A hotline to Hell for men

BT GO FROM SINNERS TOWINNERS AT CHURCH

FORGIVE them father for BT have sinned.

Verily, I say unto thee, the phone company has been a devil to work with after upsetting a deacon and a parish priest.

They were able to connect Rev Stephen Boulter, newly arrived deacon at St Bede’s RC church in Bedlington, when he moved into the area to take up a new job.

But at the same time, they cut off a line for his boss, Fr Peter Stott, who has a separate office number at the presbytery.

BT were unable to get the line back on again.

And it looked as if the number used by the church for 40 years would have to be changed.

Rev Boulter said: “I serve the parishioners at Bedlington as well as our schools, St Bede’s and St Benet Biscop’s.

“I am an existing customer of BT and prior to moving here, I discussed how they could move my account which includes telephone, TV and internet from my previous address, to my new address.

“I also told them there was an existing BT line in the secretary’s office which is an integral part of the Presbytery and that we share the same address.

“They were told the existing line was not to be changed.

“My new line became active but the existing church and secretary’s number became inactive.”

Two visits by BT engineers failed to

resolve the problem and they left without doing anything.

The deacon was told specialised equipment would have to be ordered in, there would have to be a new line, and there were problems getting access to the pole where the line was to be erected because the land, which is owned by Northumbrian Water, was locked.

He was also told the church would have to have a new number instead of getting the old one back.

He called me in when BT failed to keep a promise to ring back. He told me: “I have contacted you out of desperation and frustration. No one appears to be communicating internally, or externally, which is alarming for a company which is in the communication business.

“At present, we have about 150 parishioners, and two schools, not mention the parents of these schools and the rest of the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle who can’t communicate with the clergy in this parish in Bedlington.

“Both Fr Peter and I cannot understand how BT can treat its customers so poorly.

“Please, please, please, can you use your influence to rectify the plight we find ourselves in, which is not of our making?”

I passed his plea to BT who promised to