BT - Upgrading to unlimited wifi

Why is life so difficult sometimes? 

I’ve been on my current BT price plan since I had to get a new wifi hub in September 2014; at which point I was told that I’d have to go onto new price plan but it would be cheaper than my old one and I’d get more wifi usage.  Well, that’s never, actually been true and gradually the price seems to be creeping up & up so that I never pay less than £43 per month.

Sooooo……………. Because I wanted unlimited broadband, I decided to take the ‘bull by the horns’ and see what kind of a deal I could get.  Seriously not happy with the way BT operate.

Firstly, couldn’t find a phone number anywhere on the BT website.  On the contact us page it just kept popping up with stupid little FAQs.  Grrrrrrrr…………….  Anyway eventually found a free phone number in a magazine that was advertising the ‘Great BT Sale’.

Phoned number and immediately got through to the ‘sales team’ where I explained that I wanted to upgrade to unlimited wifi.

They told me that the cheapest ‘unlimited broadband’ they could do would be at £25 plus per month, plus line rental at £17.99, plus free weekend & evening calls at £3.20, plus caller display at £1.75.  So that’s almost £50 per month………….

………….Grrrrrr…………….

I said, ‘My sister is on a much lower tariff than that.  Is it possible for me to go on the same price plan’???

At which point, ‘salesperson’ (I didn’t catch his name) said, ‘You’re talking to the sales team, if you want a cheaper option you need to talk to customer options’.  So I asked him for the customer options phone number (which as far as I’m concerned is absolutely no where on the website).

Phoned ‘Customer Options’.  (01324452504 – this is the phone number)

………….And then guess what………………..

………….I’ve now managed to get line rental, unlimited broadband, free weekend calls & caller ID for £28.84 per month.  Thanks BT.

BUT why do they make everything so difficult???

For more than a year I’ve been paying £3.20 for ‘free’ evening & weekend calls. 

Apparently free weekend calls are included in every plan (Did they tell me that originally?  Of course they didn’t) so in effect I’ve been paying £3.20 for any calls that I make after 7pm Mon-Fri.

Without the ‘FREE’ evening calls, I will be charged at 10.24p per minute (to a landline) which means that I can talk for more than 30 mins before I’m charged £3.20.  And I can talk for 23 mins to a mobile before I’m paying more than £3.20???

I hardly ever use the landline to phone anyone.  Why would I??  I have 300 free mins on my mobile.

This whole thing is seriously annoying me.

If I hadn’t got ‘stroppy’ and demanded a cheaper deal; BT would be charging me almost double what they’re going to be charging me.

£28.84 is a lot better than paying almost £50 every month??!!

Tradespeople

I've given this post the title of  'tradespeople' because I couldn't think of a better title tradespeople are seriously annoying me and are turning me into more of a 'ranting middle aged spinster' than I already am.


Without trying to appear like a middle class, middle aged, ranting spinster, OK I probably am, I own a property 'upcountry'?!!  No, I am not a rich millionaire, chardonnay, swigging, footballers wife?!  I am a 'ranting middle aged spinster'??!!  ................ A 'middle class one, but not a millionaire one'???


Anyway; I have a two bedroomed flat that has been rented out for almost 20 years.  Structurally, I haven't done a thing to it, but over the years, I've added double glazing, have redecorated more times than I care to remember, and have done umpteen other bits & bobs to it.  It's been rented out quite successfully.


However....................  I have come to a stage in my life where I have to either sell it, or do a major refurbish on it.


I'm choosing to refurbish it because:


1)  It's in a city and it has a lift and it's near shops & hospitals & when I get old & decrepit (OK older & more decrepit than I already am), I may want to live where I'm nearer to more amenities.


2)  Emotionally, I can't bear to get rid of it because it would be like removing everything from my younger life. I bought this flat in 1991, when being as old as I am now, seemed like a distant memory away???


