Irvine pensioners group are still off the hook

Jan 16 2009 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

Club still off the hook

A PENSIONERS’ group are still without a phone FOUR weeks after British Telecom promised to install a new line.

Broomlands and Bourtreehill Age Concern rely on the phone to order hot dinners for their members and arrange deliveries for their meals on wheels service.

After coming to the end of a five-year business contract with BT they asked for it to be switched to a residential line as long as they could keep the same number.

But BT disconnected the line at the end of November and, despite repeated pleas from chairwoman Betty Weir, it has still not been reconnected.

“Initially they promised to have us hooked up again by December 19 but we’re four weeks down the line now and we’re still without a phone,” she said.

“On Monday they said they were working on it and should have us connected this week, but I’m not counting on it.”

A spokesman for BT said the group originally had an ISDN line with a direct dialling facility but switched to another provider in February 2007.

But when they wanted to return to BT all they asked for was a direct dial line and this had caused the problem.

“We issued the order for the work to be done but there was a fault with the equipment and then there was a bit of a mix-up with the paperwork,” he said.

“However, we’ve since raised a new work order for a simple direct dial line.

“We’re working on it right now and the group should be connected up as soon as possible.”