BT back in the day
When it was still British Telecom, or before that the good old GPO (showing my age there), my dad worked for them. Retired about 7 years ago after nearly 40 years service through thick and thin (although he was a union rep and led a strike in our area back in the late 80's/early 90's). I digress. My old man worked for BT back in a time when they actually provided a good service, everyone had a nice working phone and if there was a cable breakdown anywhere, they'd be up to all hours fixing it. FFWD to the present day. My old dad is needing a new line into the flat as the old one is constantly breaking and hasn't been replaced - same for the neighbours. Pater would rather have done this himself and is grumbling about it but lets go and allows them to do the job. So BT engineer shows up (for BT engineer read teenage spotty oik) and proceeds to start ripping cables/junction boxes out and making a hell of a mess. He goes outside to seek the main junction box for the building and starts farting around in there. After several hours, Dad goes outside to see whats happening. Finds oik in the cab of his van on the phone. Oik is basically asking how to do the job he has been sent out to do. Dad nearly faints with rage. Dad bollocks teenage phone guy and pretty much drags the guy back to the junction box and does the job himself - incandescent with the fury (his natural state) - while BT kid is stood watching him, and there's me stood at the back watching both with great mirth. FFWD again some weeks and Dad then recieves a bill for the new line. Pa has a "chat" with an old colleague about what has happened, dropping engineers name into the conversation. Bill is quashed, engineer reprimanded, BT made to look like fucking twats, and everyone in the bulding has a nice working phone.

It was never like that in the pre-privatised days you know.
( Normanator Bad case of trapped wind since, Sat 28 Jul 2007, 19:57, Reply)