Ever been fed up with how your website/blog displays on a mobile? I looked at friends iPhones and thought it was a bit clunky to read the actual content. If you’re using WordPress there’s a plug-in called WordPress Mobile Edition that slims down your site and makes it easy for users to read the content and navigate to pages. After all, that’s why they are there right?

It’s a three step install and works straight away, detecting visitors who access your site from a mobile. There’s a screenshot of the Carrington theme above if you want to see what your site will look like if accessed from a mobile phone.

I’ve installed it across this blog, Blog Preston and Mencap Liverpool if you want to get your phone out and see it in action.

I received my latest BT Broadband bill through the post over the weekend and to my surprise it was far more than it should be – as it included a cancellation charge of £56.50. As I’d never cancelled the service from BT I thought this was a little odd.

I phoned up using the number on the bill and after some frustrating ‘press 1 for blah blah, press 2 for blah blah’ I got through to a person. “This is BT Business sir, you have a residential account. I’m afraid I can’t help you.” There was no offer of a direct connection, so I scribbled down the number for residential broadband and dialed.

After about 10 minutes of going round in telephone circles with their automated system (it seems that if you’re calling about broadband there’s no dedicated way through, and as I was dialing from my landline and they’d sent me a bill recently I kept getting bounced to the same telephone menu) I eventually reached a person and asked him why I had been hit with a cancellation charge.

He explained that because I’d moved house in October then I had cancelled the service. No I didn’t cancel it, I moved it. When I moved at the start of October I asked to move both my BT landline and broadband to my new property. I remember asking if there was a charge and they said no as I was staying with BT and still within my minimum term (contract started in January 2008).

I also asked the man on the other end of the phone why I had BT Business numbers all over my bill when I was a residential customer. He had no answer. He raised both queries so now I wait for a reply, I’m going to give them seven days and then I’m writing a letter to their complaints department and making it clear that I intend to involve Ofcom if I don’t get the outcome I want.

While waiting I’ve dug out the BT terms and conditions for BT Personal Total Broadband, I quote:

If you move home within the UK, and let us know at least five working days before you do so and in line with the home mover policy (as set out at www.bt.com/broadband), we will continue to provide the service, if we are able to, at your new address. If we are not able to provide the service at your new address, and you are still within your minimum period, you will not have to pay a charge for ending the service within the minimum period. If we continue the service at your new address, the rest of your minimum period or a new three-month minimum period will apply, whichever is greater.

I gave them at least five working days. I moved to somewhere they could continue to supply the service. I understand the rest of my minimum period still applies or a new three-month period (I think it was three months either way). Nowhere on there does it say anything about charges for moving home. I didn’t even switch BT products, my bill shows this as it states I moved from BT Total Broadband Option 1 to BT Total Broadband Option 1.

So BT:

1. Why do I have a cancellation charge?

2. When are you going to tell me what’s going on?

3. Will you be taking my direct debit (January 18th) and then paying me back the cancellation charge?

4. Why does my bill make it look like I have a BT Business account?

Poor customer service. Poor response times. I might just take my broadband and lineline somwhere else (and yes, I’m sure my minimum period has now expired!).

On October 10th they are holding a 360 Day. This is where all the graduates from Common Purpose are encouraged to spend a day out of their comfort zone and doing or reading something that they wouldn’t normally. This could even be meeting someone new and different and having a conversation about a topic you wouldn’t normally discuss.

I’ll be having a think about what I’ll be doing on 10/10, but I’d encourage you to take up the challenge. Think about what you could do on that day that would be outside of your comfort zone. It’s not a nice place to be but it helps you to see things differently.

This wordpress 2.6 is pretty damn good as well.