upc want to dig up garden?

danois · 26-03-2011 07:08PM #1

Went down to see my mam today and she told me upc called in to her and asked her could they dig up her front garden to lay pipes. They said they would give her a few euro off her next bill!!! Didnt say how much or if they would fix up her garden. They got her to sign a permission form. Didnt say how much garden they would dig up or anything, is there anything i can do now or does she have to let them. I feel like they are takin advantage of an elderly lady.

Thanks

Ranicand · 26-03-2011 07:54PM

danois wrote: »

Went down to see my mam today and she told me upc called in to her and asked her could they dig up her front garden to lay pipes. They said they would give her a few euro off her next bill!!! Didnt say how much or if they would fix up her garden. They got her to sign a permission form. Didnt say how much garden they would dig up or anything, is there anything i can do now or does she have to let them. I feel like they are takin advantage of an elderly lady.

Thanks

The UPC lines carry phone and broadband.

This is not really taking advantage if they put the garden back they way they found it.

These lines have to go somewhere.

ESB Eircom water they all have to pass under gardens and roads also.

Cable is new compared to the above but it is a utility and if everybody said no to letting the cables pass under their gardens we would all lose.

Before you go ape ask yourself what are you really objecting to?

Eircom lines in my area are rubbish if it was not for UPC I would be on 1 Meg if I was lucky.

Decoda · 26-03-2011 08:00PM

????? Dig up your garden to lay cables? Whats wrong with the 'public footpath / road'. Probably because the cost would be too prohibitive for UPC and would involve a Road Opening License, Deposit, etc. Also think about allowing those cable ducts to be laid across your property. What happens in the future if you plan to extend your property or if you damage the cables while working in your garden?

DC

stimpson · 26-03-2011 08:00PM

Nonsense. It's her property and she can withdraw permission if she likes. I'd be looking for a years free cable off them as a minimum. And I'd be looking for something in writing saying that her garden will be returned to it's original state.

Ranicand · 26-03-2011 08:07PM

stimpson wrote: »

Nonsense. It's her property and she can withdraw permission if she likes. I'd be looking for a years free cable off them as a minimum. And I'd be looking for something in writing saying that her garden will be returned to it's original state.

I did not say she can not withdraw permission.

And yes look for something in return and get the garden put back properly.

Once you get what you can get and have things put back properly there is no reason to say no.

danois · 26-03-2011 08:11PM

Thanks all think i will ring upc tell them she needs assurances in writting and c if they will give her free for year. Mind you once her garden will be fixed i doubt she be pushed for free upc she would think she is taking advantage of them if she did

Del2005 · 27-03-2011 06:47AM

danois wrote: »

Thanks all think i will ring upc tell them she needs assurances in writting and c if they will give her free for year. Mind you once her garden will be fixed i doubt she be pushed for free upc she would think she is taking advantage of them if she did

I've friends who have UPC cabling on their house. They get UPC analogue free, from reading other posts could get digital for nearly free if they got of their a***. They get a letter every few years saying that they'll have to start paying for their TV. Their reply is come out and take your cable off our house and we'll pay. They've never paid for their TV.

What's my point. She should get free or nearly free TV for life not for a year as she is granting them access to her property to run their cables on her property.

j14 · 27-03-2011 07:54AM

Exact sme thing here. UPC want to dig up
My Mams garden to lay cables. The guy called when I wasn't there and she signed a load of forms granting permission to dig up the garden. I've emailed the UPC guy involved and only got one reply so I rang UPC directly. Turns out if the work goes ahead she will get free analogue for life and 3 free tv points around the house for analogue tv. That suits her fine as she won't upgrade to digital as she thinks it's too confusing. Turns out our neighbour was demanding free digital, free multiroom, free broadband and free phone for life if he was to let them use his garden because he has a massive garden full of veg and greenhouses and stuff like that. I do feel like my mam was forced into signing the agreement though as she got decking done last year and the guy was very sketchy about whether or not they will have to lift the decking and if they do will they replace it. Not very happy about that.

