Internet Issues

I take my previous praise for my ISP's service back- on Friday morning my wireless router died. Completely and utterly non-functioning. One moment I'm reading Hot Air and trying to load a video and the next the blasted thing just stops working altogether. I immediately got on the phone to tech support expecting a cheery "We'll replace it right away, sir." I got the router when I signed up with my new ISP a few months ago you see. Instead I spent 15 minutes trying to explain that no, there wasn't a power light on and no, I couldn't press the button to turn the router on again. In an effort to get away from me I was "escalated" to a call-back team. A team that didn't call back on Friday at all and which doesn't work weekends. Heard back from them yesterday evening on my mobile.

I explained the situation all over again- router not working at all, won't even turn on, no signs of life, ex-router, etc, etc- and was asked if I could try plugging it in again. No, says I, I'm in the car not at the PC. I explain again that there are no settings to check, no troubleshooting to do, the router displays no signs of life whatsoever. Chap tells me that he won't authorise a replacement until he's gone through the troubleshooting process. I tell him that I'm an ex-computer engineer and that I've checked it out and that it doesn't work. Not if plugged in alone, not if plugged into my PC via a network cable- in fact, I say, it won't even turn on. He insists on troubleshooting the product and so I ask him to explain to me exactly what he thinks he can accomplish over the phone when the router won't even turn on and can't be picked up by the PC wirelessly or through a network cable. What settings does he want to check? He avoids the question every time I ask it.

And here's when my previously wonderful ISP fell down; he exclaimed twice "unplug the cables, unplug the cables" and then he hung up on me.

I'm not amused.