Temper tantrum—where’s my internet connection?
What a frustrating couple of weeks it’s been. We’re back from our travels in North, South and Central America. While we were away, our Australian internet and landline conked out (on April 15 to be exact). Both are still out, and I’m in the midst of the great ‘run-around’ from the provider.
I’m in the process of writing a long and scathing report about the whole issue (the provider is the problem, I think). Just so you know, we’ve been customers for almost 14 years and it seems that they can’t cater for our problem. I promise to share more of the episode as it plays out.
In trying to sort this out, I’ve been on the receiving end of silence, lies, ducking and weaving, smoke and mirrors, lack of service, lip service, and a bubbly case manager. Gosh she sounds young.
Luckily I have a mobile phone (cell) and a dongle (small device that gives an independent and wireless internet connection) that costs a bomb ($180 per 12 gigabtyes), but keeps me online.
It reminds me of paying quite a few dollars to be online in places such as:
- Morocco and never making a connection
- Congo and never making a connection, and
- Kenya and never making a connection
But it also reminds me of getting fast and easier connections in far-flung places in West Africa and Central Asia.
For the moment, I’m in a temper about not being able to get wifi in my own westernised country. In another couple of days, I’m going to name names and tell the whole story.
You need to know I am about as grumpy as I can get.
So how hard is it for you to get online?
P.S. Sorry, but no pics. There is nothing to show except my crabby face.
Where to next? 
Name names. Go on. They deserve it. Start with Malcolm.
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I think the Libs may be at the core.
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You go, girl! Who says you can’t fight shitty hall!
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Quite happy to fight shitty.
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I will look forward to an update. I did the rounds with Telstra this week – again. They keep trying to bill me for a service that they haven’t provided since last August. And I am happy to name names!
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Oh crap, my names are different. So all providers are dodgy? Discouraging.
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Hang in there – it will get better! I can understand the crabby face, I would have one also! Happy Day Peggy! 🙂
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Actually, I have fun having a crabby face every now and then.
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Somehow sitting on the stairs in a hotel in Central Asia to get slow internet connection can be coped with but here one expects more and seems to be getting worse. Internet connection in my bit of Malcolm’s electorate is dreadfully slow. Then when I rang Telstra for disconnection on day of moving I was told 5 days ahead was too early and to ring back on day. And they deliver internet services.
Sympathy
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Thanks for the sympathy. Had to laugh at your comment about sitting on stairs in Central Asia. I’ve sat on rooftops, hung out windows, stood on ladders and more to get connected in far flung places. But in 2016 and in the national capital of Australia, I expect much more.
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All so familiar. Frustrating. I hope it is sorted soon
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Me too, but I’m not hopeful.
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Peggy, the great news is that we have internet and fast wifi. And if you’re like us, the bad news is how incredibly dependent we are on having it. As travelers, and at home, we’ve structured much of our life around having instant, constant, and fast internet connections. So Amen Sister, I can relate to your being pissed off about not having it. In the US, there’s a good deal of monopolistic behavior on the part of providers, and they basically have us over a barrel – and the companies acts that way. It sounds no different in Oz. Best of luck on getting it back soon, and let ‘um have it. ~James
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Yeah, the monopolistic behaviour gets me too. As my dad would have said, ‘They’ve got us by the short and curlies’.
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Well said Peggy. I know and use this phrase, but as they say, not in polite company. I’m happy to see that your dad provided his children with some “colorful” language. He’s a man after my own heart. 🙂 ~James
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I don’t dare post the other comment he might have made, but it’s on the same drift. 🙂
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LP.,
I know how annoying it can be to not have an internet connection… since you rely on talking to many friends/relatives around the world. I can see having a connection problem, but then it should be resolved in a few hours or half a day! Imagine if you had a business and could not talk to existing customers/ potential clients.. that would really tick me off, big time!
Here in NYC and for my apartment building I can only use cable or a satellite disk (monthly fee) or very slow dial up phone line connection(AOL) (I use none of these). But I have a Verizon high speed DSL connection and it goes through my telephone phone line. In two years the service has been interrupted two times and only for several hours.. so am lucky!
Cable or satellite costs money for an internet connection, TV channels, messaging… at a monthly fee.. and the fee goes up after a while. So I have an old outdoor Roof Antenna, which works fine (no 100 cable channels for me), just the basic TV channels.
