A GROUP OF homes in Moray that have seen their telephone and internet connection disconnected for almost a month is still waiting on BT Openreach affecting a repair.
insideMoray reported last week that the homes just five miles from Elgin were disconnected after a storm on January 26. The Birnie homeowners know exactly what the issue is – an overhead cable blown down – but it took three weeks for BT Openreach to arrive at the location.
When they did, it was a shake of heads that the line had blown off the overhead pole – and a promise that other specialists would need to be called out to repair the damage. A week later residents are still waiting, with senior executives at BT and internet provider PlusNet involved – as is Moray’s local MP, Angus Robertson.
One of the customers affected, Robert Adams, said: “We are now in touch with the Chief Executive Officers of both BT and BT Openreach, as well as PlusNet. This had led to better communication – but no fix.
“We have been told since the article appeared on insideMoray that a new pole needs to be put in place as the existing one is too short, but that would not be available until February 26. However, we have received an assurance that this could be brought forward – although we have not heard if that is possible as yet.”
Last night Moray’s MP Angus Robertson said he was all too well aware of the issues being faced by many Moray customers with Birnie just one of a number of issues he is taking to the BT Openreach managing director in a meeting on Monday.
He said: “The issues relating to BT infrastructure and affecting people in Birnie are unfortunately just the latest in a long list of complaints I have been pursuing on behalf of constituents with BT.
“Just last Friday Stewart Stevenson MSP and I listened to the concerns of business and residential BT customers in Buckie and I have raised all of those issues with BT directly.
“I am meeting with the Managing Director of BT Openreach on Monday and I will certainly be adding in the Birnie issue to the long list of concerns I will be presenting him with. Even BT Engineers have expressed their concerns over how BT Openreach is being managed and feel that they are bearing the brunt of customer complaints through no fault of their own.
“The volume of complaints I am dealing with is unprecedented and there is clearly something far wrong for this to be the case. The big question is how are BT going to fix it and how long will it take to get to the levels of customer service that their customers reasonably expect of them.”