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| Our seldom maintained generator |
I write this post in a local shop which sells coffee and
offers free Internet access for its
customers – BT have, as yet, failed to
reconnect our broken phone line and seem not to have any plans to do so in the near future. As of today we have been 27 days and 6 hours without phone or internet access. We have called, e-mailed and
texted on many, many occasions, we have been visited at least three times by
head scratching Open Reach operatives, and told twice that we were back on even
as the phone cable flapped disconnectedly in the breeze but as yet we have no
hope of being reconnected.
UK Power Networks, having installed a generator in order to
provide us with electricity after 85 hours in the dark and cold, then failed to
maintain the machine, allowing it to run out of diesel - plunging us in the gloom
for a further 5 hours the first time and 4 ½ hours the second time.
In fact, the second time, although we didn't actually run
out of fuel, the maintenance Engineer was so late filling it up that in his
panic, he accidentally hit the emergency cut off switch, turning off a
generator that he was NOT QUALIFIED TO RESTART! 300 dark minutes later another
man arrived to press the button!
We are not a third world country, we are not so remote that
no one can reach us, no, we live next to a major arterial road to the South
Coast – that is our problem. We are
alone in our plight – being the only property affected – that is our second
problem. BT, Open Reach and all their engineers are unaccountable,
uncontactable and uncaring – that is our third problem.
We shall continue to work in other peoples’ homes, coffee
bars, restaurants and hot spots, we shall continue to pull out our hair and
rent our clothing – but I can’t see any way out of this dilemma – at all.
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| Working to restore power - in the dark |
