Snowed in by the Beast

2nd March 2018

BT are supposed to be installing our phone line today. What are the chances??!

Decided to go and investigate the Defender and try to dig it out. On the way we bumped in to farmers David and Julian who had been to dig out one of their quads. Luckily for us they’d also cleared a whole load of snow drifts with a tractor so the lane was now passable in a decent 4x4. No chance for those removal trucks though!

They were super friendly, concerned we were ok and full of advice. Also met a mum & daughter from down the road, again so kind asking how we were getting on and did we want a cuppa. Everyone seems to know we are here – the daft ones from Hertfordshire moving on the worst day of the year!

The snow is epic, and Dartmoor looks incredible – how lucky are we to actually live here?!

The truck needed some serious digging, and the snow was coming down heavily again.

There has been a brief spell of rain sometime early this morning and as a result, there was half an inch of ice all over the front of the car. Brought a whole new meaning to de-icing the windscreen!

The backs of our coats and hats literally froze while we were working – never seen that before either!

Super glad of our shopping supplies, the Defender would have made it into town but very glad we didn’t have to.

Unsurprisingly BT didn’t turn up, but didn’t bother ringing or any such courtesy. Instead I received a notification saying that we as the customer hadn’t been in. They are such fibbers. I understand the conditions were grim, but they might have had the decency to ring, explain and offer the next day instead.

But no. I’m told I have to rearrange it, and the next date available is the 15th! A good hour on the (mobile) phone complaining gets me nowhere other than £20 compensation to cover some of our data costs – better than nothing I suppose but our big concern is whether Andy will be able to work! He might be camping out at a cafe in town for the foreseeable if not……

Appreciate these are first world problems, but I'm really not a fan of BT Openreach – they have a complete monopoly but absolutely no duty of care or concern for their customers. Rant over ;-)