Many of you may remember my post ‘City Stress’, about when Julie and I went to Norwich, to change over our home telephone and broadband supplier.
Well, Monday the 16th was the big day, the day we were due to change over. We had the new router, delivered a few days earlier, and eagerly awaited the emails and text messages telling us how to get started. But of course, nothing happened.
We still had a phone line, and a broadband connection, but it was with our previous supplier, British Telecom. We heard nothing from EE (the new supplier) on Monday, and it seemed to be a case of ‘I told you so’, about changing companies, and nothing working as promised.
However, it all got going this morning, (Tuesday) albeit a day late. We were told to connect the new router, and to get ready for our faster fibre broadband connection. This involved me crawling around under the desk in the office, drowning in a sea of wires and cables, as I sought to disconnect everything from British Telecom, and set up the new system. Once it was all done, I switched on the new fancy router, and…nothing! We had a phone line, but no Internet connection.
I called the freephone number for EE, fearing the worst. But I was pleasantly surprised when an efficient young man, from a call centre in Bristol, managed to immediately diagnose our problem. British Telecom had failed to connect our new broadband at the exchange, he told me. Leave it an hour, unplug the router, and restart. I thanked him for his efficiency, but in the back of my mind, I thought ‘Yeah right, like that’s going to happen’.
But I was happy to eat my words, when it happened exactly as he had predicted. We soon had a great connection, faster Wi-Fi, and a good signal for all devices. Once the new passwords had been entered, Julie was able to connect all three tablets, and her smartphone. We have been flying away since, with a great speed broadband, and a reliable Wi-Fi signal too. So far, so good.
Isn’t it just great, when technology actually works?
Here in Las Vegas, our internet company keeps raising the rates while at the same time lowering the broadband speed. The objective is to get subscribers to buy the next higher level of broadband, which is only moderately more expensive that the higher rate they are now paying for the slower speed. Needless to say, it’s an outrage!
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It has taken 5 years, but we have finally got a better deal!
Best wishes, Pete.
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You under the desk is what made me smile (giggle actually)
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It would have looked funny to see, I’m sure. A grumpy old bloke crawling around trying to untangle wires, constantly bumping his head! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, it is.
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And it so rarely does, in my experience. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Congratulations on your technological advance! 🙂
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Early days, FR! Flashy modem though…
Awful weather here, I hope it’s better on your trip.
best wishes, Pete.
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It definitely is great when technology works, Pete. We have a similar system in our home which is needed with four computers and six cell phones.
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That amount of equipment must require a very good Internet connection, Robbie. We are lucky here to get fibre connections now, which have only just arrived in this part of Norfolk. 4G is still unavailable in this rural location.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Those transition times are always tricky!
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When we moved here from London, we had numerous phone and Internet issues, Gilly. Our line still connects to an old-school telegraph pole in the next street, and comes in through the roof! 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I am most amazed that you actually reached a person when you called for help!
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So was I, Elizabeth. And a UK call centre too, instead of India.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes it is! Glad it worked out for you the way it’s supposed to! 🙂
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Thanks, Susanne. Fingers crossed!
Best wishes, Pete.
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“Isn’t it just great, when technology actually works?”
Pete, that is the social media line of the day! It NEVER goes as it should, so bravo that your pain and suffering was minimal!
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Thanks, John. Part of me is still waiting for it to go wrong. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I am happy that you got your broadband up and running and that the supplier worked so well with you on your issues. Now that you are enjoying that fast broadband speed all I can say is enjoy it while you can because there are forces at work who have the aim, the ambition, the goal and the agenda to make Internet services exponentially more expensive for us all … and sooner or later we are all going to be faced with the specter of buying “Packages” of Internet services much the same was as we “Bundle” our cable TV packages now and our ability to access the web will depend on how much we are willing to pay to access larger and larger portions of it.
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There are rumours of such thing happening here soon, John. Super-Fast broadband will attract a premium price, and may only be available to those who also take out a cable TV contract. ‘Basic’ broadband is all we really have here in this rural area, but the Wi-Fi speed has increased with the fibre connection, and that was mainly what we wanted, for Julie’s tablet use.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yay! I’m so glad it worked out Pete!😊🌈
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Me too! 🙂
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I don’t suppose it means anything but Technology spelled backward, ygolonhcet, elicits a spell correction revision in Open Office of ethnology which is only anthropology spelled differently. No wonder it was late getting started!
Warmest regards, Theo
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Nice combination there, Theo!
Best wishes, Pete.
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When technology works, it’s music to my ears.
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Mine too mate.
Cheers, Pete.
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I’m not the best at technology so everything running smoothly works for me.
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I struggle with it of course. I had only just got used to electronic calculators, and along came computers…
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Technology progresses at such a rapid rate.
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That’s very interesting and is making me consider exactly such a change. I’m currently with BT but it’s dodgy. I’m on EE for my mobile since the promised service from O2 doesn’t work around here. It’s true that the Island is bad when it comes to the internet but I just wonder whether EE would give me an internet that reaches the parts of the living room, and other areas of the cottage, that are not currently reached by BT. I shall explore. x
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Worth investigating, Sarah. BT actually owns EE, but would not give us a similar deal. We also saved £30 a month on our current package, and got deals on our mobile contracts too.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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Congratulations! It is like winning a jackpot to get efficient people at the call centres…
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Thanks, Kerin. You are so right!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Wow, it must be nice to blog with a faster internet connection. Congrats! Here in our place, the technicians are the ones who do all the dirty job of connecting initially.
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Julie is happy with her faster Wi-Fi. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Whoa, back-to-back posts for you today – that’s new.
Glad everything worked out and you’re up and running.
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Thanks, GP. I had a couple in Drafts.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Fab!!
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🙂
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Woohoo!!
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One time it was good to be proved wrong. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Great, but rarely on time.
Hugs
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Very true, David.
Best wishes, Pete.
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