Anyway, this post is called 'Tradespeople' so 'Tradespeople' is what I must focus on and RANT about.  Because after all, I am a 'Ranting Middle Aged Spinster'.


Way back in September of 2015, I decided that once the current tenants moved out I would totally refurbish the flat - knock down a wall between the kitchen and the living room, rewire the flat & install new heating throughout, new lighting & flooring throughout, new kitchen, new bathroom, new everything.


Spoke to a 'Refurbishment Company' who the Letting Agents, 'Quote'; 'couldn't recommend highly enough.'  Unquote  They told me they'd do this that and the next thing and I was soooooo impressed with their chit chat.  But that's all it was.....................  'Chit chat'???   Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...........


Gave my tenants notice to move out at the end of Feb and asked 'highly recommended refurbishment company' to give me quotes for knocking down walls, re-wiring, etc, etc, etc,    Spoke to them at the beginning of the year and told them I would like the work to begin in March and could I please have some quotes for the varying works????


After about a week I got an email back from the guy I'd been dealing with............ (& this was only because I'd chased him up) saying, 'My project manager, is dealing with this.  Here's his email address, he's trying to gain access into your property.' 


Oh and he also said that once the flat was vacant things would happen pretty quickly.  Well, actually things won't actually happen pretty quickly unless I know how much I'm going to be paying???  And also.................  just how long does it take to gain access into a flat????????????


I was so fed up with the 'can't recommend them highly enough company' (that my letting agents seem to love), that I've done my own research and found the most fabulous people on 'Checkatrade.com'


Emailed them around 7pm-ish in the evening.  A very, very, very, lovely guy phoned me half an hour later.  Contacted the letting agents the following day.  And then visited the property the day after.  So obviously there's no problem getting into the property then????


So all in all, things are moving forward.  Yay!


They've visited the property, they've given me quotes, they've got engineers/electricians, etc, etc, etc, on board, they want to meet me when I visit the property once my tenants have moved out.  Yay!


'I can't recommend them highly enough'........................... I'm in love with them all??!!


But what is really, really, really, annoying me is.....................  the original company (who my letting agents said, 'we can't recommend them highly enough') still haven't bothered to contact me???


And that's why I'm ranting about 'tradespeople'????


Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr......................................

Dentists - Rant 4

OK, so after my last 'dentist rant' I promised myself that I wouldn't rant about dentists anymore.  BUT, I can't help it.  I went to the dentists at 9am this morning and it's now after 8pm and I'm still totally wound up about the process.


I haven't a clue how old my dentist is, but I'm 56 years old and I have never, ever, met a more patronising person in the whole of my life.


So I wait 10 mins and then I go into the 'torture chamber'.  I lie on the chair and am tilted almost upside down and he places a pair of glasses on me.  Well that's new for a start.  I'm assuming they were so that the glare of the bright light above didn't damage my eyes???  But he didn't tell me and I've never had glasses on before.  I also had a paper towel thing placed on my chest?!!  Presumably to catch any drips of blood, water, whatever, when he was faffing around with all his technical equipment in my mouth.  Again he didn't tell me.  I only knew this was on me when he tilted me upright & I saw it and then didn't have a clue what to do with it.  I just jumped off the chair ASAP & left it lying there.  Why don't dental schools teach dentists a few people skills?  Grrrr......


And he's still never, ever introduced himself to me so I still refer to him as 'Nasty horrible dentist'.  Actually, I do now know his name, but only because the waiting room has a photo of him with his qualifications below.  And while we're on the subject of the waiting room - since he took over, there's never been any decent magazines in there.


The whole 'cleaning' procedure was even more horrible than usual today.  He seemed to take forever.  The first thing he said to me was, 'Your teeth are looking better. Are you being more aggressive with your brushing?'  I said I wasn't doing anything different.


And then when he'd finished he went into mega attack mode!


Firstly, he didn't even tell me that he'd finished. He just put the chair in an upright position so I was left wondering if I could get up??  Obviously I just jumped off the chair ASAP.


