash in January. They initially made the area safe, but were unable to make a quick repair then.
Now that they have replaced the pole and obtained traffic control permission, they will reconnect the cables this week. Openreach estimates everyone should have service by Friday and appreciates everyone’s patience.
Vulnerable status helps prioritize repairs, which your service provider determines. Talk to them if you think you qualify for vulnerable status.