ADSL line installation

[juBa]

Hi all,

Just want to find out quickly, we finally got a competent telkom employee to put a pole in our yard last week Friday. So the technician came today and said we must first get an electrician to install pipes in our roof so that they can run the telkom cable through them. Is this true? Just want to clarify as i have 0% faith in telkoms staff. If so, is this a big job? I dont know why the last telkom guy didnt tell me this when he came last week

Thanks a mill!

 

[sydCPT]

Well when my parents built their house about 10 years ago, I remember Telkom made a fuss because they wanted the cable in pipes in the roof, so we ended up installing them after we had finished building the house, thanks to Telkom.

However, I moved into a new flat about 4 years ago, and when I had my line installed the guy just glued it to the ceiling cornering. All the way through the block and through my flat too, so I dont see why they soometimes insist and sometimes dont.

 

[MickZA]

Well when my parents built their house about 10 years ago, I remember Telkom made a fuss because they wanted the cable in pipes in the roof, so we ended up installing them after we had finished building the house, thanks to Telkom.

Don't see how Telkom are at fault, houses built in the 70's & 80's by responsible developers all had cable pipes to blanking plates for phones in the hall/lounge and often the master bedroom as well, makes for easier installation and maintenance.

 

[RoganDawes]

Yeah, it is easier (for Telkom) to run a cable through an existing trunk, especially if you install the trunk instead of them.

The alternative may be for them to run the cable under the eaves around the perimeter of the house to get to where you want the phone point installed.

 

[sydCPT]

Don't see how Telkom are at fault, houses built in the 70's & 80's by responsible developers all had cable pipes to blanking plates for phones in the hall/lounge and often the master bedroom as well, makes for easier installation and maintenance.

I was actually talking about in the roof itself. The piping of course was in the walls, but Telkom refused to install the phonelines in the whole house until the conduits were in the ceiling too. I guess it makes sense, but who ever goes into the ceiling? And if you do go up there, I would assume you have enough of a clue to look out for lose wires, as there are lots up there. In anycase, the conduits are there now and theres no point in arguing about it, I just feel that we are giving money to Telkom, and they refuse to take our money usless they have everything their way. Is that how companies are meant to function? No, but it is how they function sadly.

EDIT:

And, they had to spend half the time in the ceiling anyway, as we had a telephone switch (or whatever its called) setup up there. So the excuse that they wouldn't have to go into the ceiling doesn't apply.

 

[juBa]

Ah thanks for all the information guys. Would the electrician know what kind of trunking to use? and where to install it etc? Because this 'technician' couldn’t even give me a straight answer for that. Also does it have to be an electrician? We've got a very competent handyman coming to do some general maintenance soon and im sure he can install those trunks and be a lot cheaper as well.

 

[MickZA]

In anycase, the conduits are there now and theres no point in arguing about it, I just feel that we are giving money to Telkom, and they refuse to take our money usless they have everything their way. Is that how companies are meant to function? No, but it is how they function
sadly.

The point is that Telkom have a flat rate for installation that's why they want things "just so". You’d be pretty upset if they came to do the installation and started quoting additional charges for supplying and installing conduits and, "BTW sir, the team that does that side of things is backed up for at least 5 weeks, working on a complex down the road where the developer didn’t install infrastructure".

 

[sydCPT]

The point is that Telkom have a flat rate for installation that's why they want things "just so". You’d be pretty upset if they came to do the installation and started quoting additional charges for supplying and installing conduits and, "BTW sir, the team that does that side of things is backed up for at least 5 weeks, working on a complex down the road where the developer didn’t install infrastructure".

I think you are missing my point. These guys refused to install the line, even though they were in the roof, working on a different piece of the system, they put down their tools, packed up, left the equipment half installed and said "Oh, sorry, get someone in to put a pipe from one end of the ceiling to the other and we will come back and finish." So we had to wait an extra week, and pay some guy to put a 10 meter long, straight pipe in a ceiling. What I'm saying is they could have just layed the wire in the open, saved about a week, impressed their customers and saved them money. Hell, if the line got cut in the open ceiling, they could have even said 'I told you so' and charged us to come fix it. But instead it was just more of the same from Telkom.

I can tell you something, if it was me installing the line, or one of my staff, I would have just done it. The Telkom techie who put my line at my flat in a couple of years ago, he did it, and I was impressed. He even went as far as giving me his personal cellphone number and told me to give him a call if some idiot decides to cut it, or it gets damaged or my body corporate complain, ect... That's good service, the service from the guys at my parents house 10 years ago wasn't. Go figure

 

[Tim the Techxpert]

Hi There,
Having the conduit is beneficial to you. It protects the cable from rodents. Also when moving around it provides protection against damage.
I do agree with you that it would have been a nice service to offer to install it after you had bought it of course.

Regards

Tim