Well I was going to post again on Wednesday, to relay the traumas we (hubby & I) had with public transport, but BT decided to stuff up the broadband, so I was cut off from the world. AARRGH!!
Wednesday dawned nice and warm and husband and I were set to 'pop' into London. Hubby had to go for a medical for a new job - I said we were working on get him out of hospitality, and as I was on a Rest Day (what the police call days off!) I thought I would keep him company - save him getting lost as his sense of direction is not always good. So with the help of the internet (it was working then), I figured that it would be quicker (and cheaper) to drive to Amersham and get the tube (metro for you overseas types) rather than go to Beaconsfield and get the overground train. Imagine my delight when we get to Amersham to discover that the Metropolitan line (that's the maroon one) drivers are on strike over something (someone got the sack I think) so we have to take the overland train after all and so it's not cheaper.
Anyway, I know that the rail company do a bargain price ticket of there are two or more of you travelling together, so I ask for one of those. 'Oh no, I can't sell you one of those, we don't do those, that's only from a mainline station.' I am told - well where is the mainline station I ask - 'not here, this is run by London Underground (that'll be the lot on strike then). And why was this not on Tfl's website???
So, rather poorer later, we get the overground into London. Only advantage is, one of the few helpful people at Amersham station advised us not to got to Marylebone, but get off at Harrow on the Hill and then we could get the bus to Harrow and Wealdstone - where we had to be. Buses in London now have a very natty display system and voice over telling you what the next stop is, so no need to ask the driver to tell you were to get off. Obviously not knowing this I did ask the driver who looked at me as if I was a tourist and said 'the bus will tell you!'. Ok, took me a while to work out what he meant - but we got there!
Hubby had medical and we are please to say he passed - BP (that's blood pressure not British Petroleum - thought I guess both are essential to life!) was a bit of a worry, his can be a touch high, but was not a problem. So armed with the relevant paperwork later we went to celebrate in McDonalds (sod the diet) and the begin the trauma of the return journey. Bus bit was fine, but waited for ages for a train, which turned out to be the tube, but we were returned safely to the car at Amersham!
Never mind, we were in joyous mood as we returned home and then disaster struck. For some reason I decided to access the internet via my ipod - works fine on the wireless at home - but no, not working. Then we tried other things, hubby's ipod, laptops - no, all dead, no link to the outside world. Hubby fiddles around checking all the systems - unplugging things etc etc, while I get straight on the phone to BT to report fault. When I eventually get through - many 'If you want....................press 1' later I get through to a call centre that is not in England - India I do believe.
Now the chappy I spoke to was very nice and did his best to be helpful, but a great chunk of what I was saying seemed to go over his head. I explained that we had no broadband (my worst nightmare) and there was a very loud clicking nose on the phone line, which in my limited knowledge of telephone systems, I believed was a fault on the line and this was knocking out the broadband. He helpfully offered to test the line and noted I was calling on my mobile and said he would call me back. Great, and call me back he did about two minutes later. But they were not sure where the fault was, it might be them, it might be you I was told. We will send an engineer but if it is you, it will cost you £120. Some choice, you want the internet back and it might cost you £120. I let my feelings be known - along the lines 'It's not me it's you, or if it's not the line, it's the hub and that belongs to you, so I am paying nothing!'
So engineer was agreed and I had the prospect of 72 hours without connection to the outside world. I then asked if I would get a credit for the line rental and broadband I was paying for, even though I couldn't use them. Oh yes, you get compensation if we haven't fixed it in 72 hours - does that seem fair? You pay for something you don't get, and because you then have to use internet cafe's etc, the problem actually costs you more!!! And the icing on the cake - to be told that I could track their progress on fixing my fault ON LINE. If only!
Anyway, imagine my delight when I got home yesterday and the broadband light was flashing a lovely blue (working) as opposed to orange (broken). Great, I take it all back, BT all is wonderful. I called them and asked had the engineer been or had the fault fixed itself. I was assured the engineer had been and the problem was the broadband and it was now fixed - call centre in India again.
Imagine my horror to come home today and the broadband light was flashing orange again!! Another call to BT and I have better things to do with my time pressing 1 for this and 2 for that then waiting in a queue because 'they are very busy'! Well least I spoke to a very nice lady in the UK, who explained the problem was not fixed (yes, I had worked that out) and the problem was with the broadband and the fault was at the exchange! It is going to be another 48 hours at least, but thank god I am 'kitteh' (see lolcats) sitting tonight in a house that BT has not managed to sever the connection to the outside world to, so can rant to my hearts content!
Time to sign off I think, so I can enjoy 'surfing' while I can :)
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