Time was already tight this week with so many errands and deliveries booked in, so when the internet fell over – yet again – yesterday morning, I was not a happy bunny.
Every time the internet crashes, which is around twice a day at the moment, it takes time out of my already busy schedule.
- It takes time while I wait to see if it’s going to come back up again.
- It takes time while I run around the house making sure all the cables and switches are in and on right.
- It takes time while I go and reset the box and then wait for it to reboot.
- It takes time while I try and get a signal on my mobile phone to do a remote site test.
- It takes time while I wait for that remote test to happen and come back with the result.
- It takes time if I have to ring the provider up.
- It takes time when the person I ring up insists I go through all of the above again.
- It takes time when that person then goes through another whole rigmarole of so-called tests.
- It takes time if I have to wait in for a new router.
- It takes time if I have to wait for an engineer.
- It takes time while the engineer goes through all of the above tests again.
- And it takes time while the engineer actually sorts it out – albeit temporarily.
And not only is all of that time taking away from the work I’m supposed to be doing, but I’m also not getting paid for it. Ergo, we don’t have as much money to pay for this astronomically priced service that rarely works.
In effect, we’re paying them for me doing their job.
And it doesn’t just affect my work. If the internet isn’t working, then our Q-box doesn’t work. (Can you tell who it is yet?) But if they’re going to credit us with anything, they never, ever credit us for the television service we’re not getting.
When I did the self-test yesterday, the result was that our service was indeed running below the optimum level. But not to worry, they’d fix it overnight.
Overnight?
OVERNIGHT?
So who was going to pay my wages until then? Who was going to do my work in the meantime?
Fairies, I guess.
So, after wasting time doing the reboot, the self-test, the phone call, etc, it was time for me to take my car for its MOT. And I did No Work.
Fortunately, the car passed its MOT with no advisories. But I’m still stewing that our provider has said we have to give 31 days’ notice to cancel our broadband, and we have to wait until January to cancel the television as the television isn’t faulty …
Erm, it is if the Q-box we’re paying for isn’t working because the internet is rubbish.
I believe that if they’re not providing the service they’re contracted for, then they’re in breach of that contract. It wouldn’t be an issue if it was every once in a blue moon. But it’s every day. Every. Single. Day.
We weren’t happy with our household insurance provider, so we took them to the ombudsman and won. I can see us approaching another ombudsman at this rate.
Anyway, I got back from the garage, had a rant, had dinner, and then started work.
However, all I managed was the client edit in the end. It was too late for me to do any writing, so I have that to catch up with today. I’m still well ahead of target, though. And I have no errands or deliveries booked in for today.
