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Sep 12
2007
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Ever have one of those days when you think the whole world, or at least the part you are dealing with, has gone to the dogs? (Our dogs will probably object to that comment! They have too much common sense already.)
The inmates are running the show!
Good example is our internet connection.
We have ADSL and were supposed to be getting around 1Mb download and 512k upload (within 10% of this due to internet load).
For the past 3 weeks, we have been getting between 16k down and 100k up (dial up speeds from 12 years ago) and 400K / 350K. Of course, we complained to the ISP...4 times and counting.....The first time, they contacted us after a couple of days to try to resolve the problem...no such luck. The second time, we waited 2 weeks before someone showed up, but that was a false alarm. He thought we had complained about our telephone service and knew nothing about the internet problem.....no help there! ....... -> Between these two, we also got a survey call from the company, trying to find out how good our serivce was. I don't think you have to be psychic to figure out the results of that one ;-)
Still waiting for them to contact us about the last two reports...and waiting ...and waiting...... Have you ever tried dialing the local customer service at the phone company? Make sure you have lots of patience, a shot of Clarks Court standing by and are not holding anything heavy which might be used to murder the phone! After following their inane instructions (which you told them you already tried), including standing on your head and jiggling the phone connection while sticking your finger up your nose, you are told that a technician will contact you to make an appointment to stop by and take care of the problem. It is usually about then that you realize that you have been talking to someone in Barbados who is sending an email to the company in Grenada, where it will probably get lost or ignored...... Anyway, you eventually get a phone call from someone who says they would like to stop by and see what the problem is with our computer connection........Notice! They have already assumed that the problem is at your end of the line! I guess they think you are an idiot who does not know how to turn on a computer, much less to be trusted with plugging in a sophisticated piece of equipment to your telephone line....Yeah..Right! Doesn't make sense trying to explain that nothing is wrong at your end of the line, after all, they already think you are an idiot who is wasting their valuable time.
Technician eventually arrives (told him don't bother, but he insists) and you usher him past the excited slavering dogs to the computer and telephone.
About then, you notice a glassy look in his eye and finally figure out that he does not know how to use your machine (we use Macs, he has trained on a PC).
Could happen to anyone....Moving on...finally access your modem, checks the connection, the line, the power supply, the account settings, modem settings, wind direction and the legs on the mosquitoes trying to have him for lunch. Prognosis - Nothing wrong there (told him so, repeatedly), but he suspects that the modem needs replacing and has one handy. He plugs it in, dumps our old one in the garbage and tries connecting - same problem (told him that it would make no difference, but what do i know?) Eventually gives up and says the problem must be at the exchange and he will look into it (this actually means that he is making an escape and hopes the problem will either go away, or that they will send someone else next time). Ironically enough, the problem goes away...eventually (weeks afterward).
Then, the other shoe drops!! - They upgrade everyone's connection...double the speed....and yes, the problem returns. Do you get the feeling sometimes that maybe, just maybe, common sense is a dying art (probably dead already, just haven't had the funeral yet) and fewer and fewer people actually know how to fix stuff in this technological world of ours??
Good example is our internet connection.
We have ADSL and were supposed to be getting around 1Mb download and 512k upload (within 10% of this due to internet load).
For the past 3 weeks, we have been getting between 16k down and 100k up (dial up speeds from 12 years ago) and 400K / 350K. Of course, we complained to the ISP...4 times and counting.....The first time, they contacted us after a couple of days to try to resolve the problem...no such luck. The second time, we waited 2 weeks before someone showed up, but that was a false alarm. He thought we had complained about our telephone service and knew nothing about the internet problem.....no help there! ....... -> Between these two, we also got a survey call from the company, trying to find out how good our serivce was. I don't think you have to be psychic to figure out the results of that one ;-)
Still waiting for them to contact us about the last two reports...and waiting ...and waiting...... Have you ever tried dialing the local customer service at the phone company? Make sure you have lots of patience, a shot of Clarks Court standing by and are not holding anything heavy which might be used to murder the phone! After following their inane instructions (which you told them you already tried), including standing on your head and jiggling the phone connection while sticking your finger up your nose, you are told that a technician will contact you to make an appointment to stop by and take care of the problem. It is usually about then that you realize that you have been talking to someone in Barbados who is sending an email to the company in Grenada, where it will probably get lost or ignored...... Anyway, you eventually get a phone call from someone who says they would like to stop by and see what the problem is with our computer connection........Notice! They have already assumed that the problem is at your end of the line! I guess they think you are an idiot who does not know how to turn on a computer, much less to be trusted with plugging in a sophisticated piece of equipment to your telephone line....Yeah..Right! Doesn't make sense trying to explain that nothing is wrong at your end of the line, after all, they already think you are an idiot who is wasting their valuable time.
Technician eventually arrives (told him don't bother, but he insists) and you usher him past the excited slavering dogs to the computer and telephone.
About then, you notice a glassy look in his eye and finally figure out that he does not know how to use your machine (we use Macs, he has trained on a PC).
Could happen to anyone....Moving on...finally access your modem, checks the connection, the line, the power supply, the account settings, modem settings, wind direction and the legs on the mosquitoes trying to have him for lunch. Prognosis - Nothing wrong there (told him so, repeatedly), but he suspects that the modem needs replacing and has one handy. He plugs it in, dumps our old one in the garbage and tries connecting - same problem (told him that it would make no difference, but what do i know?) Eventually gives up and says the problem must be at the exchange and he will look into it (this actually means that he is making an escape and hopes the problem will either go away, or that they will send someone else next time). Ironically enough, the problem goes away...eventually (weeks afterward).
Then, the other shoe drops!! - They upgrade everyone's connection...double the speed....and yes, the problem returns. Do you get the feeling sometimes that maybe, just maybe, common sense is a dying art (probably dead already, just haven't had the funeral yet) and fewer and fewer people actually know how to fix stuff in this technological world of ours??
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brewa
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We were a pioneer for ADSL in Carriacou way up in the bush but close enough to the exchange to get service (that took three weeks of back and forth to determine). Lots of back and forth for every problem and rarely was it our end. I kind of expected some of that since it was all new to the island then (2003) and few technicians trained to deal with it (although we had many conversations with the lovely Bajan call center folks). I guess it is still cutting edge stuff there and one has to bleed sometimes. Progress... Hang in there. |
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