I hope you get back on line soon.. and no more internet connections…
Sy S.
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Like you Sy, we don’t have cable or a satellite dish. Our connection is through the phone line and up until now was as efficient as yours. But our local provider (of those 14 years) was bought out (subsumed) by a bigger mob, and the troubles have begun.
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Tonight I have to update my internet connectivity from ADSL 7Mega to Fiber to the cabinet and I am not sure that it will works. Tomorrow I will experiment the result: in or out 😛
Ciao
Sid
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Hope all goes well.
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Oh, dear, what a hassle! I live out in the country so our internet service is always somewhat slow. Most of my online activity is done during the day because it really slows down at night. Hang in there, Peggy. Wishing you a speedy resolution to the problems.
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Australia’s country services can also be slow and unreliable, but you’d think it would be sorted in the national capital. Good grief!
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You have oxygen and your heart is pumping!
Xx
Diana
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Those are big plusses!
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I’m on wireless but can only afford $45 (was $50) for 8kb per month, so I’m always running out couple of days before the end of the month.
Last time Telstra (my provider) was a problem was when they sent me a letter saying I had been incorrectly billed and should be paying $60. I was on the phone in seconds, saying I had a contract in writing and if they couldn’t stick to their contract I was going elsewhere to another provider. The girl put me on hold while she spoke to her spvsr and then came back and said ‘since I was a longterm customer they would give me $15 dollars off ($60)’ and I am now paying $45 per month.
8kb is not really enough for me and sharing photography online, but at least it’s better than nothing.
I use wireless so it doesn’t matter where I live in urban areas (being a renter), I can change locations more easily. I have taken my computer up the country when I stay with family and once, even took my computer down the beach to see some photos on location as I shot them.
My neighbours in this new apartment block I live in, have had lots of trouble and each has to pay $300 to get anything connected.
I’m amazed Canberra is problematic. My brother was in telecommunications for many years (and did telecommunications for the new Parliament house back in the late 80s) and he advised me to just chose one of the larger providers, although he said there’ll always be black spots in the country depending on the terrain, so wireless still has its problems for more isolated areas of Australia.
But Canberra?
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Absolutely right—but Canberra?!
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I hope that you get everything sorted out very, very soon. These kind of issues are the worst.
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Fingers crossed for a solution this coming week.
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As someone who spent 30 years in the telecom industry, and as a customer who is currently staring at a wifi-signal that barely has a pulse, I know the frustrations on both sides of this annoying equation. Fingers crossed for you. (Side Note: In Australia, the “Libs” are actually the conservatives, right? Just trying to make sure I’m on the right page…)
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Yeah, go figure. The Libs are the conservatives. How did that happen? The frustrations seem to reach a new level. 😦
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I would get a nice whippy stick, preferably from a birch tree, and march over to your provider. And then, lay into him/her, Don’t hold back Peggy. Flail him/her hard. Knee or kick in the crutch if the stick breaks. Don’t stop till you can clearly hear teeth rattle. That is a good sign.
I was with a provider who advised me to put the Wi-Fi device outside high on a tree branch because we have a metal roof. I ended putting a ladder against the tree to put is as high as possible.
You know Peggy, I am an elderly pensioner with frail unreliable intestines and wobbly legs. Can you imagine?
We changed the provider and now all is ok, and we overcame, and are still married.
I hope that ‘poor John’ bears up all alright. I worry a bit.
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Love the whippy stick idea. So very appropriate. Also need to know the names of your providers 1 and 2, so I don’t make a bigger mistake.
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The bubbly ones are the most maddening. I’m looking forward to the next installment but hope you have a successful resolution.
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Yeah, I’m tempted to beat bubbly to a pulp.
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My daughter had a huge problem almost immediately after upgrading to windows 10. Her internet kept dropping out. She fixed it but I don’t know how. My laptop just upgraded itself to windows 19 without even asking so I hope I don’t get any hiccups or hiccoughs.
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Software upgrades can be such a pain, but the hardware is the problem in this instance. Hope your laptop continues to cooperate.
