BT lines, who is responsible

[gibbon]

Rupe the scenario is that in the past 2 weeks I have looked at 2 private jobs which didn't need doing. 1 was a lady who had a line through her tree feeding her neighbours house. Their internet was on the blink and the neighbour and BT wanted this lady (pensioner) to pay for the work. I felt this was bully tactics as there is no doubt that the tree was there 1st and they had run their lines through it when they replaced a pole. If the tree was likely to be a problem they shouild have relocated the pole not erected a wire which should be maintained at a 3rd parties expence.

 

Another day this week I met with a LA client to look at work. 1 job was to prune back from bt as the tennant had phone problems. The line was slack-no sign the tree was messing this up. Why should we as tax payers pay for this work (which we do when its LA jobs) so BT don't have too.

[Rupe]

I agree we shouldn't be paying. Difficult situations there, it sounds like bt are stalling and the intermittant thign is an issue as its not a direct fault.

 

I cut a phone line this year with hedge trimmers, got the customer to report a fault, fixed within the day no worrries, no bill, no questions.

[Charlieh]

i was told if your trees damage BT`s wires then they will try to charge you for the repairs.

 

Don`t know if this is true or not never been in the situation yet.

 

this is what BT quote us on the in-laws farm two years ago! said if we knew the line was getting damaged by our tree then it was our responsibility to deal with it,

 

so its probably just best to let the tree wear through the wire then get them out to repair it, pleading ingnorance about the cause of the fault, unless the tree is going to damage the wires straight away again

[Saw-sick Steve]

Ok, what if the 'phone wire to a neighboring property crosses a woodland you own? If no clearance work has ever been undertaken by the landowner before. and the neighbour has been having problems, who's responsibility is it to clear the line - bearing in mind that BT are trying to duck any responsibility?

[Johny Walker]

pull the line down ,& lay a large heavy dead limb on the floor ,done it twice ,after a 360 pulled it down

[Mark Bolam]

Or cut the wire next to the pole with the lopping head on your poles. After discussing it with the customer. BT are swindling cheats anyway.

 

I've cleared loads of lines, but always make it clear to the customer that they don't have to do it.

[Rupe]

Or cut the wire next to the pole with the lopping head on your poles. After discussing it with the customer. BT are swindling cheats anyway.

 

I've cleared loads of lines, but always make it clear to the customer that they don't have to do it.

 

 

Thats the spirit!!

 

BT have a contract (or least the customers have a contract with bt) whereby customers rent the line in advance then pay for calls in arrears. Any breach of service is refundabel by bt so its in there interests to repair and its in the contract that they will reapair faults within 24hrs unless its not possibel to do so (floods, earthquakes etc)

[gibbon]

Thanks for the replies. What I am really after is to find something that states its bts responsibility so we can avoid some work in the 1st place.

 

We had a large clearence job last year where we just disconected the lines ourselves each morning so we could straight fell. All was well untill someone chipped the line!

[bob]

Thanks for the replies. What I am really after is to find something that states its bts responsibility so we can avoid some work in the 1st place.

 

We had a large clearence job last year where we just disconected the lines ourselves each morning so we could straight fell. All was well untill someone chipped the line!

 

been there done that but a bt engineer came past whilst putting them back up

got a right telling off followed by a threat of court action in the post if caught again:thumbdown:

[treequip]

Thanks for the replies. What I am really after is to find something that states its bts responsibility so we can avoid some work in the 1st place.

 

We had a large clearence job last year where we just disconected the lines ourselves each morning so we could straight fell. All was well untill someone chipped the line!

 

Turn it around on BT and ask them why they think the landowner should be doing the work. Ask them to prove their right to demand the landowner undertake the works.

 

Clearly you shouldn’t interfere with the BT apparatus but I know many, myself included, who have done it without problems.