Hi everybody I am having severe internet problems - no connection at home (I'm at the local McDonalds doing this). Not likely to actually have any connection until at least Monday night - probably longer. I am hoping to check the IF during my lunch break at work but until things get sorted, I won't be on much at all. I think that I'm officially addicted to the net because this is making me physically sick. Mostly because I won't be able to be in contact much with Ste. So - I hope that it will all be sorted out quickly - but my ISP won't even be able to start looking at it until Monday becuase all their ADSL tecchies are off for the weekend! Meh!!

Oh babe .... :wibble: I hope you get back on quick!! No wonder you've been so quiet... :sobs: You can always call me if you need me to say something for you .... :grins: or if you want to bitch and whine about internet connections.... Heck ... you're not even going to be able to read this , are ya?? :sobs again:

Am still at Maccas so yeah - got that. I can't even phone - my phone is VOIP so when there's no 'net connection, there's no phone. However - Maccas is only a 5 minute drive away, so will try to get here again tomorrow and catch up.

Oh Mads, I feel for you. It's doubly awful to be without both internet and phone. A Maccas with internet, I like it. I don't think the ones around here have that.

I hope you get your connection back soon, Maddy! It's amazing how much we use it every day! In the meantime, try to do all of those things that nag at you when you're on the internet, and don't want to get off the net when you do have time for it. Then at least when your connection comes back, you can enjoy it undisturbed!

Oh, Maddy! That's like my worse nightmare.... I'm feeling for you, sweetie!

I feel for you too, Maddy! It's quite frustrating when something like this happens! But, as TJ have said, just try to enjoy other things which you normally forgo in order to enter the net regularly ... hopefully these few days will pass by swiftly for you!

Well, all the housework is done. All the washing is done. I had confirmed that until Monday, they won't even be looking at what the problem with my connection is - and then even not be able to fix it then. To get it fixed, I may have to take a day off work - or get new hardware which will take a few days to be delivered to me. At Maccas again and managed to have a txt chat with Ste this morning - but I had no idea this lack of contact was making me so stressed! The sooner this gets fixed the better as I'm showing all the classic signs of major stress (not sleeping, not able to eat, stick to the stomach). Bleh!!!

Oh, Maddy, I hope everything gets fixed quickly.

Mads, that's horrible. I got the AT&T wireless connect 2 years ago and I love it. Its about the only thing that consistantly works regarding my computer. I know what you mean about being addicted. For me, I have to write something everyday or I go nuts. I carry a little notepad with me at all times to write if I get the urge, The downside is I literally have boxes of longhand material.

Oh, Maddy.... I'm so sorry, hun... I had a thought, though. You know I work in a supermarket, right? Well, we sell prepaid internet modems... I'm not working this weekend or I would have found out more about them for you - like do you need to be set up by the company that supplies them, or do the staff on check out activate them for you like they do for prepaid phones... And that can be done on the weekend! I don't know the price either - I stopped working checkout long before they came out, but it's something I will be researching first thing tomorrow morning. I dread losing my connection and am thinking that having a prepaid option available at short notice might just be the ticket to not completely freaking when it happens...

I did look at those - but at $100 a pop, they're way out of my price range at the moment.

THAT MUCH??? Youch! Okay, then - eek!

Hang in there Maddy -- and don't let the stress get you down! Just write out your frustrations!

We'll all be here when you get back, Maddy! In the meantime, from us! Becky, I too have notebooks where I write down fic ideas when I'm out and about and not at a computer. I have a dictation program that I use to get them all into a Word file once I'm home again. As a system, it works quite well.

Maddy, Aren't u glad u don't have dial-up? if the phone goes out so does the modem!

Just spoke to my provider - not likely to have any answer for me until Tuesday as the turnaround for jobs is 48 hours - and weekends don't count!! They think it's a line problem (which, by the way, I suggested to them on Friday when I called!). Then - I asked well, if a technician has to come out, how long does that take. No idea. One of these days, a phone provider, etc., will actually have the bright idea of providing service when people are actually home- not in "normal" business hours. I also told them that if it's not fixed by the end of this week, I'll be very unhappy! Didn't seem to care though.