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Sometimes you just need a good rant. I take it you can’t go to another company? We’ve been changing phone (no landline anymore, just cell) and internet providers frequently the last few years. Not always with great results, but most of the times it works out well. At least, it makes me feel like I have a bit more control. Hoping you get what you want…
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I am looking at other providers. Problem is that even though Australia appears to have many providers, in the background there are only about three core companies. Limits the options when the problem is at the ‘exchange’. One company might be the umbrella for six companies at the exchange.
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If only life were simpler! I hate figuring out all the ins-and-outs that companies hide. We have an internet hook-up at home, but ditched the TV/Cable/landline years ago. I love not having 24-hour TV news access. Hope it gets resolved soon.
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Hoping to have an answer today. Ugh!
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There is nothing more annoying than paying huge rates and then the cable or internet doesn’t work. It isn’t rocket science. I feel your pain and my blood pressure rises as soon as I hear the name of our provider.
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They’re trying to convince me that it is rocket science!
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I bet they are! 🙂
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At least you haven’t had any recent phone calls from a prince in Nigeria promising you the lion’s share of his millions to inherit – if you’ll just send about $5000 to his personal account now – have you? Internet providers, phony Nigerian princes, the IRS impersonators threatening us in the US – Jackals, all of them.
A happier day wished for you tomorrow.
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You have raised an excellent point. No longer is the ‘Australian Taxation Office’ calling to threaten me with prison if I don’t pay my bill pronto. I loved the way they ended their calls with ‘pay up or else. Bless you!’
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Do your neighbors have internet?
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Yes, the neighbours have it. The problem is with our line. There’s a fault that remains unfixed. Arghhhh!
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So whose “fault” is that…sorry I just had to!! I’m going to send a request out to the Universe that it is all fixed this week!! Here goes… :-0
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Perfect line that gave me a good laugh. Thanks. Hoping your request to the universe holds some sway. Will let you know.
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Oh I feel for you. Nothing worse than the internet going out when you need it most. Our internet tends to be slow and we pay for the middle upgrade which should be plenty fast. Makes me mad. I swear it gets worse at the end of the month. I hope you get it fixed and on their $ end. 🙂
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Thanks for the sympathy. Still no resolution and I’ve been chasing this since 1 May. Argh!
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I can relate!
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Bummer.
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Happy to read your post!
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I’m even happier to have my phone and internet back after 43 days. 🙂
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By now Peggy you probably are up and running. Next time that happens take it as a sign to go on “VACATION” – literally and figuratively.
Anyone who can laugh about not having clean underwear when their luggage is highjacked can laugh at having their airwaves missing!
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You commented at the right time. We were reconnected yesterday afternoon—after 43 days offline. And I’ll have you know I managed to keep those undies pretty darn clean! 🙂
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Always handy to have a small device in my view Peggy. At least, so our sports editor informs me.
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Your sports editor is very wise.
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Confucious Spice we call him…amongst other things.
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Ah, a Spice Boy!
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I remember you telling us this! I thought I’d had a nightmare with the same company but nothing like yours. I think you should name names! What a backward country we live in and its not only Canberra.
Tony
http://breadtagsagas.com/
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We’re back online after 43 days and I will name names at some stage. Just grateful for now.
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Goodness, I felt like this while on a brief holiday with my family in the North Woods. I was annoyed enough that I had to drive into town so I could do school work and check in on the blog. I’ve always felt this to be a…what’s the term…”first-world problem,” so I’ve tried not to gripe, but it REALLY made me a crab that I had to spend half an hour in the car just to got sit somewhere else and stare at a screen. Some vacation. 😦
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Yes, it is a first-world problem, but it’s also a big issue in Australia’s coming election. People in the bush have a terrible time getting online. Even people in outlying suburbs have trouble. And this isn’t for watching movies online. Most need it for business, schooling, banking, news and more.
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Oh true. That’s equally frustrating in up here; towns in northern Wisconsin and in the upper peninsula of Michigan (I’ll just refer to these since I’ve lived in those areas) are very small, and very spread out. Few of these towns have schools, and the roads are rarely plowed well in winter, which means everyone’s very isolated in the cold months. The Internet is vital up there for meeting basic needs, and it’s not meeting them. Yet another reason I’m fine living down here in the muggy, suburb-addled southern chunk of Wisconsin…
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The bottom line is that the politicians and big-wig corporation people have amazing online connections and they find it hard to imagine that not everyone does.
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