The internet decided to stop working this morning, just as I was in the middle of finishing off some very important work for a new client. I tried all my usual tests and when they all failed I had no choice but to call BT’s laughable support team.

I hate calling them because I have yet to speak to anyone there who knows what the hell they are talking about. From looking at the router I can see the DSL light is flashing, which means that there is something stopping it from connecting to the phone line – simple right? I still had to turn my laptop on and off, fire up my desktop computer & my dad’s laptop, and turn the router & hub on & off countless times before the guy I spoke to started to believe it might be the phone line.

It took a lot longer than usual because I was put through to someone with the strongest Asian accent I have ever heard in my life and he talked so incredibly fast that I started to feel like a racist asking him to repeat himself all the time.

He checked the phone line and said it was fine and that there was no problem at the local exchange and then he cut me off. So it is standard practice to cut a caller off if they have a problem that is beyond your abilities to solve? You can’t pop me on hold while you desperately flick through a handbook or ask a fellow colleague? Or better still, get your mobile out and phone one of your young children, I bet they could solve it quicker than you.

I phoned back and lodged a complaint against the guy (he told me his name which I made him repeat because he spoke too fast) , although I suspect they go straight into the bin. I did try and speak to someone again, but by this time they had closed the centre for the night.

Without the internet there is little work I can do so I went to the pub for the rest of the evening.

Photo by hopee from FreeImages