@WSH
Yes, that's what I discovered and explained in my first post.
Since when I've had the misfortune to engage with a BT Guide on the web-chat. They insisted I do a factory reset on my Smart Hub 2 even though the problem is not in my network.
Telling me they couldn't pass it to the folk who could help without me doing that reset, I reluctantly did it knowing it wouldn't help. What I hadn't taken into account was that it would break my whole smart home IoT.
I did the factory reset (breaking everything) and was then told that the BT Guide didn't have any ability to connect me with someone who could help and gave me a telephone number to call so I could explain the problem again to someone else who might be able to pass me to the team who could help.
It took me two days to reconnect all my IoT devices, smartphones, TV, set-top boxes, plugs, lights, kitchen appliances, sensors, alarms. In fact, I've just discovered a couple more I missed. I'll do those later today.
I'm not phoning their number firstly because the issue would be difficult to explain orally, secondly because I will certainly then encounter another script reader who will want me to disconnect the battery from my car, dance a hornpipe or carry out some other quite irrelevant and useless action and, thirdly, probably not understand (even if they listen to) the issue I've identified for them.
However, @Katie_B has taken up my posts here and offered to find me some help (on Christmas Day!). Impressive and somewhat counteracts the BT Guide script nonsense that took a BT side problem (which should be simple for them to solve) into a massive breakdown in my local network which is taking days to sort out and created some very difficult issues with Smart Things.
<RANT>Their lack of respect for their customers, their assumption that their customers don't know what they're talking about, that short term profit is all that matters and that it's impossible for there to be a mis-configuration in their network is so deeply engrained in their support service(s) that their answer to everything is for the customer to "turn it off and on again" and if that fails to "reset it to factory defaults." Neither of which will ever sort a problem in their own network. Deep customer frustration is just an acceptable side effect of their philosophy of defending themselves against, in their opinion, any attacks on their perfect network. I suppose we should be grateful they don't prosecute us and send us to prison for trying to get help like another "premier" service provider (which BT separated from some time ago) seems to have done. </RANT>
My irritation grows in intensity with every unfounded denial or mis-understanding of reality.
