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Home / Business

'Chorus cowboys': Shoddy fibre installation through the middle of the room

NZ Herald
19 Oct, 2019 10:14 PM3 mins to read

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Last October another resident was left with a large cable running through the middle of his room after a poor installation job. Video / Jon Baulcomb

Chorus is investigating after one of its technicians installed fibre cables through the middle of a room in an Auckland man's home.

The Mangere man has taken his frustration to social media over the shoddy workmanship.

In a post to the Mangere Bridge Community Noticeboard group on Facebook, Jon Baulcomb shared a video clip showing the tubing precariously swinging across his roof.

READ MORE:
• Rugby World Cup fibre jam: Chorus can only connect 50,000 before kickoff
• Chorus fibre installs hit record pace ahead of Rugby World Cup - but many will still miss out
• Fibre screw up: Auckland couple seek compensation for damaged fence after installation hack-job
• Chorus profit falls, chief executive Kate McKenzie quits

A Chorus technician installed this cable through the centre of a room in a man's home.
A Chorus technician installed this cable through the centre of a room in a man's home.
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"This is when the Chorus cowboys don't have enough elbows. They just hang it through the middle of the room," he said in the video.

A Chorus spokesman told the Herald the company was not happy with the quality of the work.

"We were alerted to this install last week and are already taking action to get it sorted out so it meets our expectations.

"The install is clearly not good enough. We are also looking into how and why this happened and we will ensure the technician responsible for the installation is given the appropriate training/support to ensure they don't repeat this mistake again."

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The homeowner referred to the Chorus workers as cowboys. Photo / via Facebook
The homeowner referred to the Chorus workers as cowboys. Photo / via Facebook

In further messages with other members of the community, Baulcomb goes on to say that he even had to lend tools, including a screwdriver and a drill, to the workers to ensure they could complete the work.

This isn't even the first time this month Chorus has been called out for questionable installation work.

Last week, an Auckland couple told the Herald they were seeking compensation from Chorus after their fence was ruined by a contractor during an error-ridden fibre installation.

In that case, brackets to house the fibre cable were drilled onto the fence unevenly, not parallel to the ground and in an incorrect place agreed upon by neighbours.

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More than 60 long screws protruded out of the fence towards Jasmine Kunju and her partner's Glendene garden, posing a danger.

In another case, long screws protruded out towards Kunju's garden - also see an extra hole drilled near the bracket. Photo / Supplied
In another case, long screws protruded out towards Kunju's garden - also see an extra hole drilled near the bracket. Photo / Supplied

A Chorus spokesman told the Herald that someone would be sent to the house to speak to the homeowners directly.

"If work that has been done is not up to you our standards, it will be sorted," the spokesman said.

"It's worth keeping in mind though that we complete a fibre connection every minute as demand for fibre continues to be strong."

Chorus had a special team designated to repairing fibre installations which weren't up to scratch, the spokesman said.

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