Anyone else suffering an outage of any kind?

Got home today, no broadband.
Reboot router, still broadband.
Try to call customer service, no phone line.
Ring on mobile, go through the boops of explaining that there is no filter, it is a split BT master socket.
No I have no other filter because it is a filtered master socket.
Yes I have removed the face plate and directly connected the phone to the socket.
No I don't have another phone to try but that doesn't matter because if it was the phone, the broadband would still work, and the router reports that the interface is down.
When SWMBO tried to call our home number she got "network fault".

I'm now waiting to hear from an engineer after Bulldog have called Pipex, who will have to call Tiscali who will have to call Talk Talk, who will then have to call Cable and Wireless Manchester to get an engineer, who will have to call BT to get access to the cage in the exchange, and I should get a call back by between 7 and 9pm tomorrow.

I'm expecting a weekend of no phone or broadband, just when I was planning some major ebaying for sports equipment for my new hobby. Typical.

(Do Pipex, Bulldog, Talk Talk and Tiscali equate to a modern version of the 4 horsemen?)

Anyone know if this is localised to the Warrington exchange, or is something related to the Clumsy and Witless phone network more generally?

Time for a return to donor and signup for Be I think.

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.

I got out as soon as it was confirmed that Tiscali were taking over (I wanted no part of that shower). I have been with Be* since my RTD and find them faster than BD (I get around 3mbps more).

Be* Unlimited
Far too many computers, 1 Ducati M900, 1 Wife, 4 Cats and too many horses
+++ Out of Cheese Error. Redo From Start +++

Just under two years ago, when they gave a way my Static IP, then cut off my service for 2 weeks (phone and BB), then denied they ever offered statics to domestic customers but were still taking the money, it took 3 months involving James Brown the then MD to sort it out, but they have been great then, except I can't view my bills because I don't have a Pipex account number.

What put me off RTD back then was, I spend 2 hours on hold on a mobile trying to get through to the right people. And it just stayed on hold until it cut me off.

I've heard good things about BE, and as my router will do ADSL2, 2+ it would be rude to not use them if I do go back. The missus says when everything is back online we should investigate what the cost of similar specced phone and broadband packages would be (all calls inclusive etc). I agree. We should get away before Talk Talk force a migration to their system.

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.

Well, after not getting a 2nd line call back Friday, I called again Saturday.

Apparently there was a serious fault at the exchange and a 2nd line engineer would call me back Sunday between 7 and 9pm to give me an update. But again it never happened.

Called again today.
Told them I wasn't happy. Told them now I had waited in for 2 call backs incase there was anything I needed to do at home, and to have my id details ready incase they didn't believe I was who I said I was on the mobile.

Apparently now the the serious fault at the exchange is, my line has been ceased.
Very odd seeing as I didn't request it, and they never notified me that it would happen.

I really hope they get this sorted ASAP, I need my broadband soon, as it is I'm tethering my mobile through mobile internet sharing on the phone, and the missus has bought herself a mobile PAYG dongle, just so we can both be online. And Sky is wobbling about not being connected to a phone line and keeps crashing.

Now expecting a call from a 2nd line engineer before 8pm today, but again I don't expect anything, but at least the call centre will still be open so I can call them again.

My two concerns with the cease scenario is,
1)The number has been returned to BT to go into the holding pot, and it can be a [censored] to get back.
2)My static IP will have disappeared and while I'm still being billed for it, they will swear blind they don't do static IPs for domestic customers. Bulldog did this once before when a regrade went tits up. It took 3 months of logging onto a temporary account just to get access, and 6 months of being on a dynamic IP but being charged for a static, that eventually, armed with a ticket number and a callback phone number I managed to bluff my way through Clumsy and Witless's phone system and talk directly to the engineers and finally get someone to admit that my IP address had been double issued and the reason I was having logon issues was because they had assigned the same IP to two MAC addresses.

Guess I need to escalate this to Pipex's MD now like I had to do last time, just to get back a decent response.

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.

I think I'd just get out asap, the small amount of downtime is peanuts compared to the hassle trying to get sense out of c/s.

Be* Unlimited
Far too many computers, 1 Ducati M900, 1 Wife, 4 Cats and too many horses
+++ Out of Cheese Error. Redo From Start +++

I will do.
As soon as the line is back up, so I can RTD and keep the number.
If I do it while the line is DOA, then BT will charge and I'll need a new number.

I had a look at Sam Knows, and while the exchange is Tiscali and Bulldog LLU enabled, it isn't Pipex LLU. So I reckon they have tried to move me from Homecall to Pipex and screwed up.

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.

same happened to me. I'm leaving..

I'm waiting until the line comes back up, then I'm shifting

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.

I hope that your RTD works better than mine did, BT did not contact Bulldog at all but just took back the line . So BD did not know I had gone and continued to charge me.

This also meant that we lost the 'phone number that we'd had for around 18 years, I did get some compensation out of BT but it took 3 months and the intervention of the CEO's office.

Be* Unlimited
Far too many computers, 1 Ducati M900, 1 Wife, 4 Cats and too many horses
+++ Out of Cheese Error. Redo From Start +++

Don't worry. I will be quite clearly stating that I do not want to lose the number, and a condition of me returning, and taking the 12month contract is that the number is ported and retained.

"We record all calls" works in our favour too.

Ex-Timewarp Luser
Hopefully soon to be ex-Bulldog user.