The Snack Thief*

Spotted this wee fellow in the garden at lunchtime - with his lunch.

The following is probably only of interest (if at all) to UK blippers.  It concerns broadband providers and the extent to which they can drive intelligent people to question their sanity and their will to live.

In a nutshell ….. last week we ordered BT fibre broadband to be installed on Friday 18th.  Yay.

On Monday this order was cancelled by the provider because the deal was ….. “unusual”.  It turns out that they had given me a really good deal because they had assumed I was a new customer.    I’m not.  

Anniemay is on the case and starts what will turn out to be almost 6 hours of phone calls over two days to BT and EE who appear to be one and the same.  Although they’re not.  Or are they …..?

The upshot is that we can have a new deal, provided we put the order in Anniemay’s name and change our provider from BT to EE.  OK.  And we have a new date of 1st October.  We’ve waited long enough - we can wait a bit longer.

Meanwhile ……

Two engineers turn up trying to get into neighbour Steve’s house. He’s away this week and we have a key.  I have a chat with them.  It turns out that they’re here to install fibre into Steve’s house.  Or think they are.  

I explain that he had it installed 2 months ago.  “Are you sure?” they ask.  “Yes” I say “I’m unlikely to forget it.” 

I explain that although Steve has fibre and the equipment, it’s not yet been switched on.  I mention briefly that it’s been a traumatic wait for him, as his wife died at the time and he’s been without phone and internet since.

They’re horrified at this and I let them into the house where they fiddle about, make a quick call and hey presto! Steve’s fibre is now switched on.  Really.  I see it with my own eyes.

I mention to the engineers that we’re getting our own fibre installed on 1st October.  “As we’re here why don’t we poke a cable through your wall and fit the terminal box?  It’ll save time and you may get connected sooner.”  

I think about it for a bit “I don’t want to get cut off like Steve did…..”  “You won’t” they say.  An hour later we are.

Anniemay takes a deep breath and gets on the phone again.  4G of course and hanging out of an upstairs window.  One of our neighbours kindly gives us his phone network password and we piggy-back on his provider. 

Once I’m back on, I get an email from BT saying “sorry you are leaving us… we might have other plans that are better ….”

I want to reply and tell them that they moved us.  But the message ends; “don’t reply to this email as we won’t see it.”

*The snack thief.  An Inspector Montalbano novel.