u/Zealousideal_End_978 — reddlx

The uni's hypocrisy does make me chuckle

The canteen and restaurant in the building at the back of this pic don't serve beef because of the carbon cost.

I'm not allowed to take funding for research from anyone even close to the fossil fuel industry, even if its for "green" initiatives.

And yet today, the West Cambridge site has a petrol-guzzling F1 car on display, and petrochemical advertising emblazoned around the place. Their stand inside the physics department has at least four companies we're not allowed to work with up on big signs, advertising their wares.

Make it make sense?

(I wonder - how many "burgers per second" does a car like this burn through during a race?)

Edit: thanks for your comments. Here's the uni's policy on (no) fossil fuel funding. It says nothing about the type of work, only about who directly* funds it. https://www.cam.ac.uk/notices/news/the-university-and-funding-from-fossil-fuel-companies

*funneling funding via a friendly foreign government and rebounding to "basic science" is presumably enough to circumvent this IMHO rather performative policy

Another edit:

For all the "dontchaknow"-ers: yes, F1 is an awesome showcase for greener tech. That's kind of my point: it doesn't matter how green the research is, the uni only cares about the company logo.

u/Zealousideal_End_978 — 8 days ago

▲ 2 r/UKBroadband

BT trying to wriggle out of previously promised automatic compensation - help?

Hi there. I've just had a fairly excruciating call with BT about compensation

I placed an order for FTTP on day 0, with a go-live date of day 20

On day 20, my PAYG and FTTP started being charged. On day 50 I got a "you're due 30 days auto comp, it'll cap out after 60" email. On day 80 I got a "you're now owed 60 days auto comp, now capped" email. On day 90 my service went live (ish - but that's another tale)

Meanwhile, a bit after I'd ordered, I was told there are delays at Openreach, so they couldn't even give me an install date for a while. I eventually got given an install date of day 60, which was then delayed again to day 90, when the install finally happened

I assumed, as i already had it in writing from BT, that I'd get 60 days automatic compensation. Alas, i've only been given 30 days of compensation. I queried it with their onljne chat, and was told they only counted a delay from the first agreed install date; they couldn't care less that I had two emails from them confirming otherwise.

I've escalated it, and am about to write the complaint email

Can anyone confirm - should my complaint be upheld once it reaches the right person, or is about email from BT telling me i'm due 60 days of compensation not actually worth the (digital) paper its written on?

Any advice gratefully received, TIA

******

Addendum: on my install day (#90) the new FTTP didn't work. The install team told me the router needed replacing, so ordered me a new one and left. I chased with BT that eve when my copper line cut out leaving me with nothing, they told me to await a new router. It arrived on day 95, still didn't work, so i called BT again and got an Openreach appt on day 97. Turns out the router was fine, the issue was the ONT.

So i had no Internet for 6 full days. But again, BT claim my "fault" only started on day 95, so i'm not due any fault delay comp. So somehow by them mis-diagnosing the fault, they get out of compensating me. Is that...normal?

reddit.com

u/Zealousideal_End_978 — 16 days ago

▲ 4 r/UKBroadband+1 crossposts

Mum has been a BT customer for decades. She's trying to upgrade to FTTP (current copper line is very slow & tempramental). She's a vulnerable disabled customer, and lives rurally with poor mobile signal

Order placed with BT around Christmas.

In Feb we got an email saying order cancelled, then another saying new order placed. Called BT, they said there was an issue with her address, resolved automatically. Told to return new router & they'd send another one

In March, I called to chase. Told the order had been automatically cancelled again, because the addresses don't match Royal Mail's system (the house swapped from a name to a number back in the 1990s). BT chap spoke to multiple layers of management, assured me it was 100% sorted and wouldn't happen again. Asked to redo a new order. Equipment posted back, new equipment sent.

In April, I called to chase the order. Told it'd been cancelled again by Openreach because the addresses don't match. New order submitted again, this time a "moving house" order (even though its the same house) to deal with the address change. 100% guarantee it'd all be fine this time. Told to return old equipment, new router being posted. Install date confirmed for 28th April

Today was our install day. Nobody arrived. No contact from BT or Openreach. I called BT. After an hour on the phone, they finally told me the order had been cancelled - this time by BT themselves. New order placed, new equipment posted, Told to return previous equipment. Told it'll definitely be fine this time

I fully expect this order to be cancelled again, of course. Nobody at BT can give me a straight answer about the address discrepancy - they just blame Openreach - and Openreach won't talk to customers! Mum needs reliable Internet, and Openreach are the only supplier for her location. The systems are now so automated, any glitch like this and its just...."computer says no"

What can I do to get out of this doom loop of endless cancellations?! And if/when it does finally get fixed, what's the best approach for getting compensation for the many hours of calls, days of waiting for non-existent appointments, and months of no fibre broadband? We're currently just told "no automatic compensation is due", with BT, Openreach and Royal Mail blaming each other.

How did we get to such a terrible state of customer services in the UK? It's such a shame

reddit.com

u/Zealousideal_End_978 — 25 days ago