Can you help with my husband who is deploying for 6 months?

[ShowOfHands]

I am most shamelessly posting in aibu for traffic. This is also a desperate plea for help.

I have just moved house. It was all very delayed due to last minute legal brouhahas and conveyancing woes. We've been in for 2 days. DH is deploying for 6 months this weekend. He can't take a phone. We have anticipated regular skype, email, messenger stuff for the dc (9 and 5) to make the transition easier.

This is our problem. Our broadband and landline are provided by vodafone but we can't be connected until at least the 19th because openreach are too busy. Vodafone say they can't do anything. I can't find a telephone number for BT openreach but apparently, they won't talk to me anyway because our contract is with Vodafone. Ironically, BT Openreach's chosen charity to support is SSAFA. Is there anything I can do? Vodafone have offered free mobile data until it's fixed but I've moved to a tiny village. The mobile data doesn't work. I've driven for 25 minutes to find enough reception to get on MN and it's taken 20 minutes to get this far.

I can't get on any websites, can't find numbers. Can any kind souls who have Google or similar and the ability to look, suggest any phone numbers for Openreach? Or an email address? Or any bright ideas?

I know no internet for 3 weeks isn't a big deal but we're going to be quite isolated, unable to contact DH and sorting out all sorts of things is proving impossible without internet.

I'll try and check back tonight but it may be tomorrow when I can get to somewhere with Wi-Fi for an hour. Any suggestions or numbers gratefully received. Or just tell me to get the feck on with my life without internet. I suspect nobody can help but I want to try and ask a real human if I can.

I've given up entirely.

I chased and chased for days. I emailed and phoned and phoned and emailed. They said they'd do it on the 8th. The 8th came and went with no internet. They said that was a mistake and actually the 13th was our new date. Today is the 13th and no internet. I did see them out there working on it as I went on the school run. I've rung up and they said Openreach tried but it wasn't possible. If I'd like to phone again tomorrow at 7pm they'll tell me what the problem is.

I give up. I am so fed up and isolated. The children aren't coping and neither am I.

Don't give up and don't accept waiting until tomorrow. Their service has been demonstrably bad, quite aside from the forces matter. Ring Openreach headquarters and escalate it up. Maybe contact Investor Relations (obviously not the right place - but see if they can give you the number of someone who might make it happen). It's worth a shot. www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Contactus/Contactinvestorrelations/Contactinvestorrelations.htm

Oh I am so sorry to hear this. Sending you wine and hugs and Internet providing vibes. don't forget 'this too shall pass'

It's frustrating because the tech is there but not with you. My dad was away at sea for months on end in the 70s (including Christmas a few times) so proper contact just wasn't an option. Had we been in your shoes we would have felt the same as you. I suggest old school letters and slightly less old school videos. You will get through this.
Try to keep it hidden from your kids but feel free to vent on here or wherever. We had a whole drama of nearly losing the house because Dad's salary didn't come through on time and we missed the mortgage (70's mean banks). I knew nothing about this as a kid but my poor mum must have been going spare.

To be honest when DP deployed the internet wasn't good enough for skype or FaceTime so I wouldn't promise this to DC anyway.

Oh blimey Bdum. Your Mum sounds wonderful.

Frank, DH has Skype and internet reliably. His predecessor skyped us regularly to prep DH. His predecessor also skyped his wife and dc every weekday without fail.

Deployments also have no contact in or out days. It's not something to rely on with no back up plan.

I'm trying to give advice as you said you didn't have any experience of deployment or military families. You cannot bank on anything on deployment, it doesn't matter what happened with his predecessor. Things are volatile.

I have a back up plan and I'm executing it.

DH has skyped other family so that they can ring and let me know he's okay. We've written letters, sent parcels and emails.

It's frustrating because the inability to communicate is ours and there's nothing I can do.