Hugh Cream · 27-03-2011 01:34PM

danois wrote: »

Went down to see my mam today and she told me upc called in to her and asked her could they dig up her front garden to lay pipes. They said they would give her a few euro off her next bill!!! Didnt say how much or if they would fix up her garden. They got her to sign a permission form. Didnt say how much garden they would dig up or anything, is there anything i can do now or does she have to let them. I feel like they are takin advantage of an elderly lady.

Thanks

i suppose they have to lay the pipes some where,if they can manage to lay them some where else get them to do it,but if not go ahead and let them lay them in the garden.
why deprive that area of the chance of using upc?
btw what area is this?

MacGyver · 27-03-2011 01:45PM

j14 wrote: »

Exact sme thing here. UPC want to dig up
My Mams garden to lay cables. The guy called when I wasn't there and she signed a load of forms granting permission to dig up the garden. I've emailed the UPC guy involved and only got one reply so I rang UPC directly. Turns out if the work goes ahead she will get free analogue for life and 3 free tv points around the house for analogue tv. That suits her fine as she won't upgrade to digital as she thinks it's too confusing. Turns out our neighbour was demanding free digital, free multiroom, free broadband and free phone for life if he was to let them use his garden because he has a massive garden full of veg and greenhouses and stuff like that. I do feel like my mam was forced into signing the agreement though as she got decking done last year and the guy was very sketchy about whether or not they will have to lift the decking and if they do will they replace it. Not very happy about that.

Analogue is probably going to be switched off in 2012 ( might be different with upc) so i would be looking for digital at all of those points.

Ranicand · 27-03-2011 01:49PM

MacGyver wrote: »

Analogue is probably going to be switched off in 2012 ( might be different with upc) so i would be looking for digital at all of those points.

Your wrong cable is a closed system and they can keep their analogue switched on as long as they like.

Dante · 27-03-2011 01:49PM

We got a discount on our TV and broadband subscription for allowing UPC to lay cables in our garden, you should try haggle them and see where it takes you.

cherie1990 · 27-03-2011 04:51PM

I got my Digital plus tv free in 4 rooms, free 30mb broadband and free phone for life for letting them do mine, at first I thought that I was asking for a bit much and they refused but they eventually gave it to me.

They also had to put my garden back exactly the same way it was.

stimpson · 27-03-2011 06:50PM

Good for you.

danois · 27-03-2011 07:29PM

Its in bray so maybe upc finally getting broadband here. I dont mind them laying cables i know it has to be done. Its just that her garden might be ruined she loves her garden and to be told we will give you a few euro off your bill not even told how much i thought was a bit cheeky.

Thanks for all your replys

bob11 · 28-03-2011 09:25AM

I had UPC run some cable in my garden as part of the new upgrades.
I got free Basic TV for life, approx €24 per month off my bill ..

dub45 · 30-03-2011 02:12AM

Once again why cant UPC do something properly?

If they want access to somebody's property then surely they should formally write to the owner of the house stating exactly what they want to do, the likely level of disruption and the duration of the work.

Any offers that they make in terms of free connections etc should be included.

They should supply a contact number and a NAME! An appointment could then be made for them to visit the property and the owner could have someone there if they wished.

This would give the owner time to read the documents and to talk to somebody about what level of disturbance might be involved.

Also they should give a written undertaking about the restoration of the property and a contact for any unresolved issues.

UPC will be employing contractors to the work and the restoration work - UPC are very quick to distance themselves from contractors - who is going to follow up with these contractors if things are not restored to peoples satisfaction? What if garden property is damaged?

They are long enough in the business now to have some sort of proper procedure in place. Calling unannounced to a house and expecting the owner to sign permission without time to consult somebody is surely not best practise to put it kindly.

Also who is doing the calling? Are they actual UPC employees or contractors for example.

And after all its not that they spontaneously decide to install cable!

dub45 · 30-03-2011 02:18AM

Hugh Cream wrote: »

i suppose they have to lay the pipes some where,if they can manage to lay them some where else get them to do it,but if not go ahead and let them lay them in the garden.
why deprive that area of the chance of using upc?
btw what area is this?

