A week ago yesterday I got fed up with a couple of things. I had used Earthlink for four years, but switched to Windstream because the apt complex my wife and I moved into also supplied Windstream cable TV for free. Supposedly 120 channels, we found that most were paid programming (ads) many were featuring OLD TV shows and movies before 1980. Lots of channels but nothing worth watching. All my wife wanted was local news and weather. And, I had no control over the firmware in the Windstream DSL modem. So, I decided to see if Earthlink was available in my area. It was! I contacted a sales rep via Earthlink's chat service. Here is the pertinent snip from that chat:
Guess what? We set up the account and within 10 minutes I had a webmail home page that I could log into. I waited until after 6PM for the installer to call and fix an appointment but he never did. Faux 1.
No use calling on Saturday or Sunday, and since Earthlink piggy-backs on the TimeWarner cable system. I called them at 9AM Monday. They switched me back to Earthlink, which dropped me straight into PHONE MENU HELL. Of course, Earthlink doesn't do any installations themselves so I was switched back to TimeWarner, and the merry-go-round began. Back and forth through Phone menu hell. Each side disclaiming knowledge or responsibility. For variety, I was slogged through noisy connections from overseas "support" centers in India, manned by people who didn't speak or understand American dialect very well, and I didn't understand them. I talked with so many people I don't remember the name of the individual who told me she'd look into it and call me back. I waited the rest of Monday afternoon for a call that never arrived. Faux 2.
Tuesday morning I went through phone menu hell again and got essentially the same run-around. Someone gave me a TimeWarner number to call where I could make arrangements myself for setting up an installation date. That number responded with a recording stating that they weren't available till 12 Noon. I waited till Noon and dialed again. I was into another phone menu hell. It ended with a person saying he'd "look into it" and give me a call back.
That call never came. Faux 3. However, Earthlink's Accounts Receivable department is a well greased machine. I went over to my son's house to borrow his connection and do some online banking and bill paying. I am totally digital with my finances. In checking the email webpage I noticed an email from Earthlink. It was a statement saying I owed $0!!! Apparently they were establishing a monthly billing date.
In later conversations with other Earthlink person I was told that "Cable Max" is a 20 Mb connection. The 15Mb connection is their "standard" offering at $29.99, etc... All I had asked for was a 15Mb connection with no data cap. I was promised a 15Mb connection with no contract, no startup fees and free installation and modem. "***** *" didn't even know the product line he was pedaling.
Wednesday I traversed the phone menu hell yet again but reached a person whose connection was so noisy I couldn't understand 90% of what she said and hung up out of frustration. Redialing, I encountered a person who suggested my problem was because the installer went to my old address, the house I had sold a year ago. That was an outright bald face lie because the installer would have to have an appointment setup, and to do that they would have had to ask me when I'd be home. THAT is exactly what I was trying to get ... an installation appointment date. Then I decided to try to avoid the phone menu hell, go to my son's house, borrow his wireless connection, and contact the sales people via their web site chat. "**** *", after 15 minutes of back and forth typing, finally grasp the problem and gave me yet another phone number to call. While traversing the phone menu hell yet again someone gave me a number I hadn't been given before, the 0300 number. I finally found someone at that number who, after "looking into it", claimed there was something wrong with the order and she would investigate and call me back. Having heard that dodge before I wasn't optimistic. Who ever she was, I can't remember if it was MB, or Jackyln, or whomever, she was true to form. She never called back. Faux 4
It is now Thursday. I call the 0300 number again. After another round of phone menu hell of being shuffled back and forth between Earthlink and TimeWarner I finally reach a woman who states, again, that there is a problem with my order. Who ever set it up used the wrong "code" which identified the kind of service being purchased. She was the one who gave me the info about the difference between the 15Mb service and the 20Mb service. She changed the contract to reflect the standard service at 15 Mb and gave me an installation time of between 8AM and 9AM on Friday, Oct 18, 2013.
Friday, Oct 18, 2013. 9AM. The service technician failed to arrive and didn't even call to explain why. Faux 5
I dialed the 0300 number again and when I verified the phone number I was calling from the computer asked if I was calling about the installation that had been set up for me. I responded by pressing "1". "Rita" answered the phone. I told her about my appointment and the fact that the installer never arrived. I was put on hold. After about 5 minutes she came back with the claim that there was a "problem" with my order and that she'd have to reschedule my installation appointment. I asked if that meant that it would be next week before a technician would come out. She said yes. I recounted my experience over the last seven days and told her that I am not confident that a reschedule for next week would end any differently than the one today. I told her that I had my own computer consulting business for 20 years and if I was as incompetent with my clients as Earthlink is with me, I would have been fired. I politely asked her to reschedule for today. She said she would try, and would call me back either way. I wasn't optomistic but about 20 minutes later she did call back and said that a technician would be at our place between 11AM and 12PM.
At 11:49AM the TimeWarner technician arrived and installed the cable modem. Jason was very fast, professional and nice.