And then he started his 'patronising' speech.........................


He wants me to go and see the dental hygienist at another practise.
I need to start brushing more aggressively even though he'd told me my teeth were looking better today.
I need to use an electric toothbrush.
I'm going to lose all my teeth.
I'm getting older.  Aren't we all?


When I told him that a friend that I'd been talking to last night said that she hadn't been to a dentist for 12 years; his reply was......................  Everyone's different.  I bet if my friend went to see him, he'd be delivering her the exact same patronising speech as he gave me.


I'm supposed to be an intelligent middle aged woman?!  I'm not someone who feels intimated by anyone, but he's treating me like a 5 year old.  'Brush your teeth aggressively, use an electric toothbrush, floss'.  'I've been to dental school & I've got a load of qualifications after my name.  And I might know how to do a few fillings but actually I haven't got a clue how to deal with people???'


And the final straw was............................


..................He actually said that he'd tell the dental hygienist that I was 'dental phobic'.  I've only become 'dental phobic' since I met him.  Think I might Google 'dental phobic' and he could prescribe me dimarzipan (which I believe is a bit like valium) to take before I visited the dental hygienist???


I have never, ever taken any drugs in my life and I'm certainly not going to start now.


Kevin, my old dentist, was the most gentlest, kindest, loveliest dentist in the whole wide world.  I hated going to see him, but he was brilliant.  He treated me gently, he talked to me, he didn't patronise me, he just got on with the job.  And he didn't hurt me!


I haven't a clue where I go from here?...............................


.....................Obviously, I'd like to continue having my teeth checked.  I've been going to the dentists every 6 months but now its every 3 months for as long as I can remember. 


BUT...................... life is not a dress rehearsal..................... and life is far too short to be patronised every three months by someone who doesn't care about his patients just wants to tick a few boxes and cover himself, in case 10 years down the line I need false teeth??


As I say.......................... I haven't a clue what to do???


If I go to the dental hygienist; does that mean I don't have to visit the dentist so often?  I've already made another appointment to visit the dentist in a few months time.  What is the dental hygienist going to do that the dentist isn't? 


To be honest; when 'Mr Patronising Dentist' was talking to me, I couldn't really respond to him because he was just 'lecturing' me and I was so upset because I'd just been lying upside down on his dental chair and hadn't had a clue what he was doing to me (because he hadn't bothered to communicate with me), that I didn't say a thing.


OK.................  Writing this blog post has helped.


What I'm going to do is.................................


.......................I'm going to email my very lovely - not dentist and ask him to explain in writing why he wants me to go to the dental hygienist, what the dental hygienist will do for me that he can't and how many times I have to see him & the dental hygienist?!  Because, actually, thinking about it.................... the dental hygienist might be more gentle than the dentist?


See a lovely gentle dentist hygienist Mr Patronising dentist said he was very lovely??? a couple of times a year and only have to see 'Mr Patronising dentist' once every couple of years????


....................It could work for me?  We'll see!!!

New Year Resolutions

I'm getting a bit worried now because way back when I hadn't actually done much blogging I posted a post, where I said I was going to go 'public' on my 100th BLOG.  Obviously this BLOG is public because it's on BLOGGER.com but nobody actually looks at it because I'm not famous yet.  But I will be - It's one of my goals in life.


When I said I was going to go 'public' I meant I was going to link it to my 'Facebook & Twitter' pages (not sure I know how to do that - I am middle-aged after all) so that all my friends could see what a 'ranting middle aged spinster' that I was.  Actually I think they all know that already.  I'm getting a bit worried now.  I only have about 5 more RANTS to go!!!


Anyway today I am going to RANT about 'New Year Resolutions'.


