Telewest (UK) - Blue Yonderinitial trials and tribulations - 18 October 2001there's a 10 minute wait before my initial phone call to the Telewest sales desk is answered -- i enquire about a "surf unlimited" account and am told a special cable needs to be installed -- i tell them it is already installed (tho no longer active) from my previous Telewest contract (cancelled because they were unable to provide the advertised service) -- i'm told i'm mistaken and a cable has not been installed for my address first letter from Telewest re surf unlimited account has incorrect web address for the help page -- call Telewest internet help desk and find myself in a 20 minutes queue contract arrives from Telewest -- includes installation charge -- the Telewest letter accompanying the contract requests in bold for blue copy of contract to be returned -- look in vain for blue copy -- contract states "you must provide yourself with a valid TV licence" -- i don't have a TV so i don't have a TV license (and i've no intention of getting either) i take a day off work so Telewest can install its cable (costing me the equivalent of a year's total payments to Telewest) -- two Telewest engineers arrive on the right day at the right time to install the cable -- i'm pleasantly surprised, and helpfully tell them that the cable is already installed -- they put on their 'customers! who needs them?' look, and tell me the cable isn't installed and show me their instructions to prove it - i point out the two Telewest sockets plus the outgoing cable and show them the final bill made out to me from Telewest for phone calls made from my address -- somewhat reluctantly they check the cable along it's length using various meters which bleep and whine, following it outside along the path until it disappears into a Telewest hole in the ground, and after a brief discussion come to the conclusion that the cable is already installed -- they return and triumphally announce their discovery -- i try and look surprised -- but then the cable activation hits a minor problem -- something in "the pit" needs changing -- they can't do this themselves but they know someone who can, and another Telewest employees will definitely arrive within the hour to complete the cable activation two hours later another Telewest engineer turns up and confirms that my telephone line is now on and is attached to the right number - i check it, and it's working i configure dial-up networking with new Telewest data and manage to log on ok with reasonable connection speed all in all pretty good (compared with the recent performance of BTInternet) so ends the first week of my renewed association with Telewest |