I need to let off some steam before I frankly explode with frustration.
I am currently squatting in a field trying to get an internet connection because it is the closest place to my house I can get a phone data reception.
2 weeks ago I gave Zen Internet a month's notice to end our internet connection as we are moving.
They started to send me notifications that the connection would end on the 18th of June and not the 28th I requested.
Many emails phone calls to them later I was assured that the internet connection would end on the 28th and not on the 18th.
This morning, of course, I have no internet.
We live in rural Oxfordshire and have no phone signal that we can use for data without going down the street to get it.
It is a total pain in the cock.
I need to sign documents for our work visas in Singapore and generally run the relocation from here at home without an internet connection.
To do this I have to walk (or drive 500m) to get a phone signal, then come home and transfer that to the computer to print things out.
Then I need to scan them back into the computer, transfer to the phone and then drive (or walk) 500m back to send the documents.
Then 10 minutes later I have to go back down to get a reception to check if anything else has been sent.
You would think Zen would be able to do something about it?
Nope.
I've had many apologies from people but there is basically nothing that can be done about it and commissioning a new connection for a few days won't be possible either.
Last time it took us 2 weeks to get Openreach to commission the line.
If I wasn't packing up the house I'd just go to a hotel but I can't do that because we are doing up the house and I have 3 teams of workmen to co-oridinate and a lot of packing to get on with.
It is a pity because up until this point Zen were actually pretty good and I couldn't speak highly enough of them.
This escapade though I have to say they are no better than any other provider.
It doesn't seem to be worth their bother to get anything sorted.
I asked to speak to a manager.
Their response was ' a manager can call you back in 24-48 hours'.
What a delightfully useless response that basically sums up my last 6 hours.
At least it is pretty:
Comments
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
They can't or won't get the landline or broadband back on- that will take longer than we have left in the country.
They are sending me a wifi hotspot (with an ethernet connection) for the next 2 weeks.
This would be brilliant if we could get a reception but it is at least on a different network to the one I use so perhaps it might.
Hopefully I can run cat 6 from it to the LAN and see if we get anything useable.
Zen have be a complete disaster in terms of communication though- a lot of 'sorry but we can't...' from them, which does me no favours at all.
One of the cheeky buggers even had the gall to say 'well if you wanted guaranteed uptime then you should have had a business account'.
They need to advise customers that giving more than 10 working days notice will just mean you end up getting cut off 10 days after you give notice- you effectively cannot give a month's notice, you have to give 10 working days.
This is not posted anywhere on their website, nor do their staff actually understand the issue.
Don't seem logical that they can cut you off early but putting you back on it 'technically unfeasible'.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
By then we will have gone.
I've been continuing to escalate so I'm now getting the hotspot and 3 months of service refund, which is about £165.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Stay tuned.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I have to say that I am looking forward too Singapore's 2 gigabit internet.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
We will be in Singapore at least 3 years.
It is likely we will be out of the UK for at least 5.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com