Last blog of the year

Well, Christmas was a good one – I really enjoyed it

Lots of drink, loads of food, great company – job done.

Happy new year

Virgin Media

Aka: scum of the earth.

Back in October I signed up with Virgin Media (previously called NTL) to provide me with internet, TV and phone. When I signed up, I requested that my existing BT phone number be transferred and gave them the BT account number to enable them to do this.

Some weeks went by and I’d not heard anything about an installation date, so I made my first call to ‘customer services’.

Turns out I’d dropped off the system regarding installation so a date was given. Now I’d given explicit instructions as to where I wanted the phone/TV/internet points placing so I was just a little miffed when I found they’d put them all in one place then run cables along my skirting board ALL OVER THE FECKING ROOM!

Anyway, I took a deep breath and relaxed, then picked up the phone to make a call. Imagine my surprise when, midcall, the other phone (I have a wired one and a cordless unit) rang – turns out my BT number was still live (as a BT line), and Virgin Media had given me another number.

This led to my second call to ‘customer services’ where they apologised and promised to have the phone line sorted out by the 19th (this was the 14th). I made it clear I wasn’t going to pay for the line rental at all until they’d sorted it out as I originally requested.

The 19th came and went and lo and behold my BT line was still live and I had a different number on the Virgin line. Sick of ringing the ‘customer services’ number, I decided to email them direct from their website – this went ignored. I emailed them again from my Virgin email address also asking them for my webspace details as it wasn’t letting me login – this also went ignored. I bit the bullet and phoned the muppets at ‘customer services’ again, telling them that if they couldn’t provide the services I’d requested in full to just tell me, and I’d cancel everything and just go away. The person on the other end made soothing noises, then, not allowing me any time to protest, said “I’ll just put you on hold and discuss this with…” so I sat there for about 2 minutes listening to some terrible hold music, then they just disconnected me…

I was fuming at this point and put everything down in an email to them, stating that I really wasn’t happy with the way ‘d been treated thus far and didn’t want to be with them anymore.

And so that was how it was left – I expected a letter from them saying when they’d pick up their equipment etc.

The next thing I receive form them is a bill, which I smile at and bin. Next there comes a letter asking me to sign the contract and return it to them – this I also smile at and bin.

Monday this week, my internet has been disconnected, and the TV isn’t giving me all the channels. Great I think, they’ll be picking stuff up soon. Then I get ANOTHER bill for almost £70.

So I rang them, again. I didn’t let them get a word in, just told them I was going to charge them for storing their equipment and wasn’t going to pay a penny for their (alleged) service (more like dis-service).

That’s how it’s been left – I signed back up with BT and am waiting for my connection date (hopefully before Christmas).

And that’s how my week’s been .

Harriett’s all moved out now – finished all that on Monday, my house is full of her stuff (but neatly stored so it still looks like a house and not a box maze), my Christmas tree is (finally) decorated (and looking pretty damn good – I’ll post a pic), presents all wrapped and under it, cupboards are full of food, just have to buy more beer and I’m all set.

I’m really looking forward to Christmas this year

EDIT: Here’s my tree:

Stop! it’s hammer blog time…

Well, Monday again – great weekend (again)

Crappy weather, but good company and small amounts of alcohol make for a good time.

Harriett’s almost all ready to move next weekend – all the heavy furniture and other bits have been moved (either to my house or to a barn her friend is letting her store stuff in) – just one large wardrobe left – I’ll be taking that apart tonight ready to move it probably Friday.

For the first time in years, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas – I’ve been forbidden from doing my usual hiding away and to be honest, I feel happy about it too.

Sorry for lack of humour – go see Scaryduck for that.

Long time, no post

But so much has happened…

And all of it is too personal for me to post on here.

Normal service will resume…

Actually, I can tell you about summat that happened last Monday:

Harriett had asked me to come over to help her fill out some forms, so over I went (I NEVER turn down a free dinner invite). I’d not had any sleep the night before so I was really tired, we both ended up falling asleep in the middle of all these forms.

It was about 12.30 when I woke – all I could hear was one of her dogs (Pippa) barking madly.

Now Pippa usually barks when people go by the house, but this barking was completely different – I thought someone must have come up to the house, so, being the person I am, I decided to go check it out.

Nobody was around (unsurprisingly – it was past midnight), so I went in to check on the dogs…and found Dora (the other dog), starting to give birth.

I ran to tell Harriett, and then spent the entire night watching Dora give birth to 7 pups (I did all I could to help – mostly recording time of birth, colour, sex etc.)

I feel like a dad