It did not go well. First of all the engineer turned too sharply into our drive (which was widened last year) and dropped his back wheel into the ditch. For some reason he took his ladder out of the van and placed it across the bucket attachment before he tried to drive the van out. Luckily he managed to get enough grip with the remaining three wheels to drive it back onto terra firma. Nick stood by to make sure he didn't do any damage to our new gates.
Then the engineer looked at where the unit was to be installed and immediately declared he couldn't do the job because he didn't have drill long enough to go through the wall. He suggested we get an electrician to drill the hole and he will come back on Friday.
Considering that three quarters of the houses around us all have walls at least as thick as ours, and have fibre already, I find it hard to believe that he didn't have the right kind of drill. Nick suggested several ways he could get the job done using a drill we have for our walls but he rejected all of them.
He made another appointment for Friday then drove off, almost dropping in the ditch again, with his ladder still perched across the bucket thing.
We look forward to Friday. He phoned to confirm the time but we think he said it would be someone else. We rather hope it is! Watch this space!
Ugh. I will watch and hope for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteTo save drilling through walls, we went directly beneath a window frame and above the sill.... I drilled downwards from inside at an angle to meet the sill. I drilled a 10mm hole which was not needed as the fibre-optic cable is only 5mm!!
ReplyDeleteThe engineer installed the cable across the road and then came down to the house with a battery powered SDS drill with a 1m x 10mm drill bit in place... it looked very powerful and with the size of battery at the back, must've weighed a tonne!
I showed him that it wasn't needed and the hole and he was off back to the van like a jack rabbit on heat!!
All he had to do was continue running the cable along under the gutter and in... so with me feeding the cable off the roll, he got to the house and down the side of the window in about 20 minutes... then the technical bit began.
You can read that here:
( https://le-moulin-de-la-forge.blogspot.com/2023/01/la-fibre.html )
Who are your installers?
We went with SFR because Orange wouldn't connect us as the fibre wasn't in our area yet.... [odd, seeing as it was right outside!!]
Good Luck for Friday!!
We have someone coming before Friday to drill the hole for us and we have carefully marked where it needs to be, inside and out!
Delete