I made a 'New Year Resolution' not to drink wine for a month (apart from tomorrow & next Saturday when I am going to parties).  It's the 2nd Jan & I've failed.  More than 8 hours at work, dog walks in the cold, nothing on the TV tonight, nothing to do except drink wine & write blogs has caused me to fail.  I'm really enjoying this glass of wine.  Oh well ho hum at least I lasted one day which is better than no days???  Always look on the positive side. Lol!


I made a 'New Year Resolution' to go swimming twice a week, so on the dog walk I called into the Leisure Centre to pick up a swimming timetable for the next few months.  Leisure Centre only had a swimming timetable up until the 3rd Jan which is tomorrow.  Grrrrrrrr..............  How can I plan what days I am going to go swimming when I don't even know what times the pool is open to the public???


I'm writing a book which I'm hoping will be published in time for my 60th birthday, I'm nowhere near 60 yet (OK - I'm getting quite close to 60), so I made a 'New Year Resolution' to write a little bit each day.   It's the 2nd of January and I've failed.  Yesterday I just slobbed about doing not very much and today I've been at work all day.  Not the greatest of starts is it.?


I made a 'New Year Resolution' to walk 15000 steps a day. Today I've walked 10997 and can't be bothered to go any further.  In my defence, I have walked the long route to and from work, BUT, what is the point of me setting myself challenges if I don't even stick to them for two days???


I have other 'New Year Resolutions' that I am challenging myself to do:


Completely refurbish a flat that I own - that's a HUGE challenge.  And yet here I am, sitting at a computer blogging, drinking a glass of wine having failed my dry January challenge, when I could be researching such things as kitchen units, costs of rewiring, finding builders & plumbers & electricians, etc, etc, etc,


Mmmmmmmmm - I don't think I'm very good at 'New Year Resolutions'???


Oh well, ho hum, it's only the 2nd January..................  I'm off to 'Dancercise' on the 7th & 'Line Dancing' on the 8th???  Well that's the plan??!!  New Year, new hobby and all that???


On the other hand................................  Just what is the point of  'New Year Resolutions'?  Why does everyone feel they should start being all good & virtuous at the start of a New Year.  All a New Year is......................... is a change in the date???  And if we all want to change our lives, why don't we just do it when we decide that is what we want to do?  Why do we have to wait until New Year to do it?


.................And at the end of the day.........................


LIFE IS NOT A DRESS REHERSHAL


Love your life, live your dreams, live for the moment, laugh all the time, love everybody, follow your goals, believe in yourself...........................


..................because you never know when the good times will end.....................


Oh dear.....................  I think this RANT has turned into a bit of a 'profound speech'??


Who cares about 'New Year Resolutions'?? 


The only thing that really matters in this world is that.................. (in no particular order).....


..................we have health, happiness, food, water, shelter, & the love of our family /friends.


Normal RANTING will return on my next blog. LOL!!!!

Face Book Likes

OK, OK, OK, I'm going to RANT about Facebook now.................




.............It's Christmas.  There's been sooooo much crap on FB over the last few days about liking this and liking that.  There's adverts for this and there's adverts for that.  FB is driving me mad.  Unfortunately I'm a bit addicted to FB.  I check it on my phone, I check it on my ipad, I check it on my laptop.  I don't actually think I go more than a couple of hours without checking my 'news feed' on FB.


I think I may be a bit addicted to FB or social media or emails or whatever.


I'm not sure that I could live without the internet???  And for a ranting middle aged spinster; that's a very, very scary thing to admit.


However what is really, really, really annoying me at the moment is the number of  'pulling at the heart strings' posts that there are on FB.  We're constantly being bombarded with photos of ill kids, 90+ war veterans, puppies that have been abandoned.......................  And they all seem to have the same 'tag'...............'Lets see if we can get 1000 likes'.???


WHY???


What is it about 'FB likes' that is sooooooo important?????


..............So................. an abandoned puppy gets 1000 'likes'??  Is that going to mean it will go to a better home than it would have done had it just gone through the 'normal' rescue channel route?


