It has been a busy week around here with a few trips and plenty of ongoing projects.

Airing Cupboard/Hot Press*

*Neither is particularly a accurate name…

I am in the process of reassembling the airing cupboard/hot press (take your pick) and tried to do so in the most straightforward way – cutting bits of plasterboard to fit the gaps that were previously boarded over with odd bits of wood. This, however, was not the most logical way to approach the problem. What I should have done was cut back the old plasterboard to the same level and put in larger pieces so that they could be properly secured to the wall studs. What I have ended up with is a bit of a bodge job with random pieces secured completely or partially. The next step after jointing and painting is to finish the floor, fit some more battens then the shelves. I haven’t decided on the material for the flooring yet but as I have an abundance of chipboard, that might have to do.

Conservatory Capers

After some heavy duty sanding to get the wall into a semi-smooth surface, it was time to give it a few coats of paint. We had planned on painting the conservatory green since moving in but there were always other jobs to do first. Now it was a good excuse to sort it and conceal the pipes at the same time. On the advice of the heat pump installers, I went down the simple route to conceal the pipes while still allowing access if necessary. I bought shelving from Totem Timber to be held up by my favourite heavy duty shelf brackets. The end result leaves the piping invisible at eye level and the shelving will provide plenty of space for trailing plants (and other stuff yet to be determined). The height makes it somewhat inconvenient to access, but it’s a much nicer feature than the previous wall boxing.

Virgin Media Madness

Broadband can be a pain. High speed internet is pretty much expected these days but because of the unique nature of our telecoms industry and infrastructure, true competition doesn’t really exist. In our area we have access to cable provided by Virgin Media (a monopoly) or much lower speeds from other conventional providers. Ultrafast fibre isn’t available for us, and the next closest option feels quaint in comparison to the speeds we have been used to on cable.

We are currently on a 250 Mbps package from Virgin, which has a free upgrade to 350 Mbps because I am an O2 mobile customer (the Volt scheme). So then, Virgin? Because there is no realistic competition, it’s difficult to compare prices. You just cannot get the same speeds as on cable in this area. It wouldn’t be a problem if Virgin Media’s pricing was sane, but our package monthly cost was due to rise from £36 to £64 in September. A 78% increase! That’s a true loyalty bonus, for a customer of more than three years.

The worst part? Every time I call up to cancel at the end of a contract, they offer me a lower price or a price comparable to my original contract but with even more stuff. It’s completely bonkers and punishes those who either don’t have the time, the inclination, or either to negotiate a better deal. After a painfully long time trying to get hold of customer services, our monthly cost has dropped to £30 rather than going up to £64. If your contract is coming up for renewal then get on their live chat support, WhatsApp, or pick up the phone. As frustrating as it can be, it’s well worth the effort.

On a separate note, getting hold of their WiFi Pods which are supposed to extend network range is another teeth-pulling experience. I had to use their app to scan all of the rooms of the house for WiFi coverage, then contact them about five times through live chat (which either timed out or I had to walk away from to do other things) eventually convincing the customer service employee (after confirming my identity, direct debit date, and last bill amount at least five times) to send me a WiFi extender. Are there any fish tanks nearby? No. Baby monitors? No. Microwaves? No. Soon I’ll be able to see if it makes any difference at all.

Don’t forget the power you hold as a consumer/customer, even in this monopolistic landscape.