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On the 8th August Transco cut through my BT line, so no phone and or course no Broadband. After it was reported BT first said ‘it’s one of your phones there is no fault.’ I went to the trouble of disconnecting all my phones and taking one to a neighbours it worked, I then just reconnected that phone in my home and of course it did not work.

By the 10th BT admitted there was a network fault it would be repaired by Friday. Friday came and went, it would be repaired by Monday, that came and went, then it was Saturday and of course no repair.

Friends also reported the fault and by piecing it all together we worked out that the gas main being laid at the end of the road by Transco was the culprit, BT then said they could not repair the fault until Transco had finished. Last week I was rung (BT had agreed to transfer calls to my mobile) by BT and Friday was to be the day, by now I am no longer expecting it to happen, then last Thursday I was rung again by BT it would be ‘next week’ no day, just next week. Now I rang again on Tuesday and was told Friday (the lady promised to ring me back, she did not) then on Thursday I rang again and was told 1st September. Transco resurfaced the parts of the road where they had been digging on the 18th August and took down their traffic lights (SALT), so after the 18th the site was clear.

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As I walked back from a friends on the 24th I saw a BT van pull up on the main road and then some action, a length of cable removed from under a BT cover, another cover around 35 yards away was lifted and the linking cable replaced. Then mid afternoon my Broadband and phone line returned. The first I knew was when my cable modem went ‘green’ while I was working on my PC, I then checked the phone and heard the dial tone.

Now you would think BT would want to say it’s repaired – not a word – on checking the BT site the next day it just says job completed 24/8/05.

As no hole was dug - only as far as I know - two covers lifted why could BT not have done that more than two weeks ago. Yes Transco were working in the road but not on the pavement, I know I walked along it often enough on my way to the railway station.

I am still mad at the lack of information from BT, two calls in seventeen days, a telecoms journalist friend was the one who got them to agree to transfer my calls to my mobile, otherwise anyone would hear only the ringing tone.

I remember two items elucidated from my calls to BT, ‘it’s a 100 metre stretch of cable we need to replace’ and ‘we need to get permission to dig’. I have paced the distance between the two BT covers and it is 44 paces, if I am generous that’s around 30 metres. There was certainly no sign of digging and I am sure BT needs no permission to lift their own covers.

I have no doubt that BT will send some extortionate bill to Transco for cutting the cable and no doubt Transco will pass that on to the Gas companies who no doubt will add another price increase to all our bills.

It’s nice to have my phone and Broadband back and I feel a little calmer having written this item, next time I must write something about IT, maybe a package or product I use and not something to make me feel better, I do hope someone from BT reads it and does something to stop others being out of touch for seventeen days.