Yesterday was a relatively Internet free day. My DSL was out for the whole day. Because my business is dependent on the Internet I do have a mobile broadband account as backup, so I was able to answer email and the like. I was also able to keep up with Twitter and Facebook via the iPhone, but I wasn’t online all day like I usually am.

Why did this happen? Well, I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure it was because it rained. After all, this happens a lot just after a heavy rain storm. It suggests to me that there’s a fault with the wiring somewhere. And given that it started happening (a couple of years ago) just after some work was done on the telephone pole outside the house I’m pretty sure I know where to look.

The trouble is I can’t get anything done about it. I use Zen for my DSL service because they are very reliable and don’t try to con you with stupid cheap deals that come with lousy uptime and tight limits. However, I know from past experience what will happen if I call their tech support about this. It is an intermittent problem, so I won’t be able to demonstrate it happening. And worse, the tech support man (and I do mean male person here) will detect the stench of girl cooties all over the problem. So he will insist on subjecting me to days of patronizing tests, including insisting that I buy a new router, before he will believe anything I say. And then he will say that it is BT’s problem and he’ll have to pass it over to them.

Why don’t I just go straight to BT? Because the idiots of OfCom have allowed BT to compete in the market for DSL services, so if you have a problem with your DSL and you are not buying from them they will just blame your DSL provider and do nothing.

So instead I use the mobile broadband when I have to, and wait for the wires to dry out. It may be a pain, but it is much less frustrating than trying to get it fixed.