The Saga's Continues

The saga continues.  The very helpful person at Telecom to whom I was talking just after 9pm on Friday said that the problem with my T-stick could be solved remotely by the Advanced Technical Team.  Unfortunately the ATT go home at 9pm.  I should explain that a T-stick is the thingy that you put into the laptop USB to connect to the internet via the cellphone network.   

Last night (Saturday) after hanging on for the inevitable 2 cut-offs which accounted for more than 20 minutes, I got through to someone at Telecom who reviewed my case and put me through to the ATT (another 20 minutes) the ATT member to whom I spoke explained that I had to go to a Telecom store and get new SIM cards.  After I had done this the I could have my new SIM cards activated by phone and the $50 I had loaded the card with would be activated.  Unfortunately this would be after I got home when I would no longer need the T-stick capability because I’d have my home broadband available.  Please could I have my $50 back.  No.  But I won’t want it after I get back home.  Tough.  Hmmmm.  So after a couple of hours on the telephone I was back where I started.

I’m writing all this without the benefit of being on line and it’s amazing me how much I have come to rely on internet access for both the obvious communications with family and friends and for so many more things too.  In the UK I have access to the internet on my smartphone but I don’t have an NZ smartphone.  Last night the number of times things cropped up which I would just have Googled amazed me.  The friends with whom I am staying during the tournament in Palmerston North have been joking that they don't have enough Prozac to keep me calm! 

Is It New Zealand Telecom?

Hi Folks.  I'm posting this just in case the Broadband link fails again.  I managed one or two comments this morning before the connection failed.  I did manage to download some blogs and read them but wasn't able to comment.  Hopefully I'll have time and the Broadband to enable me to achieve that aim this evening. (even though it's now 2300 hrs so I might fall asleep at the keyboard!  I've been out most of the day and then this evening after getting in late and having dinner and a long phone chat Wendy called to say they were going into the spa so I went up to The House and had a session in the spar with the odd glass of bubbly.    Would you believe that I didn't have my camera?  I had the opportunity for the perfect picture of Wendy with her head silhouetted by candles - and I missed it.  Quel dommage.

N Z Telecom have been having a bad time.  They put in a new N Z wide advanced XT mobile network.  So far there have been many outages and they have been getting a bad press (and Vodafone have been getting their customers).  In fact N Z Telecom are having a Very Bad Time at the moment.  Having moved their call centre to Manila in the Philippines there has been a spate of incidents with employees there sending abusive text messages to customers.

But I don't really care about all their woes.  I just want my (very expensive) mobile broadband to work!

Right.  With chocolate in my left hand and a mug of hot cocoa in the other I shall venture forth.....

My Phone's Male

My N Z Telecom mobile phone is male. How do I know? When it's being charged it can't carry out other functions (I was trying to delete some text messages, that's how I know).