Following a strong hint, I've decided to start this thread a place to go for those who suffer from poor customer service when experiencing problems with their tech.
I posted this in another thread:
I received some really helpful answers from Limpid and Darren M (apart from the dig at my naivety :-p). If anyone else has any ideas then post them here, or if anyone else is having a problem, ask away and the good folk of VT are sure to do their best to help you out.