I refer to an occurrence that left me very helpless, to say the least.

I arrived in Malta late on May 21 and found the telephone in my flat dead. I informed my landlord the very next morning and he filed a complaint with the telephone company immediately.

He was told the problem was not in my phone but came “from outside”. After several more inquiries, finally, on May 28, a man from Go came around to check. He stood on a ladder inspecting a box outside and telephoning at the same time for about an hour, only to tell me in the end that the problem is “from outside”.

More calls about this urgent matter were made by my landlord.

On June 1, another man from Go stood on a ladder inspecting the box outside, again to no avail.

Early on June 5 yet another man from Go phoned my landlord to announce his coming to look into the matter. He never arrived.

When I left for home on June 6 the phone was still dead.

I have been coming to Malta every year for more than 25 years but this is something I never have experienced so far. What is most annoying, being a medical doctor I gave my telephone number to several people so they could reach me in case of emergency.

What is even more annoying is the fact that the telephone takes EasyLine telecards. So the next thing I expect is a letter from Go to inform me that they cut the line because I did not spend the necessary amount of money in telecards.