............So.................... a 90+ war veteran gets thousands & thousands of likes on FB.  Is a 90+ war veteran really going to be on FB?  I would have thought it would have meant more to a  90+ war veteran if a real live person popped in for a cup of tea and a chat???


And as for all the 'ill kids' that we're constantly being asked to 'like' on FB;  Do their parents really want people that they don't know, clicking on a button and 'liking' their status????


What is the point of all this??????


I'm as guilty as the next person for posting 'totally irrelevant crap' on FB. 


BUT - I'm using FB as a diary of my life.  I couldn't care less how many likes or comments I get.  As far as I'm concerned that part of FB is irrelevant to me.


However when I was at my sisters at Christmas, my 16 year old niece wanted her mum to post a picture of the cake that she had made on her FB page.  And when I asked why she wasn't posting it on her own page she said, 'Mum's friends will appreciate it more and I'll get more likes'.  To me that is very, very sad.


I've obviously got a lot more to learn about way FB works???


There again I'm old enough not to care?!


I post what I want.  I do what I want.  I LOVE FB but I use it how I want. xxx

Christmas with the family

Firstly, before I start ranting, I LOVE Christmas with my family.  I LOVE my family.  I LOVE the fact that as a 'ranting middle aged spinster', my family always welcome me into their home at Christmas.


I am very, very, lucky to have sisters (& their partners) & nephews & nieces that accept me as the 'ranting middle aged spinster' that I am.


So many people seem to fall out with their families for ridiculous reasons, for petty squabbles, for drunken comments, for no reason at all??!! 


My family is fabulous.  Our family has always stuck together.  And they don't even watch EastEnders.  We're family.  Lol lol lol.  They think I'm a bit mad and eccentric.  I'm not!  I just don't live my life the way they do.


I have two sisters and they've always been closer to each other than I have to them.  BUT there again, before I start ranting..................  I also know that if I ever needed them............... they would be there for me (as I would be for them).  We're family and we will stick together.  I trust them with my life.  And I also love my nephews & niece more than words can say.


So now can I start ranting?................................


........................Christmas with the family???................................................


I'm all for sitting down and having Christmas Dinner together, it's lovely, I like a family meal and it was lovely that all of the family wanted to be there...................... but as for every meal???...................... I just don't understand why my teenager nephews & niece want to spend the whole time with their mummy & daddy & an aging ranting old spinster???  It's all a bit alien to me??? 


I've got quite a few friends who have teenage kids who I hardly ever see and the teenage kids are either off out with their mates or doing whatever teenage kids do in their bedrooms.  My sisters kids do not spend time in their bedrooms (apart to sleep).  And they don't seem to have any mates?? (Apart from my 19 yr old nephew - he seems to have a pretty 'normal' teenage life.)  They never go out while I'm there, and I'm pretty sure that their 'aging ranting middle aged spinster auntie' can't be that exciting??? BUT they just seem to want to spend all their time with their mummy & daddy?? 


They're 20, 19 & 16 years old.  Is this normal???  Or am I just being totally cynical???  They're all adults.  Why do they not want to go off into the 'big bad world' and do stuff themselves???


'Christmas with the family'.................................. my sister informed me that she's going to book a 'family' holiday in July.  Lovely!!!!  BUT with two of her kids at uni and one just about to enter 6th form would you not think that they might all be working for the summer???  Apparently not.


That annoys me.....................  the fact that my nephews & niece don't seem to think that they need to work in the holidays,  Mummy & Daddy will pay for everything even their mobile phones, their uni fees, their car insurance etc and will also pay for them to go on holiday.


BUT what annoys me even more is.................. the fact that my sister has never, ever worked in the last 20 years (that doesn't annoy me - she has a rich husband and that is her choice).  It's the fact that she seems to think she knows everything about 'getting a job'.  She's pressurising her kids to produce wonderful CVs  She's paid more than £100 for my 16 yr old niece to do a 'lifeguarding' course even though my niece probably won't get a lifeguarding job in the immediate future and it has to be renewed, at a cost, every couple of years.


