No Internet for 63 hours and counting

Question

I live in Finchampstead, Wokingham. It’s an area of Wokingham not far from Reading & Bracknell where a lot of the Major IT companies of the world have an Office.
I bring this up in case you think my house is halfway up a mountain or where the nearest neighbour is 5 miles away.
I can comfortably state that we have not had an internet connection up for more than a week in the last 5 years, except for about 6 months 2 years ago. Granted most of the time I leave it a couple of hours and it does come back but I have never seen the router display more than 7 days connection in a row.
BT as a company is fine, when there are problems that people know about then they are answered quickly and without fuss, however when you get a problem that does not fit the carefully worded script that the BT Internet front line support people in India HAVE to follow then we have a major breakdown and BT falls apart.
My latest communication with BT ran as follows:
Friday (7th December @ 17:25) the Broadband link light went out, it then went through the following sequence:
Light out
Light blinking orange
Light blinking blue
Light Solid blue
15 seconds pass (just enough time to get connected back again)
Light goes out
The sequence repeats
I rang the BT Internet help line and after waiting for 45 minutes was told that all their computers were down and could I call back on Saturday.
Saturday (8th December @ 08:00) Called BT Internet helpline again
After 52 minutes got connected and ran through the script.
Change filter (I have bought 44 new filters now over the years)
Plug telephone cable into master socket (it goes down so often it is always plugged into the master socket)
Reset the router
The BT front line person then runs a line test and calls me back after 4 minutes-approx. 9:10.
“Yes they can see a fault on the line I will escalate it to Network support”
I am then told that BT Network support team are so busy that I can’t get a call until 9PM Sunday night! What!!!!!!!
I have, however, learnt a long time ago that if that’s the time then that’s the time and there is no point in arguing, the poor front support staff just repeat the same thing over and over until you accept it, trying to argue with then would be like trying to have an argument with my dog, pointless, so it is accepted and they say if the situation changes to call back.
I ring back on Saturday evening @ (8th December @ 6:30PM) as now the broadband light has gone out altogether. After a 40 minute wait I am told that the network support team has gone home but they would pass the message on.
Sunday (9th December - Morning) as I can’t do my Christmas shopping on the internet I have to go out Christmas Shopping.
When I get home we have a message that BT Network Support has telephoned but we were out, and they would call back in the evening.
Sunday (9th December – afternoon) go out again, this time get back by 7:30PM.
Another message has been left to say that Network Support has called, and as we are not in they assume that the connection is OK.
I call back at 8PM and after going through the script again for 10 minutes I am told that I need to speak to the second line Network Support, they would put me through.
Am on hold for 45 minutes before getting cut off
I ring back but am told that the Second Line network support team had closed at 8:30PM, whilst I was on hold.
I rant a bit at the poor chap who has to answer for the other department’s complete inability to provide any kind of customer service. He listens patently (bless him) but explains it would be best to call back in the morning.
Monday 10th December (Have been cut off for 63 hours now)
My wife rings the support line and is told that the earliest anyone can look at the problem is Wednesday 12th December 2012 and we will have to be without Internet until then.
On top of all this we are “scheduled” for a BT Infinity (I must be a sucker for punishment) to be installed on Friday 14th December 2012. (I have a bet with my father in law for £100 that it is not going to take place. The last time an engineer was due around our house we had a call at 3:30PM from a cross lady who said the engineer had called at our house at 4PM (30 minutes in the future) and we were not at home, and despite it being 30 minutes in the future and that she was speaking to me on my home number would not accept that a) I was at home & b) it wasn’t 4PM yet.
Unfortunately what has passed is a common exchange between us and BT.
So I have some of questions:
What is the process so complicated?
Why do I need to contacted all the time, I am not a child, I trust that when you say you are going to look into the problem you will, all this when you could be mending the problem?
What does the Network Support team need to speak to me when the problem has been diagnosed as being at the Exchange?
Why do Network support arrange for calls to happen AFTER they are closed?
Why does it take 3 days to get an engineer appointment to visit the Exchange, they are there all the time, am I being put the “naughty step” for daring to be out when I should be at home waiting for BT who may or may not call?
Why do I have to wait until Wednesday for get any kind of internet connection, maybe?
Rather than spend all this effort, which on Friday will become redundant, on mending the appalling internet connection when you could send the Infinity engineer around earlier? Believe me we can make sure someone is at home if needed.
Why, every time I have a problem do I have to go through this madness, it is hugely time intensive on my part and must be the same for you, if you didn’t spend half the time try to get in touch with people then you could spend time on mending the problems?
Solved!
Go to Solution.

Answer 1

Thanks for the info. 
I will have to try an alternative route to get to BT.
BT OpenReach don't provide any support to end users, they hide behind their relationship with the suppliers, BT Internet in this case, and tell them nothing so they can’t support their customers.
In the real world this type of work model would become extinct; it is only because there is no other alternative can BT Open Reach get away with such disgraceful customer service. I bet that if Virgin Media started digging up the road BT would be round like a shot, otherwise their customers would migrate in drives.
As for the bad weather, it’s a non excuse. We are lucky to have had a little rain in the area but by no means the extent of the rest of the country so unless the local engineers are commuting then they are around somewhere.
As you can tell I have had a bellyful, I have heard every excuse and reason from BT Internet, BT Open Reach and whoever else takes my money under the title "BT".