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[oddoneout]

Goodness, oddoneout, what an experience. I hope you have a successful outcome eventually. Getting an appointment these days is about as easy as getting a new opera staged.

The good news posts by KB and SA prompt me to report on progress in my attempts to get an appointment. I went to the surgery on Monday and was able to speak to the Team Leader. She was very good at listening to my concerns, and also evidently not very happy at what had happened - she was genuinely apologetic, and also rather puzzled at how that outcome had occurred. I now have an appointment with a GP who, in her words, "has an interest in these kinds of problems", ie orthopaedic. It also turns out that there is a physio who comes twice a week to the surgery(that wasn't mentioned last week) and I now also have an appointment with him to discuss my concerns(the result of previous experiences) about that line of treatment.
So, whatever the outcome of those 2 appointments at least progress has been made - but I could have done without the weekend of fretting and worrying to achieve that end. I just hope I don't have to encounter that receptionist again as I don't imagine she will be favourably disposed to me!

[smittims]

Good to hear that. I'm sure your experience strikes a chord with that of others here.

[Serial_Apologist]

Good to hear that. I'm sure your experience strikes a chord with that of others here.

I need to make an appointment with a GP, following an email from the practice's lab yesterday telling me my blood pressure readings - taken nearly a year ago - were "rather high". Nice of them to let me know!

[eighthobstruction]

Well done ooo....good luck

[french frank]

Trying to contact BT. After a series of irrelevant options (including, Are you calling us on the line you wish to enquire about? Yes), Please wait while we run a series a of tests on your line, Please wait, Please stay with us, We are running a series of tests &c &c &c for a few minutes. There is no fault on your line. No, of course there isn't. I've told you, I'm ringing you up on it now. Another series of options. Finally, please hold for an agent to assist you. Thank goodness. I'm sorry all our agents are busy at the moment. If you would like to hold on the wait is currently about ............... 30 minutes. Do you want to hold ...? End of.

Well, I may get the answer here . Since they disabled my landline and moved me over to broadband (no option), I now want to remove all the Openreach litter, master socket, secondary socket, cables, before redecorating. Can I just unscrew everything or rip it out and throw it away?

[Serial_Apologist]

Trying to contact BT. After a series of irrelevant options (including, Are you calling us on the line you wish to enquire about? Yes), Please wait while we run a series a of tests on your line, Please wait, Please stay with us, We are running a series of tests &c &c &c for a few minutes. There is no fault on your line. No, of course there isn't. I've told you, I'm ringing you up on it now. Another series of options. Finally, please hold for an agent to assist you. Thank goodness. I'm sorry all our agents are busy at the moment. If you would like to hold on the wait is currently about ............... 30 minutes. Do you want to hold ...? End of.

Well, I may get the answer here . Since they disabled my landline and moved me over to broadband (no option), I now want to remove all the Openreach litter, master socket, secondary socket, cables, before redecorating. Can I just unscrew everything or rip it out and throw it away?

Well, I was instructed last week to re-connect my landline phone to the back of my router via the posted attachment (to receive which I was asked to stay in all day, btw ). I did so, and it worked (after a fashion). But when, thinking logically as I thought, I then disconnected my landline, it disonnected my internet connection. So I'm now left wondering what happens when landlines are themselves disconnected, as we have been warned they will be, at some stage.

[french frank]

So I'm now left wondering what happens when landlines are themselves disconnected, as we have been warned they will be, at some stage.

I can tell you. Your handphone is useless. It doesn't work. You can't even access your stored phone numbers. I vandalised my handset (my own, purchased) and chucked it in the wheelie bin (I know) years ago.

I had the bright idea of trying BT online chat. They have now taken all my details and will contact me ...... within 2 hours. I replied 2 HOURS???? Ooh - agent is typing ...

Didn't get to post this for a few minutes. Agent is allegedly still typing. And they don't even know what my query is yet.

Reply about an issue with logging in to email accounts. Now solved and I should be able to log in now. If I wanted to ask about something else, please start a new message. Does that mean reply to that message or start all over again with a different message? I answered outlining what I wanted to know about.

Hmm. Looks like I'm no longer connected to BT. Why did they assume I had a problem logging in to my email account when I said I wanted to dicuss my landline? If I start a new message, the questions will be the same and they'll tell me I can now log in to my email account and apologise for the inconvenience

[Serial_Apologist]

I can tell you. Your handphone is useless. It doesn't work. You can't even access your stored phone numbers. I vandalised my handset (my own, purchased) and chucked it in the wheelie bin (I know) years ago.

I had the bright idea of trying BT online chat. They have now taken all my details and will contact me ...... within 2 hours. I replied 2 HOURS???? Ooh - agent is typing ...