How do you trust someone who approaches you to dig up your garden and is sketchy about something that cost you a considerable amount of money? It hardly smacks of a professional approach?

I do feel like my mam was forced into signing the agreement though as she got decking done last year and the guy was very sketchy about whether or not they will have to lift the decking and if they do will they replace it. Not very happy about that.

danois · 30-03-2011 09:59AM

Thanks for that dub45 you managed to say everything I was thinking but in a clear and professional sounding way not a rant like me lol.

do you mind if i use your comment and reword it slightly when im emailing upc to ask them to tell me exactly what they plan to do?? thanks

dub45 · 30-03-2011 12:14PM

danois wrote: »

Thanks for that dub45 you managed to say everything I was thinking but in a clear and professional sounding way not a rant like me lol.

do you mind if i use your comment and reword it slightly when im emailing upc to ask them to tell me exactly what they plan to do?? thanks

Be my guest:)

The more I think about this the more surprised I am at UPC's approach to this.

A number of questions have since occurred to me:

What exactly is the legal status of the documents that people are signing?

Who if anyone is signing them on behalf of UPC?

Has allowing a third party to dig up your property any implications for your own house insurance?

Is there anything in these documents to cover future access to the property by UPC? For example suppose there is some sort of emergency and they want to dig up the garden in a hurry? (and for example suppose the owner was not available at the time for some reason? hospital, holidays business trip etc etc)

Will there be an agreed time frame for both the work and the restoration?

And at all times find out who you are dealing with and who they are employed by. UPC use contractors for many purposes - for example many of the CSRs appear to be employed by contractors rather than directly by UPC. I have UPC in writing attempting to distance themselves from information I was given by a CSR and citing the fact that they were employed by a contractor.

Also never trust UPC - get every commitment in writing and with a signature.

They have a well proven disregard for rules and regulations and the law when it comes to themselves.

danois · 30-03-2011 05:36PM

Thanks again another thing i just thought of its a council house would upc not need councils permission too

dub45 · 30-03-2011 05:39PM

I would assume so but wouldnt you think that any halfway competent company would have that covered in their planning?

You should contact the council and see what the story is from their point of view.

DingDong · 30-03-2011 08:00PM

danois wrote: »

Thanks again another thing i just thought of its a council house would upc not need councils permission too

They usually get a blanket wayleave from the council. danois give UPC a call and they will address any worries you have. Your mothers garden will be fully reinstated to it previous condition.

dub45 · 30-03-2011 08:04PM

DingDong wrote: »

They usually get a blanket wayleave from the council. danois give UPC a call and they will address any worries you have. Your mothers garden will be fully reinstated to it previous condition.

Under no circumstances should this advice be taken. Get everything in writing UPC have consistently proven that they cannot be trusted.

DingDong · 30-03-2011 08:11PM

dub45 wrote: »

Under no circumstances should this advice be taken. Get everything in writing UPC have consistently proven that they cannot be trusted.

Your entitled to your opinion Dub but I speak the truth. I'm sure the wayleaver will call out to you and go through all the details.

dillo2k10 · 30-03-2011 08:11PM

If they knocked at your mothers door and requested that she make the decision then and asked her to sign it then she can cancel the contract if she wishes to as she was in a way pressured into doing so.

Also get everything in writing. I would be very suspicious if they are using contractors to do the work or to restore your garden. If anything goes wrong or they do not finish the work then its not down to UPC to fix everything and some times the small contractor will not be in a position to do so.

DingDong · 30-03-2011 08:18PM

dillo2k10 wrote: »

If they knocked at your mothers door and requested that she make the decision then and asked her to sign it then she can cancel the contract if she wishes to as she was in a way pressured into doing so.

Also get everything in writing. I would be very suspicious if they are using contractors to do the work or to restore your garden. If anything goes wrong or they do not finish the work then its not down to UPC to fix everything and some times the small contractor will not be in a position to do so.

