BT Engineers think they are a law unto themselves - won't discuss a fault

TurnUpForTheBooks_2

I see various people still believe in demarcation for its own sake.

The engineer was doing me a favour by ringing was he? I think not - I established that the line was back in some kind of service before he called me !

He called me because he noticed activity on my line and knew he could have called earlier and probably knew I'd been told it could take 48 hours, but then he didn't want to explain what the hell happened. I was just supposed to be eternally grateful, not enquire exactly what happened

And assurances that stuff generally happens for unconnected reasons is not part of my philosophy which is influenced by science, logic, problem-solving and observing things and people.

Very little stuff just happens.

I don't imagine for one moment that TalkTalk intended to disconnect the line but I know that Talktalk's customer order computer system was locked for further changes even before my call with Talktalk ended. How many other computer systems were affected as a knock-on? What unintended consequences came out of a new router being ordered contra to the usual Talktalk use case where the customer has to have a current longer term commitment before free hardware is posted out?

The crazy thing is that now the line is up and running again, the VPN has been working almost completely trouble free for hours ... on the old router which is a DSL-2780 and has well published issues with VPN connections! The new router arrived this morning but I haven't even unwrapped it!


I have another very recent example of a similar telecoms disconnection - I changed my mobile phone and needed a new nano-SIM on an existing contract.

The customer service rep at 3 mobile was extremely helpful and we discussed how I wanted the old SIM to keep working until the new SIM arrived. He assured me that was exactly what he was arranging and that I could then activate the new SIM in the new handset when it arrived.

You can guess what happened.

It was another totally unintended consequence of an attempt at a well meaning change, and they are very common indeed.

Does anyone really doubt it ? Should we stir the tanks some more ?


Sometimes unintended consequences arise out of the opposite of something well-meant. Something in fact deliberately irksome, which is irritatedly fired and forgotten in some disrespected persons direction.

I don't care how clever or how busy he thought he was, the BT engineer's call to me was only about one minute long in total before he hung up! Many of you might think it is ok to hang up the phone based on some commercial calculation of what your time is worth in your own mind. Well don't. It is extremely rude. The BT's very own unintended consequence of being rude to me and hanging up is this thread. He and BT are most welcome to it.

Bantex_2

TurnUpForTheBooks wrote: »

I thought I was going to be making a vent about Talktalk today but actually it is some arrogant insular little working man from BT who sets himself above communicating properly with customers.

On Monday I had ordered a new router from Talktalk because I wanted to experiment with a friend's NAS based VPN (for those who aren't sure about those fairly recent internet world acronyms, don't worry, they are irrelevant to the vent!). My old router was of a type which I discovered did not support VPN protocols.

After a bit of persuasion (because apparently I am "out of commitment" with Talktalk) they agreed to send a more up to date router free of charge.

I did then also ask about and agree to be put through to the sales team regarding possible upgrading to their Youview TV package, but they failed to convince me it was of any benefit so no changes made.

So I carried on with what I'd got and I think I was even on MSE Monday evening. Then Tuesday morning no internet. No phone either. Dead !

So I reported the fault - somewhat eventually after struggling with the computer system generated lady who asks "in a few words can you tell us the problem you are having?" - my first attempt was "Nothing works" and she didn't bite !

Anyway she (the Talktalk automated system) automatically diverted my calls to my mobile (that was useful) and sent me a few texts with rather uninspiring and non-committal "updates" throughout the day yesterday. The last one first thing this morning before I was up and at 'em was that an engineer was dispatched and an update would be provided within 48 hours. My reaction was "Oh great (not!)"

Being a disbelieving type, I switched on my router and pleasantly noted I had an extra green light, then picked up the phone and discovered I had a dialing tone.

Within 5 seconds of putting down the receiver the phone rang and it was a kind of cockney "keep me 'ed down and no-one will bovver me voice" who started off with "Sorry mate, I'm the telephone engineer ... " I am not his mate, but I don't mind him calling me that if he proceeds to act like one.


So I bounced in with "Oh right - I just thought I'd try the line this morning and switched on my router a few minutes ago, saw it seemed to be working and then found I got a dial tone on the line too! Then bingo you called as soon as I put the phone back down!"

"Yes I am calling to say I fixed your line less than half an hour ago."

"Thanks for that. What was the problem?"

"The connection was broken at the exchange"

"How do you mean?"

"The wire was broken"

"Oh that's very odd - I have barely ever had a problem with the line, then I spoke with Talktalk on Monday about a new router for VPN use, they tried to sell me a new contract but I said no, and Tuesday morning I'm cut off proper!"

"I'm nothing to do with Talktalk"

"Oh, you must be BT Openreach or something I guess?"

"Yeah. If you've got issues {always a big word for a little man I think} with Talktalk, you'll have to talk to them."

"Oh right. Before you go I just wanted to ask ..."{I thought he might be a good person to ask how soon he thought our long awaited fibre cabinet (and already installed in the street but not powered up) might be working}

"OK then? Thank you very much."

"But if you just have a mo ..."

