We live out in the country. We are a long way from the exchange. A long way along an old and fragile copper wire. That breaks frequently (water gets into the various joints along the way).
It actually surprises me that we get any broadband at all (on a good day, 2mb).
For the last 3 weeks, we've had a phone line that's been so noisy it's unusable for conversation. Broadband speed is <1mb. I use my mobile instead. Had a few surreal conversations with the call centre (who insist that there is no problem, and then ask us to repeat our reply because the line's so bad that they didn't hear properly).
in the 3 weeks, we've had 4 separate engineer visits to fix the problem. The most recent one was at 8am this morning. (Yup, 8am, New Years Day!).
And they've still failed to fix it.
3 miles up the road, the next village (on a different exchange) are getting fibre to the home.
'Kin BT.
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Their call centres are diabolical. I had broadband drop out on a daily basis for weeks, back in the summer. Like you, I'd call (even while the broadband was not working) and they'd tell me it was all fine. Eventually I insisted on a new router .. which they reluctantly sent me (the old one was at least 6 years old), of course problem solved as soon as I plugged it in.
Came back from a trip to the USA back in November and they had somehow and without my consent implemented "parental control" on my router. Thing was it wouldn't let me on any website at all, even the Fret board! It said that I had to select if I wanted it ... pressed "No" and it just crashed out of IE and I was back where I started. I couldn't get rid of it. It took 3 calls from me, each time being promised a call back before an eventual call back 2 days after they said they would, to get sorted. I still don't know what they had done and they weren't for telling me!
Most recently, when I get a phone call, the broadband goes down immediately and takes about 5 minutes to come back on! I really don't have the strength to go through their call centre rigmarole over the holidays ......
Feel better for the rant on here though, much obliged @TTony
1 Mbps, you are spoiled. We get 0.2Mbps. Should be some sort of discount considering I'm paying the same as someone on 40Mbps.
BT Engineer can only identify the fault and put in a work order., Usually nothing they can do as headquarters decide the dates and priority. If you are getting an exchange upgrade in two years anyway, they won't do anything.
If you order a spare line, you'll just either get refused, or put on a waiting list. Why so many people have more than one line is beyond me anyway. But a free line will get snapped up fast.
At least you can rest assured that you are at least paying more council tax, because the council assume you have a pleasant view, even if you don't and don't even have cavity walls.
Great innit.
Problem is old people who delude themselves that they are still running a business and townies and sub division new development that ruins it for everyone else. I know 4 bed properties with a family of 4 around here that have 4 lines. I kid you not.
Set light to the exchange, it's your only hope, if you can wait and time it with the steam fairs next year, you may get away with it.
You have got to be joking.
(I hope.)
Errrmmmm ... then who actually fixes it?? Of the 4 engineers who have been to visit (I presume that they like the view out here), each one of them has tinkered with some part of the connection, replaced a bit here or changed a bit there, so they've all done something.
Just that none of them have actually got as far as fixing the root cause - which - according to today's engineer, is in an underground junction box, on a bend in the road, where they need traffic control lights before they can get access.
That is the point, they can't fix it. They are told what to do and what the fault vaguely is, if they are faced with a full cabinet or required line replacement, nothing can be done. They will put in a work order. It will get done only when the office decides it will be done.
I had no phone, the engineers were ace (Subcontractors), but they arrive expecting it to be straight forwards, they have no background info. The second guy had to call in a cherrypicker and they had to run a line for over 800 metres for what should have been a simply hook up. I took the last line available and they had to prove that for two miles from the exchange first.
Everytime a BT engineer fiddles with the cabinet because someone is moaning, someone loses their line, It is the way it goes now.
What particularly fucks me off is the people (Townies) who have two or more lines and don't even work from home or use then for business use, as they seem to make the most noise and the rest of us mere mortals end up losing our one and only line because of it.
Who needs a phone anyway, just you should get a discount, that is an outrage in itself that you don't.
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I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me.
I'm so glad I'm of fibre to the home now (including the phone)