Work next to BT lines

[warren]

Hi,

Does felling a tree next to a BT line require UA1 etc and would therefore invalidate my 'no utilites' insurance.

 

I've read a few posts on here - and they seem to suggest that it's ok - and if you damage the line you get the customer to ring BT and report a fault.

 

Thanks

 

Warren

[roseyweb]

in my opinion, which is not fact

No, nor would be working next to a power line with a switch off as your not directly doing utility work,

You would struggle to hurt yourself on a BT line

[Rupe]

No it wouldn't invalidate anything, its not utilities (in the eyes of your insurance)

 

And, yes get the customer to report any faults/breakages but a certain amount of nice talking is required for this to work, i.e. you need to have a nice customer and explain that its much better for them to report it.

 

If you just walk away from any faults and "tell" the customer to sort it, then it could all come back at you, but the worst case scenario is only that you have to pay the repair bill. Its not ever going to be an insurance claim unless the affected person claims for stress and lack of earnings etc, thats why its best to have spoken to the client first. ANd then of course just dont break any wires!!!

[warren]

cheers gents. They were your posts i was referring to Rupe.

[18 stoner]

If all goes wrong and you take one out, as Rupe says its doubtful you would warrant a claim anyhow, but in my experience its the assessor who visits site following the breakage who decides if you pay or not.

 

If you get on his better side by being polite, appologetic and show you did all possible to avoid damage he may sympathise:thumbup1:

[Rupe]

Yes, but, no, but, there wouldn't be an "assessor" if the customer reports a fault. A "repairer" would turn up whose sole job is to get the customer connected up again ASAP, not to decide any fault.

 

BT have a policy of fixing faults within 24 hours, after that they have to refund the line rental. So when a customer reports an unknown fault it gets fixed, but if a customer says a tree surgeon has broken my line, or worst still a tree surgeon phones up and admits cutting a line, then an assessor might be called.

 

Avoid that situation by being canny! Its not an agreed method that the customer will report it and BT will fix it and happy ever after but it work that way if you play the game carefully.

 

Another way of thinking of it is this, BT have two sets of engineers, one set is already paid for by the customers (Us) in the line rental fees, and the other set who have to charge there work out to someone. You need to make sure that its the first lot who are called!

[bob]

They generally just bill the customer if they think it,s negligence and leave it to them to re-coup the money

I know of 2 instances when this has happened:blushing:

[Rupe]

It should depend on which engineers turn up, the ones with an invoice book or the ones without. If its just a snapped/cut cable then it should just be repaired.

 

I agree though, that if you ripped the junction boxes off the wall of the house then that might be a bit more serious. BT are only obliged to reconnect the service, not necessarily to do any repairs to the building, so the original rule of just dont break anything is still the foremost important bit.

[treequip]

If you were called out to a tree failure that had snapped the line you would only be there to clean up the mess and maybe remove the remainder of the tree.

 

“It was like that when we got here guvnor”

 

Just make sure your client is singing from the same song sheet.