Next Door's Scaffolding...

[JimmyMc1311]

Dear all,

Can anyone help me with some advice? I've trawled through the net but struggling to find the correct information. Like many streets in our neighbourhood, there is lots of attic conversions, roof fixing and general building work going on on our road.

The problem I have is that next door is having a roof conversion and it 'appears' that their scaffolding has slit our BT cable in two rendering us having no phone line and *scream* broadband.

Their builders deny it was them even though BT say that it was them as their scaffolding is inches away from our sorry telephone line which is now hanging in two. It does appear a huge coincidence that the telephone line would just snap right in the middle of their scaffolding....

Anyway, I don't really care how it happened. I just want it fixed so I can get back to 'Orange is the new black' etc on Netflix.

BT will only fix it when their scaffolding comes down. However next door says that their scaffolding is going to be up for at least the next three months.

Does any lovely person have any advice?

Cheers all

[Jeremy]

Ask your neighbours for their WiFi password?

[Loz]

I'd guess you could talk to OFCOM, as BT are failing to provide your phone and broadband service through no fault of your own. Won't be quick, though. Are BT suspending all charges while this is happening?

If any of the scaffolding is on your land, then I'd suggest you have quite a bargaining chip with next door.

[Saffron]

Is this a 'right of access' issue? If so, three months seems excessive.

[Huggers]

did you get party wall agreement?

our neighbours loft conversion dislodged a tile and the builders replaced it straight away.

Can you go to the head of the company that is doing the conversion? They won't want a bad reputation.

[Ondine]

tweeting @BTcare helps to cut through the company bureaucracy - I just used them to help escalate a complaint and they were pretty good. They can put you in touch with the right team and get prompt responses

[JimmyMc1311]

Thanks for your advice folks. Our neighbours and us are both end of terraces and there is a gap of about 3 ft between our properties. None of their scaffolding touches ours, but our phone line crosses over their roof and that's where the problem has arisen.

BT rang my mobile this morning, and God love them, they are going to send a 'cherry lift' so hopefully they can make the necessary repairs.

If not....cant' imagine a Christmas without wifi...especially as the lil one is getting his first iPad.

[jacks09]

they should be able to do it on the scaffolding.

If you really get no movement you could bodge a repair by joining all of the same colours in some connector block and covering it in insulating tape.