Chris
12-07-2005, 11:22
The other week a thunderstorm fried my modem (even though it was 'protected' by a surge/spike device!). While it remained attached to my phone system, it killed everything else off. However when it was removed, the system was still unsatisfactory with more than once device connected to it - low connection speed on my laptop modem, noise on the line, phone ringer rather weak ...
I phoned BT faults and arranged a callback with the automated system, for between 8pm and 10pm. When no-one had called by 10.20, I phoned them; the computer said 'a callback has been booked, if you hang up someone will call within the allotted time'. Yeah, right. I held on, and was answered after almost an hour.
The CSR was short and bad tempered from the outset, and clearly wanted me off the line as soon as possible. She instructed me to unscrew the faceplate of the BT master socket and plug a wired phone into the test socket inside, then call back tomorrow and report whether it worked. I flat refused, as I had no intention of going another whole day without phone service (it was well gone 11pm by this time so I wasn't about to call them back that evening). After some pressure from me she agreed she would phone me back in 10 minutes.
I performed the test - unsurprisingly one single phone attached straight to the socket worked reasonably well. She called back (after 20 minutes) and on hearing that said (very rapidly, almost without pausing for breath) 'in that case it is a problem with your own equipment sir. I'm going to clear this fault and end the call now.' Somehow, I managed to keep her on the line! I insisted that there was a problem and she eventually booked an engineer, but she kept saying over and over that we would get charged for it, as she had determined that this was not BTs problem.
The next day I thought 'oh, stuff it!' and cancelled the appointment. The system was working (sort of).
Imagine my surprise when, two weeks later, we got a call from a BT engineer to let us know he was on the case. He talked Mrs T through a series of tests - removing and adding the $ky box, the cordless phone, the wired phone - and establishing that although it all 'worked', there was still a problem. He said that in fact there was a pretty serious problem on one of the main lines but he wanted to ensure we didn't have a problem of our own first. He came to the house and tested our master socket, and confirmed that it had been damaged by the lightning, so he replaced that, but there was still an issue somewhere....
So he drove up and down about 10 miles of cable (rural location!), to two exchanges, and eventually found the problem on a pole only 100 yards from the house. The solution involved the use of a cherry picker, some tree loppers and a new piece of cable. He escalated the job and said his goodbyes.
A couple of days after that, the heavy squad was in, replaced everything, and, lo and behold, my laptop modem now gets connection speeds I could only dream of before. Furthermore, someone from BT faults called, gave her name and direct extension number, and advsied us to call her direct should anything go wrong with the line in future. She did this without us even having to complain about the arsey CSR who had originally tried to deflect us in the first place.
Faith restored. :)
I phoned BT faults and arranged a callback with the automated system, for between 8pm and 10pm. When no-one had called by 10.20, I phoned them; the computer said 'a callback has been booked, if you hang up someone will call within the allotted time'. Yeah, right. I held on, and was answered after almost an hour.
The CSR was short and bad tempered from the outset, and clearly wanted me off the line as soon as possible. She instructed me to unscrew the faceplate of the BT master socket and plug a wired phone into the test socket inside, then call back tomorrow and report whether it worked. I flat refused, as I had no intention of going another whole day without phone service (it was well gone 11pm by this time so I wasn't about to call them back that evening). After some pressure from me she agreed she would phone me back in 10 minutes.
I performed the test - unsurprisingly one single phone attached straight to the socket worked reasonably well. She called back (after 20 minutes) and on hearing that said (very rapidly, almost without pausing for breath) 'in that case it is a problem with your own equipment sir. I'm going to clear this fault and end the call now.' Somehow, I managed to keep her on the line! I insisted that there was a problem and she eventually booked an engineer, but she kept saying over and over that we would get charged for it, as she had determined that this was not BTs problem.
The next day I thought 'oh, stuff it!' and cancelled the appointment. The system was working (sort of).
Imagine my surprise when, two weeks later, we got a call from a BT engineer to let us know he was on the case. He talked Mrs T through a series of tests - removing and adding the $ky box, the cordless phone, the wired phone - and establishing that although it all 'worked', there was still a problem. He said that in fact there was a pretty serious problem on one of the main lines but he wanted to ensure we didn't have a problem of our own first. He came to the house and tested our master socket, and confirmed that it had been damaged by the lightning, so he replaced that, but there was still an issue somewhere....
So he drove up and down about 10 miles of cable (rural location!), to two exchanges, and eventually found the problem on a pole only 100 yards from the house. The solution involved the use of a cherry picker, some tree loppers and a new piece of cable. He escalated the job and said his goodbyes.
A couple of days after that, the heavy squad was in, replaced everything, and, lo and behold, my laptop modem now gets connection speeds I could only dream of before. Furthermore, someone from BT faults called, gave her name and direct extension number, and advsied us to call her direct should anything go wrong with the line in future. She did this without us even having to complain about the arsey CSR who had originally tried to deflect us in the first place.
Faith restored. :)