The civil's contractors are major companies in the Irish market(used by most telco's & councils) not small time operators. Photos are taken before and after to insure its restore to its previous condition.

dub45 · 30-03-2011 09:33PM

DingDong wrote: »

Your entitled to your opinion Dub but I speak the truth. I'm sure the wayleaver will call out to you and go through all the details.

And what authority are you speaking with?

Who does a person ask for when they ring UPC for instance? It's not as if you are dialing a regular company with a regular switchboard.

dub45 · 30-03-2011 09:38PM

DingDong wrote: »

The civil's contractors are major companies in the Irish market(used by most telco's & councils) not small time operators. Photos are taken before and after to insure its restore to its previous condition.

That's just a broad bland statement and adds nothing that would answer the ops concerns.

If photos are to be taken then that info should be coming to the people concerned from UPC not from posts on boards.ie surely?

DingDong · 30-03-2011 11:17PM

dub45 wrote: »

And what authority are you speaking with?

Who does a person ask for when they ring UPC for instance? It's not as if you are dialing a regular company with a regular switchboard.

I work for UPC and see this on a daily basis Dub. The wayleaver should have left his number on the permission slip if not UPC have a rebuild support help line which you can be referred too. They deal solely with any rebuild issues such as this.

dub45 wrote: »

That's just a broad bland statement and adds nothing that would answer the ops concerns.

If photos are to be taken then that info should be coming to the people concerned from UPC not from posts on boards.ie surely?

I feel it does dillo2k10 expressed some concerns that a "small contractor" AKA bob the builder is to carry out the work.The contractors does excellent work I've seen it first hand, often leaving the place in better shape than they found it. Would you not feel more assured that a reputable civils contractor is being used?.

Correct this info should come from UPC and that's why I said to contact them, which you said "Under no circumstances should this advice be taken".
The best advice danois can get is to contact UPC and have a representative meet and go through all the details.

dub45 · 31-03-2011 12:15AM

DingDong wrote: »

I work for UPC and see this on a daily basis Dub. The wayleaver should have left his number on the permission slip if not UPC have a rebuild support help line which you can be referred too. They deal solely with any rebuild issues such as this.

Surely any reputable company will not knock on a door unannounced and expect a person to sign permission forms there and then?

A person is entitled to know exactly what is involved in any such request and be given time to consider it.

Quite honestly the more I think about it the more appalled I am at this sort of approach. And the amateurish nature of it is borne out from what the op has said above. If the people involved are incapable of leaving a phone number who would trust them to dig up their garden?

Can you explain to us if you are familiar with the "process" why UPC adopt this approach and do not write formally to all those potentially affected by this with all the details I had listed elsewhere?

Its a wonder given UPC's recent behaviour that they don't text those potentially affected and require them to visit the website and sign up for myupc to find out how they might be affected:mad:

DingDong wrote: »

I feel it does dillo2k10 expressed some concerns that a "small contractor" AKA bob the builder is to carry out the work.The contractors does excellent work I've seen it first hand, often leaving the place in better shape than they found it. Would you not feel more assured that a reputable civils contractor is being used?.

Correct this info should come from UPC and that's why I said to contact them, which you said "Under no circumstances should this advice be taken".
The best advice danois can get is to contact UPC and have a representative meet and go through all the details.

You are in no position to give assurances here. If something goes wrong in the future pointing to a post on boards.ie from your good self will be of little use for the op. And using a so called reputable contractor is no guarantee that a job will be carried out properly.

In recent times a so called reputable contractor carried out work on behalf of Dublin City Council on remedial water works in my area and their behaviour was a disgrace. They treated people in the area with total contempt, for example a young lad was sent around doors to clean the muck of them with his bib and spit. A two foot deep uncovered hole was left directly outside the door of an 80 year old lady with very bad sight and I could go on.

It should not be necessary for the op to contact UPC. After all they dont want to have their garden dug up or to have to put up with the associated disruption. UPC should be contacting his mother with all the appropriate information in writing and an apology for turning up at her door unannounced.

And I stand by my advice get everything in writing from UPC they cannot be trusted.

upc want to dig up garden?

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