Most of the jobs for students are 'minimum wage jobs', where their charm, wit & dazzling personality will go a lot further than handing in a CV??.....................


I know.  I am in a position where I employ a lot of 16 year old kids.  And to be honest I don't want to see a CV.  I want to see them.  I want to talk to them.  I want to know if they're reliable, trustworthy, conscientious, practical, able to follow instructions & do what they're told.  I want them to have a pleasant disposition to talk to people and I want them to be adaptable to any task.


The kids that we employ in the business where I work are paid more than the National Minimum Wage.


Not quite sure how this 'Christmas with the Family' blog has morphed into a 'employing students' rant??


But hey ho - sometimes things just turn out like that. LOL LOL LOL!!!

Wine

I think today I might have a bit of a rant about wine?  I LOVE wine.  I drink copious quantities of the stuff.  But actually........................ in the run up to Christmas..................... I'm going to rant about it???


Every single time that the adverts come on the TV they're telling us which supermarket we can go to get 25% off if we buy 6 bottles.  I never, ever, buy less than 6 bottles at a time!  Every single time that I walk into a local corner shop I'm confronted with a huge sign saying, '3 bottles of wine for £12'.
Every single time that I go out for a meal at this time of year, I'm confronted with such advertising campaigns as; 'buy two steaks & get a free bottle of wine'.


I succumb to all of the above.  I LIKE wine!!!!


However; at this time of year........................  everybody likes wine??!!  It's Christmas.  People buy wine to drink in their homes.  People go out celebrating and drink wine.  People go to parties where wine is consumed.


What I don't really understand is; why the 'wine manufacturers/supermarkets' feel the need to introduce 'special offers' at this time of the year?  It just seems a bit mad to me.


It's Christmas.......................  Christmas is the time of year when most wine is consumed so if you are selling it..................... why on earth would you put it on 'special offer' when everyone is going to buy it anyway?  People want wine at Christmas.  They will buy it whatever the price because it is an item that they want.


If I were a wine supplier/supermarket, I'd be hiking up the prices before Xmas and then putting it all on special offer in January.


Lets face it.........................  Loads of people do 'dry January'???  Traditionally nothing happens in January, nobody has any money, the weather is awful so no one wants to go out, even if they do have money.  And everyone is very grateful for any little positive boost that they can get!


Perhaps I'm just being cynical.  Or perhaps I'm just a 'tight old git?'


....................BUT; I buy a lot of wine over the Christmas period I buy a lot of wine throughout the year Lol! but putting it on 'special offer' for Christmas has absolutely no influence over what I buy, where I buy it from, or how much I buy???


I'll be totally honest.........................  I buy all of my Xmas wine from Tesco & Asda because they are my nearest supermarkets.  I know that Sainsbury's has been running a '25% off 6 bottles of wine' campaign, but 'Sainsbury's' wine is a lot more than Tesco & Asda in the first place and what I would save by buying 6 bottles of wine, if I went trekking to Sainsbury's (which is a lot further away from Tesco & Asda) I'd probably lose on petrol costs???  And I don't want to do the rest of my shop in Sainsbury's because most things are a lot more expensive than Tesco & Adsa.


Having said that.........................  I'm not quite sure if I'm a snob or not?........................  If Waitrose were doing  25% off 6 bottles of wine, I might actually consider that.....................  BUT living in the South West, it's probably a 2hr drive to our nearest Waitrose and I'm pretty sure they don't do 'online delivery' to my area???


Living in the South West is wonderful.  Location. Location. Location.  And all that??!!


National advertising campaigns for wine????


.......................As far as I'm concerned.......................... It just doesn't work down here!!!


...............Which is why I'll be off to Tesco & Asda (& possibly even Lidl) tomorrow to buy my Xmas supply of wine. Lol!!!