Red Tape

It needs to be discussed.

How unbelievably painful it is to get anything done here.

NOTHING is as simple as walk in and do it with what is in your phone/ hand / wallet - even getting a Library card required proof of address and a passport. What thugs have been stealing library books that this criteria is needed?

Today's saga for example. Internet.

Our Eircom box, sitting outside, mocking me daily about how easy this should be

We have moved into an apartment that used to be office buildings. We signed up and were accepted on Feb 21, moved in March 1.

I have tried to sign up with Virgin Media - they do not do services out this far.

I have tried to sign up with Vodafone, but despite me signing up online, and also signing up using a paper form at their store, I've not heard one iota from them.

I tried to sign up with Eir, and they were really positive, with emails confirming things and all kinds of wonderful feedback. There was an app called PlanetVerify that I needed to photograph my details and use as proof of address and ID in them, and despite having to do this twice, it was accepted.

But because we do not have an Eircode (basically a geopoint for your address) so they couldn't find out apartment - there is clearly NO.OTHER.WAY. to find apartments. So they said they couldn't do it.

I tried again.

Finally, after signing up online, going into a store, them cancelling my signing up online (because we don't actually use the same systems as online,and they don't talk to each other, so I need to start again)

, and calling the helpdesk, a technician has finally come out to where I told them our apartment was.

Oh we can't install internet today - we have to install a phone line so that you can have internet.

Then we can install internet another time, with another call out.

Cables, just hanging out, waiting to be connected

Today was the first real tangible step - get the phone line installed. The technician finally shows up, and I guide him through the labyrinth of a car park to get to my building, then he comes and tells me that the phone line that they've assigned us is from the wrong exchange! So even if he wanted to, he couldn't connect my phone line today, to start the 'get internet maybe this week' process.

Needs to be sent back to the Internet Company, and they need to put in a request from a different exchange.

The technician is from an outsourced company, and doesn't have any power to be able to change the service order.

We must wait. Some more.

Fiddle dee feckin dee.