internet service providers

I feel the need to use this space to grumble, but it might be one familiar to others. Because of the difficulty processing external stresses, breakdowns on broadband must affect others like it does me (even those who are otherwise good computer hackers!).

I'm ten months in to my current contract with my ISP. It has gone wrong five times.

Technical support requires me to change my password before phoning for support (apparently they say doing so sorts most problems). Well doing it often gets boring.

Currently email is down, but I cannot access the web pages for change password - it just says page not available, whatever form of it I search for.

Phoning for help is interminable, and I have to keep listening to messages saying I need to change my password before dialing - like I bet I know the reason they are not answering is they know I cannot change my password because they know they've de-activated the change password facility. So I'm wasting time and money on phonecalls that are never going to be answered.

They say they are exceptionally busy just now. Why am I not surprised?

You would think technology was advancing, but the quality of broadband service and the trechnical support provided seems to get worse and worse. These companies spend too much marketing a product and once you are signed on they simply cannot be bothered to provide the promised service.

And technical help is always a call centre in Timbuctoo with someone you can barely comprehend - not helped by the fact I find phoning stressful.

If the moderators don't feel it inappropriate to talk emails and internet on an autism web site, does anyone else find this particularly harder to deal with because of their autism?

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  • If your broadband is not working then it's nothing to do with your password. Most ISPs have a standard checklist that their (not very) technical people go through, if that doesn't work they'll come round and replace your router. That's about the limit of their technical help and often they will blame it on your own router if you have one (that's what they did with me).

    Make a complaint in writing, nothing down the times it's been down and ask for a refund.

  • That's fine Caretwo, thanks for checking. 

  • Hi Longman - I agree with your post.  It used to surprise me that providers in the communication industry were so lacking in communication, now it doesn't.  My son got v upset when his internet failed.  It took his provider 2 days to sort it out, even with me + others intervening on his behalf.  Then another problem developed, so we had to start all over again.  It caused him + the rest of us great distress.  After a whole wk it was finally sorted, but it was torturous.  You would think they would be better at resolving these problems.  It is stressful enough for NTs, worse for autistic people.