OK, BT have a fault on our line and after phoning them we’ve been told it could be off until 18th…we need phone and Internet for work and all sorts. Can they get away with this? What can we do? The guy from the Indian call centre said they would only discuss compensating for the down time if it went beyond 18th, so right now they’re effectively taking our money and providing nothing for it. Ie stealing.

We’ve had something similar, although a different supplier. There’s be something in the T&C’s (ie, the contract) that says they have x days to fix it. Even though we paid extra for a business line, it was still something like 10 days. If you want 24hr fix it’s enormously expensive.

Not good, but I couldn’t find a better option.

For a residential line, three working days to repair isn’t that bad? Are you within range of anyones BT Wifi/Openzone hotspot as you get free minutes (or unlimited) with BT Broadband.

Theres no point taking the ‘I need it for work’ approach as its not a business line.

Mobile hotspot using your mobile works well if your mobile provider allows tethering and you have a decent data allowance. My laptop seems to know its on a mobile hotspot and reduces photo quality etc when browsing.

Any medical conditions in the house that may need emergency requests?