"OK. Thank you. Bye."

Quite deliberate - you're just someone's customer - I have to call you to to tell you your line is now working but I don't have to tell you properly what was wrong with it and I don't have to talk to you about anything else. I can pretend I don't realise you want to ask me something else and just talk over you and say goodbye and hang up.

Well sorry Mr BT engineer, you can't and just simply get away with it. Because I am now on the internet voting that your government taxpayer subsidised pension scheme is wound up before you get near retirement because blokes like you don't deserve it.

Sorry and all that, but I know your type ...

OK? Thank you. Goodbye.

Phew, isn't it marvellous the relief one can get down an internet line when it isn't broken? :rotfl:

What a pompous d!ckhead.

Retrogamer

Openreach generally won't care how badly people slate them. ISP's are their customer's, not people like us.

R_P_W

TurnUpForTheBooks wrote: »

I see various people still believe in demarcation for its own sake.

The engineer was doing me a favour by ringing was he? I think not - I established that the line was back in some kind of service before he called me !

He called me because he noticed activity on my line and knew he could have called earlier and probably knew I'd been told it could take 48 hours, but then he didn't want to explain what the hell happened. I was just supposed to be eternally grateful, not enquire exactly what happened

And assurances that stuff generally happens for unconnected reasons is not part of my philosophy which is influenced by science, logic, problem-solving and observing things and people.

Very little stuff just happens.

I don't imagine for one moment that TalkTalk intended to disconnect the line but I know that Talktalk's customer order computer system was locked for further changes even before my call with Talktalk ended. How many other computer systems were affected as a knock-on? What unintended consequences came out of a new router being ordered contra to the usual Talktalk use case where the customer has to have a current longer term commitment before free hardware is posted out?

The crazy thing is that now the line is up and running again, the VPN has been working almost completely trouble free for hours ... on the old router which is a DSL-2780 and has well published issues with VPN connections! The new router arrived this morning but I haven't even unwrapped it!


I have another very recent example of a similar telecoms disconnection - I changed my mobile phone and needed a new nano-SIM on an existing contract.

The customer service rep at 3 mobile was extremely helpful and we discussed how I wanted the old SIM to keep working until the new SIM arrived. He assured me that was exactly what he was arranging and that I could then activate the new SIM in the new handset when it arrived.

You can guess what happened.

It was another totally unintended consequence of an attempt at a well meaning change, and they are very common indeed.

Does anyone really doubt it ? Should we stir the tanks some more ?


Sometimes unintended consequences arise out of the opposite of something well-meant. Something in fact deliberately irksome, which is irritatedly fired and forgotten in some disrespected persons direction.

I don't care how clever or how busy he thought he was, the BT engineer's call to me was only about one minute long in total before he hung up! Many of you might think it is ok to hang up the phone based on some commercial calculation of what your time is worth in your own mind. Well don't. It is extremely rude. The BT's very own unintended consequence of being rude to me and hanging up is this thread. He and BT are most welcome to it.

Seriously get a life!

TurnUpForTheBooks_2

Bantex wrote: »

What a pompous d!ckhead.

Your first word is probably a correct assessment of my position with regard to most people who feel the need to respond to the thread. From your second I suspect your vocabulary is limited. You can expand it by broader reading if you like ... but you probably won't, will you ?

bap98189

somethingcorporate

OP, given your seriously long and pointless rants here you need to get out more.

You're upset because the busy BT Engineer didn't want to stop and chat with you? Evidently you need a hobby if you are that desperate to talk to you.

If you think the engineers sit there "monitoring" lines for activity you're completely deluded. This is nothing more than a coincidence.

ThumbRemote

TurnUpForTheBooks wrote: »

And assurances that stuff generally happens for unconnected reasons is not part of my philosophy which is influenced by science, logic, problem-solving and observing things and people.

Very little stuff just happens.

I don't imagine for one moment that TalkTalk intended to disconnect the line but I know that Talktalk's customer order computer system was locked for further changes even before my call with Talktalk ended. How many other computer systems were affected as a knock-on? What unintended consequences came out of a new router being ordered contra to the usual Talktalk use case where the customer has to have a current longer term commitment before free hardware is posted out?

Have you stopped to consider what goes into making your telephone line work?

Many thousands of pairs of cables coming into the exchange
One pair per house plus many spare
Some of those going into BT kit, other going to other operators due to unbundling
Lots of those cables have been underground for many decades and can be in a right state
Some of the ducts they run in are full of water
Some of them have paper insulation or corroded insulation
Some of those cables just don't work any more for a myriad reasons

Plenty of faults 'just happen'. You should be amazed that you have a working service full stop!

Alias_Omega

I suspect that someone working in the cabinet, may have knocked your connection and the loss of the line.

If every customer wanted to talk to the engineer for 10-15mins a day, that adds up to 2hours a day.

In-Out...Job Done...Move On..

meer53

The fault was fixed and in less than the 48 hours you were quoted.

Whats to discuss ? What would you have gained from being told what happened ? What use would the information have been to you ?

Move on.