Missed Appointments & No Fault Found (NFF)

Broadband services delivered over the UK national access network are installed and maintained by Openreach engineers.

When an engineer visit is booked to investigate a fault or carry out installation work, the appointment time is reserved specifically for that customer. If the engineer cannot complete the work due to circumstances outside their control, Openreach may apply a charge to the service provider, which can then be passed on to the customer.

These charges generally fall into two categories:

1. Missed Appointment Charges

A Missed Appointment occurs when an Openreach engineer attends a property but cannot gain access or complete the work because the customer is unavailable.

Common examples include:

  • No one present at the property during the agreed time slot
  • Engineer unable to access the building, flat, or communications cabinet
  • Incorrect contact details or no response when the engineer arrives
  • Customer cancelling the appointment too late (usually within 24 hours)

In these cases, Openreach still incurs the cost of sending the engineer to the premises.

Why the charge exists

The appointment slot has already been allocated to a specific engineer and location. When access is not possible, that time cannot be reassigned to another job.

2. No Fault Found (NFF)

A No Fault Found charge may apply when an engineer attends to investigate a reported broadband fault but determines that:

  • The network is working correctly, and
  • The issue is caused by internal wiring, equipment, or configuration within the property

Typical examples include:

  • Faulty router or modem
  • Incorrect customer equipment configuration
  • Internal extension wiring issues
  • Loose or damaged internal cables
  • Third-party equipment causing interference

Openreach engineers are responsible for the network up to the master socket (or equivalent network termination point). Issues beyond this point are considered part of the customer's internal setup.

3. Typical Charge Levels

Charges vary depending on the type of visit and wholesale product, but typical Openreach charges for these situations are often in the region of:

  • Missed appointment: ~£100–£150
  • No fault found: ~£100–£150

These charges are billed by Openreach to the service provider.

4. How Customers Can Avoid Charges

To minimise the risk of engineer charges:

✔ Ensure someone is available at the property for the entire appointment window
✔ Confirm access to the building or communications room if required
✔ Test with another router if possible
✔ Check internal cables and power connections
✔ Restart the router before reporting a fault

Your service provider may also run remote line tests before scheduling an engineer visit to reduce the likelihood of unnecessary charges.

5. When Charges Are Not Applied

Charges are not applied when the engineer confirms the fault lies within the Openreach network infrastructure, such as:

  • External line faults
  • Cabinet or exchange issues
  • Damaged external cabling
  • Network configuration errors

In these cases, the repair is part of the normal network maintenance process.