A ‘botched’ broadband upgrade left a community hall without internet for nearly a month.
Christadelphian Hall in on Saint George’s Lane in Worcester lost its connection on April 14 during a failed switch from copper to fibre broadband, leaving the venue offline for nearly a month.
A spokesperson for the group claimed the disruption was caused when Sky disconnected the existing copper line in anticipation of a fibre installation that never took place.
Dan Jones, a volunteer who supports the hall, said: “It has been incredibly frustrating.
“The hall supports vital community activities including orchestra rehearsals, sign language classes run by Earshot Communication, and regular coffee mornings raising money for Acorns Children’s Hospice, St Richard’s Hospice, Maggs Day Centre and Worcester Foodbank.
“All of these groups need reliable internet, even if they don’t need huge speeds.”
Mr Jones added that efforts to restore the connection through Sky and BT failed and the issue remained unresolved despite escalating the matter to the BT CEO’s office and four cancelled orders.
Mr Jones turned to alternative full-fibre provider Zzoomm, which identified that the building could be connected via a nearby pole and completed the installation in under a week.
READ MORE: Plea to stop swimming in dangerous river as temperatures rocket
Meanwhile, Mr Jones claims Sky and BT have continued to request the return of their routers, with Sky offering only £50 in compensation.
He added he will pursue compensation through small claims if a fair settlement is not offered.
Both telecoms companies have since apologised for the disruption and acknowledged errors in handling the case.
BT said a residential order was not valid as the address was classified as a business location, which led to repeated cancellations.
A BT spokesperson said: “We’re sorry the customer’s experience fell short of our usual standards. Residential and business services are set up differently and in this case, following a survey for full fibre, the property was identified as a business location.
“This meant the residential order could not progress through to installation as expected. We recognise this resulted in repeated order cancellations and we are in direct contact with the customer to put things right. We have offered a goodwill gesture to compensate for the inconvenience caused.”
READ MORE: Heatwave could be deadly for dogs as vets advise how to keep pets safe
Sky added it will not be requiring Mr Jones to return the router and he will not be charged non-return fees.
A Sky spokesperson said: “We’re sorry for the disruption experienced by Mr Jones. The upgrade to full fibre was affected by an issue with the address which meant that the new service could not be set up.
“We acknowledge the overall experience fell short of the standard we aim to provide. We have updated the account to ensure Mr Jones will not be charged a non-return fee for the hardware, the Subject Access Request is being actively progressed, and a gesture of goodwill was offered in recognition of the circumstances.”