Oh babe ... that sucks!! I miss you muchly ... :wibble: Hope you get it sorted out really soon!

I hope it gets fixed quickly, Maddy! Sometimes for 'line problems' they don't even need to go in your house, so hopefully they can fix it without your being home.

That's what I'm hoping too, TJ. We've got massive roadworks near where I live - they're bascially building a tunnel 1K from where I live and we've had problems before with the lines when they make oopsies. SJ- you have no idea how much I'm missing you all. At least during the week not too bad as I'm at work and can access the boards there. Really annoying is that I have taken a few days off work - Thursday to Tuesday - and was looking forward to spending time online with everybody during your hours. I shall keep my fingers crossed that it's all sorted by then. In the meantime - Maccas and their free WiFi is my friend!

Fingers crossed for you Maddy!

Originally posted by green Fingers crossed for you Maddy!

Mine are also!

Missing you muchly and hope everything gets sorted out quickly! Amazing how one thing can just impact everything!

Oh god - this just is getting worse and worse. They are still not sure what the problem is. When I get home this afternoon, there's another test they want to run. It could be the modem - they can send a replacement modem (cost $69!) but I won't get it until Friday. If the problem is the modem, they won't charge me. A technician probably won't be out until next week. If the problem is actually something on my premises, it will cost me $230.00. This is really making me sick - I have no idea where I'll get $230 from!

I hope this sorts out soon for you Maddy and that it is a modem issue that tehy will replace for free for you.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you, Maddy!

Yup. This is officially a nightmare. Modem arrived - sort of. I had to go pick it up from the post office. They lost it. Finally found that they had thought it was their own and opened the package (obviously not even looking at the name!). So - after then spending 3/4 hour on the phone (after 15 minutes suggesting that as I was calling from my mobile, that theycall me back!) and running AGAIN all the previous tests (the idiot I was on the phone to wouldn't let me just speak to the tech I had been speaking with) we determined that it was a line problem. As I had worked out a week ago. If I'm lucky, a technician will be out on Tuesday to check the line (Monday is a public holiday here). Not ashamed to say - I burst into tears at all this. This has gone way beyond inconvenience now and into the realms of suspension ofessential service. So - yet again, I shall only be on sporadically. So far, I have not been able to check e-mails at McDonalds - I have to beg net time from friends for that. For some reason, the connection at Maccas is.... vague. And slow. Missing everybody here!!

Oh, Maddy, we miss you too! I'd write a polite little letter to your service provider detailing the delays and treatment you received and how much stress this caused you. Perhaps you can get a month or two of free service out of it, if your letter is pointed and polite enough. Particulary if there are any decent competitors or the possibility that your story could become public.

Oh Maddy!!!! You'll definitely have to change your provider!

God, this sounds so much like what happened to us about three years ago. It took over a month for me to get someone who would actually climb the pole and look at the box that houses the cable connection that runs our phone, computer and TV. At least one tech had lied and said he'd climbed the pole when he hadn't. Turns out, a squirrel had made a nest in the box. They removed it and we've had no problems sense. I think I did get some free service out of it especially since we were without a phone, other than my cellphone, and that was, like in your case, an interuption of essential services. We miss you around here a lot and will be overjoyed when you're back. Hopefully it will be soon.

I got my modem, played with it for a weekend, then went to Atlanta to take care of my mother (she'd had surgery). When I got back, there were problems. I called my provider, and found out they knew about the problem. It took a couple of days to fix, and I've had no trouble since then. Maybe it's because I live in a relatively small town (20,000 people), and so any service disruption affects a greater proportion of the population than in a city. That, and the way that word travels in such a town. Mads, how about your local library? (And if you have a laptop, are there coffee shops and whatever with free WiFi?)

I'm so sorry to hear this, Maddy! I think this is the time to start looking for another ISP! It seems like this company isn't meeting your needs. And Garnet, a squirrel's nest? Yikes!

