master socket bother

[cardew]

having read all posts about bt master sockets (it being illegal to tamper with it) i'm a little concerned about my "master" socket . i've been in my house for about 8 years , after reading your forums i decided to look at my master socket as i am thinking of putting on one of those faceplates . to my amazement i found my "master" socket isn't the new bt type (nte 5? ) it's not even the hard wired old type . it's just one of those old diy extension boxes . the previous owner of my house was a real diy idiot ( you wouldn't believe some of the electrical horrors we have found) so i can only assume this is his handywork . where does this leave me legally regarding bt ? if i get an engineer in will i get into bother and will it cost me to have it fixed ? will bt believe i've been in the house for 8 years and never noticed ? please advise

[Brian69]

My advice on this one is to play dumb!! for the following reason.
(1) It does not matter if BT believe you or not, If you ask them to replace a master socket that is serviceable, be it a bt one or not, you will be charged.

(2) Do this. Call BT and say that you wish to fit some extension sockets, but you cannot find the master socket, you can describe the one in the phone book but do not mention NTE-5 or anything like that. They will send an openreach tech, and you stand a good chance of getting one for free.

[Smithy99]

Or aquire one yourself and fit it, it's a simple job and they only cost a few £'s

run-IT-direct, Online Shop-Pay Pal Payments

I know you are aware of the BT position on this but if you really have any issues afterwards, you could always play dumb then, tell them you didn't know the bit you removed was a master socket as it didn't look like the one in the picture.

I had issues in my house, the guy before was a spark and extended the BT cable with alarm wire when the extension was built. I managed to get enough slack on the original cable to fit a new master socket in a bedroom upstairs and do away with his botched job. Easy as Pie.

Don't blame me if it gies wrong though

[Isitme]

If the BT line terminates at an old GPO oval box, BT will probably fit it foc. As the previous owner was a DIYer he was probably under the impression that he would have to pay for this, but he was wrong. BT replaced these on an 'as and when required basis' for years. I would follow Brian's advice and get BT in now, rather than store up problems for the future.

[cardew]

thanks for advice i'll give it a go and let you know what happens

[cardew]

phoned bt tonight . i was told that to have an engineer round would cost £116 call out charge plus £90 an hour . but the engineer might not charge . i asked what the parameters were for an engineer to charge or not and was told it was at their discretion ! so if he gets out of bed at the wrong side it might cost me £200 if he is in a good mood £0 . seems like one hell of a gamble . has any one got a better idea of wether i'll get charged than the bt helpdesk lady ?

[Brian69]

If you say that you cannot find the master, and when the Openreach tech arrives, explane that you wish to fit more extensions, you won't get charged.
The other alternative is to fit a NTE-5 yourself, But this is against BT's T&C's. Lots of people do through

[RUNITDIRECT]

As Brian says lots of people DIY, we sell hundreds of NTE5's each month! It IS against the T&C's but an engineer is unlikely to give you any grief over it, if anything it makes their job easier should they get called out as they can remove any extension wiring and test BT's network directly.

[newbuilder]

The "extension socket" you describe may in fact be an old style BT master socket.

If you remove the screws from this face plate and look behind it you may see capicitors (small cylinders/coke can shape items) on the back of the face plate.

If this is the case you have discovered an old master socket that was installed pre NTE5.

I had a crackly line (internmittent of course ) and asked the engineer to replace the line from the pole to the house and got an NTE5 box into the bargain.

Are you sure your line doesn't crackle when it rains!?

[cardew]

had closer look at my socket and it is indeed the older bt one that you refer to . it looks like the previous owner ( jack of all trades half wit ) has been into it to add an extension . it looks like a monkey has done it . armed with this new info would i be more or less likely to be charged if i report "intermittent crackling" ? bearing in mind its pretty obvious the box has been tampered with by an unqualified primate .