Re: [Sheflug] Broadband

[Ashe Tyrael <ashe [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Friday 05 Dec 2003 7:07 pm, Netsonic wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <simon [at] instonenet.com>
> To: <shef-lug [at] list.sheflug.org.uk>
> Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 1:22 PM
> Subject: RE: [Sheflug] Broadband
>
>
>
> -- original message --
> Is there a FAQ of local users' experience with Broadband/ADSL providers in
> the Sheff area?     Any to avoid like the plague?
ost
> compatible with other hardware such as game's consoles (Xbox, PS2, etc),
> which can also use various Linux distro's.
>
> Simon
> ----------------------------------------------
>
> I'd have to agree on this one.
>
> I have the 2Mb service also, and have had no problems with it at all, aside
> from one occassion when third party contractors decided to cut through the
> fibre cables supplying a large number of Blueyonder users.

Okay, this isn't meant to be a critique on BY's technical quality, or anything 
like, but I do have something to say about their service and ethics.

A few years ago, in my building before I moved in (which, when it was upgraded 
for the Student Games, telewest (or Yorkshire Cable or whoever they were back 
then) got the sole contract to run cable services through it (although we can 
still have bt phones, and theres no Sky allowed because of dish trouble), 
there was a bit of trouble because one of their engineers refused to go down 
into the basement because it was unsafe (may have been, i don't know). There 
was a whole bit of argy-bargy about them not installing new services because 
of the unsafe nature of the workign environment in the basement. So the 
building management (on behalf of the housing association) sat down with 
Senior reps from the cableco and thrashed out a set of standards and 
requirements for safety of workers, etc. They then spent a ton of money 
bringing the basement up to code, and instituting practises like needing two 
people to go down there, etc. With all this sorted, YC/TW/BY (again, whoever 
they were back then) said "yeah, ok" and sent their reps round to sign whole 
bunches of people up on new contracts for phone, cable, broadband, etc.

After enough people started wondering why the telwest engineers werent turning 
up to activate them, Telewest then said "Sorry, the basements unsafe, we cant 
go down there." and flatly refused to install any new services in the 
building.

Admitedly, they have to send two people every time they want to go into the 
basement, with alsorts of safety equipment and such, but if they were just 
goign to refuse, why did they sign up a whole bunch of people for new 
services and then refuse again? the saga is ongoing, no matter how many times 
the estate manager has rung up to complain at them, telewest still will not 
go into the basement. Only a handful of telewest employees seem to know why.



This is my essay on why BY are a bunch of crooks. This is why I use Plusnet 
ADSL on my bt landline.

Andrew


-- 
"Never give a sucker an even break, espcially if he's a big, mean sucker."

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