We’re back. Or at least I think we are. Where have we been?
Nowhere.
Last Saturday morning we suddenly lost our landline &
internet connection. By the evening, we tried ringing British Telecom (BT) but
were told we had to go through whoever we pay for the phone service. We duly
used our mobile phone to contact our ISP both by phone & by email. Their
technical support office was closed so we left messages.
By Monday afternoon, as we’d had no response from our ISP, we
went along to the library to use their free internet services. We couldn’t even
find the website for our ISP. We presumed they must have gone bust. We decided
the only thing we could do was initiate the transfer to another ISP.
Then Wednesday morning we had a message from our old ISP asking
for more details of our problems. We explained. Both Wednesday & Thursday
evenings we had brief internet connection but no phone connection.
Finally, yesterday, BT sent an engineer around to sort things
out. We now have internet & landline services. However, we also have some
dangling wires near our back door. If you don’t take care, when you open the
back door you can catch the wires & presumably disconnect them, losing
presumably services in the process. We’ll be getting back to BT about that.
The whole process has been worrying. When we did hear from our
old ISP we did consider whether to stay with them. We’ve used them for years.
However, we feel being left without services, or even any sign they were even
still going, for nearly a week is too long for us. Hopefully the new company
will be a bit swifter if we ever have another problem.
What worried us most, was the loss of land phone line. We don’t
usually give people our mobile phone number as we rarely switch it on. We have
it only as an emergency facility e.g. we’re out & the car breaks down. At
this time we were half expecting several important phone calls e.g. my new
wheelchair coming. Just before the loss of phone I’d filled a form in to claim
my pension. They said they may phone if they needed further details. I’m
changing care provider & was awaiting details of the new service & when
and with whom it would begin.
Above all what worried me was that I had thought if anything
happened to the Fox I might get a Lifeline buzzer in case I had a fall (which I
frequently do). However, with the phone down there is no way the buzzer could
work. I could have been lying there injured, possibly in pain, even dying,
before anyone else would even know. From what the BT engineer said, I get the
impression that in that case the Lifeline people would have contacted BT &
we would have priority treatment. But how would the people know I needed help
rather than that all was well? It does make you wonder how effective the buzzer
would be in such circumstances.
We discovered how much we depend on the internet these days. We
were hoping to book an autumn/winter/Xmas holiday. I was just looking for some
more details before booking. Now I suspect we’re too late for autumn. With
being so ill on our Norwegian holiday, the Fox is feeling he hasn’t had a real
holiday yet this year. We also have bills to pay which can only be done
on-line. I recently got my new Blue Badge for disabled parking. You are obliged
to send back the old one but there was no address on the accompanying letter to
set it to. Another look on-line. Even when it comes to entertainment, we enjoy
some games that require internet connection. And so it goes on.
Well we’re back & hastily trying to get the urgent things
sorted out. Let’s hope we stay back.
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