What issues can a Voiceover Artist face with ISDN?

On Monday this week our ISDN line - used a lot for recording voiceover artists - failed. As that day was just another of our 12 hour working days, I let it be. The day after I got cosy under one of the office desks and checked all the wires; we had just laid carpet and I thought a cable might have come loose. Anyway, all seemed fine, so I reported it to BT.

BT did all their checks on the line and confirmed that there was a fault on the line and they would investigate and have the line working by the end of Wednesday.

Well on Wednesday afternoon I had to go into London to to a Voice of God session for the Baking Industry Awards with Richard Madeley (how showbiz!) He told some good jokes (and some bad ones) with an especially funny one about his time working for the TV station Watch, where no one did.

Anyway I digress.

On my way to this gig I missed BT's call as I was on the tube. When I surfaced I got a message saying that BT would call me back at 4.30pm. Unfortunately this was due to be in the middle of rehearsals so I tried to call them back but couldn't find a number that would work from my mobile. Frustrating!

So half-way through the voiceover rehearsals, my phone went and I had to apologise to a room full of people that I really, really REALLY had to take this call. We booked an appointment for Thursday morning as woman-on-phone said the fault was very close to the ISDN socket and could be inside.(What a joy as I got home at 1am).

Bleary-eyed I opened the door in my pyjamas (old joke!) and cheery BT man greeted me with a "oh well if I had known I would have come later". Arrgh. But when you are dealing with these people on the phone, you only get the option of morning or afternoon. Maybe it was his idea of a joke.

After  BT man fiddled about a bit under the desk, he declared the fault was not inside and was - in fact - some distance away; probably at or near the exchange.

While I am very grateful to BT for fixing the fault very quickly, they are extremely frustrating to deal with. And it was the last thing I needed during a whole week of 12 or 14 hour working days trying to run my voiceover business.

Next week will be easier. But then I have said that before.