[MetaWraith]

Update.

Service Technician telephoned bright and early (8am) this morning to ask if it was still okay to call round. We spoke and I explained that it was now working again, but he said he'd come anyway, check signal levels and such, and swap out the modem for a new one, but put back the original if i wasn't satisfied.

Top notch professional, clean presentable, well spoken, understood the situation. I let him try a superhub, it was the blade affair not the tower block. He even put it into modem mode for me and my netgear router is humming away nicely.

Obviously it is too early to tell if i'll be affected by the horror stories yet, but right now i'm chuffed with the level of service from him, pity the telephone support staff dont give the same levels.

Oh and I loved my old Ambit modem, it was powered on for almost 15 years. The last service visit was a decade or so ago when my neighbour was connected and i came home to find i was disconnected. A few telephone calls to friends found what was then an NTL tech doing an install and we pressed ganged him into looking into the fault. Turns out i'd been disconnected at the green box by whoever connected my neighbours !!

Anyway I have nothing but respect for those that do come into our homes and fix things. It's the cowboys and cant help, wont help, script reading desk jockeys I can't stand.