Didn't get to post this for a few minutes. Agent is allegedly still typing. And they don't even know what my query is yet.

Reply about an issue with logging in to email accounts. Now solved and I should be able to log in now. If I wanted to ask about something else, please start a new message. Does that mean reply to that message or start all over again with a different message? I answered outlining what I wanted to know about.

Hmm. Looks like I'm no longer connected to BT. Why did they assume I had a problem logging in to my email account when I said I wanted to dicuss my landline? If I start a new message, the questions will be the same and they'll tell me I can now log in to my email account and apologise for the inconvenience

You have entered the circus of modern living. You will be required to travel all the roundabouts before leaving and left wondering what the meaning of it all was.

[oddoneout]

Well, I was instructed last week to re-connect my landline phone to the back of my router via the posted attachment (to receive which I was asked to stay in all day, btw ). I did so, and it worked (after a fashion). But when, thinking logically as I thought, I then disconnected my landline, it disonnected my internet connection. So I'm now left wondering what happens when landlines are themselves disconnected, as we have been warned they will be, at some stage.

I was discussing this with my son last weekend, partly prompted by ongoing b/band issues which had ended up as no internet connection at all. Given the history of poor functioning of both b/b and the phone, I was concerned about how functional the new version would be.
If I have understood correctly the phone plug which currently goes into a microfilter which is in turn plugged into the wall socket will, after switchover plug directly into one of the ethernet sockets in the back of the router. That removes the need for the microfilter(which has needed replacing at ever decreasing intervals) as the router then plugs directly into the wall socket. The landline will remain so termed, to distinguish from mobile phone alternatives presumably, but will no longer use the copper cabling; it will be an internet connection.
In my case whether the current twin arrangement - desk phone downstairs plus handheld unit upstairs will continue to work is an unknown - the deskphone should do but that won't be known until the event. I didn't ask about the handheld upstairs but I suspect that will no longer work as it is just a base station that picks up a signal from the main phone. In which case I shall have to sort out some kind of alternative to provide access in case of emergencies - remembering to take my dumbphone upstairs each night I suppose. And once the switchover occurs I will have to add being more vigilant about keeping said phone charged up as a powercut will knock out the proper phone. As I hardly use it, and then almost entirely for single text messages, that hasn't been an issue up to now.
Progress - when simple things become more difficult...

[french frank]

The landline will remain so termed, to distinguish from mobile phone alternatives presumably, but will no longer use the copper cabling; it will be an internet connection.

Yes, I still tend to refer to it as the 'landline' (as distinct from mobile) as there seems to be no concise alternative. Broadband telephone? Digital telephone? Anyway, I did think I'd be able to use my main handset and two 'extension' handsets with the router. But the cordless extensions didn't have anything to plug into the router. I left them out on my garden wall and someone took them

(No one returned to answer my query so I shall have to take the bus into town where there's an EE shop. I can imagine, grabbing the assistant by the tie and hauling him over the counter to extract an answer from him (if female, she will understand straight away!).

I jest. I am fortunate in not suffering from stress so it all just seems barmy and laughable.

[Pulcinella]

Yes, I still tend to refer to it as the 'landline' (as distinct from mobile) as there seems to be no concise alternative. Broadband telephone? Digital telephone? Anyway, I did think I'd be able to use my main handset and two 'extension' handsets with the router. But the cordless extensions didn't have anything to plug into the router. I left them out on my garden wall and someone took them

(No one returned to answer my query so I shall have to take the bus into town where there's an EE shop. I can imagine, grabbing the assistant by the tie and hauling him over the counter to extract an answer from him (if female, she will understand straight away!).

I jest. I am fortunate in not suffering from stress so it all just seems barmy and laughable.

EE staff here in York always very helpful! Hope those in Bristol are too.

[french frank]

EE staff here in York always very helpful! Hope those in Bristol are too.

I still don't quite understand which is the senior partner, BT or EE.

[Dave2002]

You have entered the circus of modern living. You will be required to travel all the roundabouts before leaving and left wondering what the meaning of it all was.

I really dislike this kind of "modern living".

[Serial_Apologist]

EE staff here in York always very helpful! Hope those in Bristol are too.

I see they provide courses in online usages for inveterate pre-twentieth century habitues: maybe they could help me out over my iphone phobia.

[Serial_Apologist]

I really dislike this kind of "modern living".

Me too. I remind myself of my late father, who would often talk about the changes that had come about since he came into the world in 1908. I often think what a cultural shock rock 'n' roll must have been to that generation. That said, at least they didn't have to buy into it in the way in which mine is being jostled into the Internet Age kicking and screaming.