Oh, Maddy! How awful! I hope things get better for you soon! And UW is right -- check out your local library. When I went on vacation recently, they let me use a "guest pass" so even though I wasn't a resident there, they would still let me use their on line computers. It wasn't ideal, but at least it was something!

Yep, TJ, a squirrel's nest. They were surprised someone hadn't complained earlier since that was the main controler box for at least three or four houses. I had the worst service interuption because I was closest. They also found that the house two down from me was getting cable illegally. The people probably hadn't done it on purpose. The person who handled my problem speculated that the techs had simply not bothered to climb the pole and disconnect it. No one wants to climb that pole. It's on a very busy street just off I-70 and about the only quiet times are between 2-4 and 9-10 AM. I figure it's only a matter of time before the little buggers are back and have to be removed again. I just thought of that scene in "Up" with the dog. "Squirrel!"

At least if it happens again, you have that precedent to look to, to get them to climb it again! I'm glad it was fixed for you.

I'm so sorry, Maddy! I hope this nightmare of yours will end as soon as possible!

Maddy, any updates for us? I hope your connection is getting fixed!

Now into the second week. Phone companies still seem to think that it's the 1950's where women are home all day. Technician came yesterday - but came nowhere near me, just checked the line. Part fixed (apparently!) and when I get home from work tonight I have to run more line tests. They do have to come to my place to acess the connection - but won't make a time until these OTHER tests are done. I'm keeping a record of all this and a formal complaint is being written to my ISP/Phne Company, but also to the Australian Telecomunications Ombudsman. Needless to say, both Ste and I are majorly depressed.

Oh babe ... :snuggles: I was hoping you'd have it all sorted out by now ... what a bitch that they are doing this to you!! I think by now they should be jumping through hoops to get you properly hooked up! Assholes ... Please keep us posted, baybee... My hugs to you and Ste ...

We all hope this nightmare ends soon for you!

I'll add my voice to Ame's and SJ's. They owe you big for jerking you around like this. Do you have any other options for an ISP? If you do, you could issue a well-place threat that if you don't have this problem resolved in a set time--time of your setting--you will switch providers and spread the word to eveyone you can that they offe lousy service and are not to be dealt with. Just a thought. That's kind of what I did a few years ago when the squirrel situation was going on.

The company is obviously big enough not to care in the slightest if you and your $59.95/mo disappear into the woodwork due to terrible service. they won't even care if you take your best friend with you, your mom and that guy at work that was going to switch anyways. they won't even notice you left until next year, when you get the spam mail asking if you're interested in switching from your current provider. threating to "leave" is so incredibly ineffective at moving a company to action. unless "you" happen to be the voice for the company that sinks five figures a year into "them", all you're probably doing is getting the person on the other end of the phone and/or counter to roll their eyes and/or tell the other employees at break about how much of a hassle you were. is it fair? no. is it decent? no. the best course is to simply remain reasonable and *immovable* until you get what you've paid for. then mail that letter of complaint to the head of the company and submit it to your newspaper. if you're lucky, it'll be a slow day and it will make print. public embarrassment goes a helluva long way further than private hysterics at the some poor clerk who needs a paycheque too.

Oh, trust me, when I may my "threat" there was nothing hysterical about it. I made it clear that not only would I switch to another provider and take my computer, phone and cable with me. I also informed them that I would be reporting them to the regulatory authorities, the public media and any other agency I could think of. Whether it moved them or not, I can't say for sure. All I know is that immediately they got on the problem and got it fixed. And, no, this was not a small company in a small town either. Just my two-cents worth.

Windstream isn't that small, but I get your point. The prospect of bad publicity can be a great motivator. Especially a news article that could reach thousands of people, with many of them writing back and telling their stories about shitty service. Anecdotes are powerful things.

My fingers are still crossed for you, Maddy!

Thanks all for letting me rant here. I have now officially been in tears at work. The latest: the technician coming tomorrow cannot actually repair anything. I have to pay $230.00 for somebody to come and just check and say "yes, the problem is in the line in the building". Then, when that is confirmed I have to arrange for an electrician/data cabler to fix the line. At this point, I have officially gone ballistic. SOme good news whilst I was on lunch. Benefits of working with IT guys. One of my guys here is a licensed cabler and can fix the problem once we know where and what it is. Will cost me the materials he needs. Looks like I may get a fix this weekend after all!

Oh, Maddy, is this line problem in your house or apartment? If it is external, than the phone company should be responsible for everything, including the technician who diagnosis it and the one who fixes it, which really should be the same.

Maddy! The sooner you can change your ISP, the better...

But if it is a problem within your apartment, isn't it up to your landlord to get it fixed? Make him/her pay for it! Oh this is just insane for you babe!! I went through a similar problem when I changed ISP's just over a year ago -- but we were left for a month with no internet ... Ours wasn't a problem on our end, but a whole level of incompetance from Primus ... Didn't help us that the call centres are all in India and we couldn't understand, nor communicate, properly with them. It was the first and only time I have ever heard/seen my baby boy lose his effing mind and get deliberately and rudely racist on someone.... Okay, it was amusing in the way he did it ... Flash has a dark sense of ... making things particularly clear ... that makes you laugh if you're not the one on the receving end... It fell to him comparing the purchase of a cow to the purchase of internet connections .. It finally took me stepping up and threatening a call to the competition bureau of Canada to discuss Primus and the unfair and misleading advertising act (am an expert on that considering my company got a 1.2Million fine for the same thing back in 2005 and I was then responsible for writing, researching and creating the policy and precedure manuals for the company to make sure it never happened again) for them to finally give us a number in Calgary to call to get it sorted.... ...and we switched back to Bell ... who really were excited to have us back ... gee ... the deals we swung through them!! AWWESOMEEE But off me .... oh so self absorbed aren't I? I'm glad you've got friends to help you out, babe .... we can't wait until you're back with us again!!

I'm back!!! It was a problem with the connection to the building, not actually my line. Internet and phone is now working again. Thank god!! I was really getting sick of Maccas!

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDY!! Welcome back!!! Missed you... *sniff*

Missed you all as well! Am so glad to be back online!

I bet you are! Did you wake Ste with the news yet? *smirk*

Not yet.

Somethng makes me think he really wouldn't mind if you did....

have sent him a text now!

Now your time is your own again.

CHEERS!~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY BABY!!!!!!!!!!! ances around like a feind!!: I'm so effing thrilled!!!

Might even celebrate by giving you a call over the weekend, SJ! Let me know when's good for you.

Yays! She's back! Now the ebilness can't really resume in the IF!

Originally posted by Garnet Yays! She's back! Now the ebilness can't really resume in the IF!

Hmmm... I think it can... *chortle*

Originally posted by Madilayn Might even celebrate by giving you a call over the weekend, SJ! Let me know when's good for you.

Oooooooooh ... SQUEAL!!!! Tonight my time isn't good because it's my 10th anniversary tonight and I have a date with a sexy man ... And then will hopefully have Joshie down nic and early... ...I do need to find someone willing to take the lad overnight .... sighhhhh Saturday night my time is good for me... Damn ... it's good to have you back!!!

I'll quote Mark here, Maddy..."It's good to have you back!"

Originally posted by Garnet Yays! She's back! Now the ebilness can't really resume in the IF!

Did you say "can't"? I think a gremlin got into your keyboard.

That's what happens when I try to type something that early in the morning. No gremlin, just the lose nut behind the keyboard.

Welcome back, Maddy!

WELCOME BACK MADDY!!!!!!!!!!!! So happy! Can't wait to read all the wonderful things you probably have all planned out.....

I'm glad you got your connection back, Maddy! What a relief!

Glad to hear, Maddy! I wish it hadn't taken so long. If it was to the building, I'm wondering how many others were affected, and how they didn't notice?

I appear to be the only person in the building who uses a line. Apparently of the 6 units, the others don't have internet and use mobile only. Thank you all for your welcomes back! I've missed you all.