I had one chore to accomplish. Call Earthlink AR and tell them to change my "Service Date" from 10/11/13" to "10/18/13".
[continued in the next post]
"***** *: Great news!! I see that I can offer you High Speed cable internet. Cable Max:This is a best effort technology with speeds up to 15.0mb on the download and up to 1mb on the upload. Right now with our 15.0mb cable high speed, you can get the first 6 months for only $39.90 per month and the remaining months are just $51.90 per month. No contract, no start up fees. Free installation and modem.
***** *: You get unlimited internet access.
Jerry: Great. I don't need a modem. I have my own with DD-WRT installed. (I programmed for nearly 40 yrs and support Kubuntu Linux). This is the last month of my 1 yr contract with Windstream. When can we do a replacement?
***** *: Well, you can discuss that with the installer when he calls you.
***** *: As we set-up the account, the installer will call you immediately to fix an appointment for installation."
***** *: You get unlimited internet access.
Jerry: Great. I don't need a modem. I have my own with DD-WRT installed. (I programmed for nearly 40 yrs and support Kubuntu Linux). This is the last month of my 1 yr contract with Windstream. When can we do a replacement?
***** *: Well, you can discuss that with the installer when he calls you.
***** *: As we set-up the account, the installer will call you immediately to fix an appointment for installation."
No use calling on Saturday or Sunday, and since Earthlink piggy-backs on the TimeWarner cable system. I called them at 9AM Monday. They switched me back to Earthlink, which dropped me straight into PHONE MENU HELL. Of course, Earthlink doesn't do any installations themselves so I was switched back to TimeWarner, and the merry-go-round began. Back and forth through Phone menu hell. Each side disclaiming knowledge or responsibility. For variety, I was slogged through noisy connections from overseas "support" centers in India, manned by people who didn't speak or understand American dialect very well, and I didn't understand them. I talked with so many people I don't remember the name of the individual who told me she'd look into it and call me back. I waited the rest of Monday afternoon for a call that never arrived. Faux 2.
Tuesday morning I went through phone menu hell again and got essentially the same run-around. Someone gave me a TimeWarner number to call where I could make arrangements myself for setting up an installation date. That number responded with a recording stating that they weren't available till 12 Noon. I waited till Noon and dialed again. I was into another phone menu hell. It ended with a person saying he'd "look into it" and give me a call back.
That call never came. Faux 3. However, Earthlink's Accounts Receivable department is a well greased machine. I went over to my son's house to borrow his connection and do some online banking and bill paying. I am totally digital with my finances. In checking the email webpage I noticed an email from Earthlink. It was a statement saying I owed $0!!! Apparently they were establishing a monthly billing date.
In later conversations with other Earthlink person I was told that "Cable Max" is a 20 Mb connection. The 15Mb connection is their "standard" offering at $29.99, etc... All I had asked for was a 15Mb connection with no data cap. I was promised a 15Mb connection with no contract, no startup fees and free installation and modem. "***** *" didn't even know the product line he was pedaling.
Wednesday I traversed the phone menu hell yet again but reached a person whose connection was so noisy I couldn't understand 90% of what she said and hung up out of frustration. Redialing, I encountered a person who suggested my problem was because the installer went to my old address, the house I had sold a year ago. That was an outright bald face lie because the installer would have to have an appointment setup, and to do that they would have had to ask me when I'd be home. THAT is exactly what I was trying to get ... an installation appointment date. Then I decided to try to avoid the phone menu hell, go to my son's house, borrow his wireless connection, and contact the sales people via their web site chat. "**** *", after 15 minutes of back and forth typing, finally grasp the problem and gave me yet another phone number to call. While traversing the phone menu hell yet again someone gave me a number I hadn't been given before, the 0300 number. I finally found someone at that number who, after "looking into it", claimed there was something wrong with the order and she would investigate and call me back. Having heard that dodge before I wasn't optimistic. Who ever she was, I can't remember if it was MB, or Jackyln, or whomever, she was true to form. She never called back. Faux 4
It is now Thursday. I call the 0300 number again. After another round of phone menu hell of being shuffled back and forth between Earthlink and TimeWarner I finally reach a woman who states, again, that there is a problem with my order. Who ever set it up used the wrong "code" which identified the kind of service being purchased. She was the one who gave me the info about the difference between the 15Mb service and the 20Mb service. She changed the contract to reflect the standard service at 15 Mb and gave me an installation time of between 8AM and 9AM on Friday, Oct 18, 2013.
Friday, Oct 18, 2013. 9AM. The service technician failed to arrive and didn't even call to explain why. Faux 5
I dialed the 0300 number again and when I verified the phone number I was calling from the computer asked if I was calling about the installation that had been set up for me. I responded by pressing "1". "Rita" answered the phone. I told her about my appointment and the fact that the installer never arrived. I was put on hold. After about 5 minutes she came back with the claim that there was a "problem" with my order and that she'd have to reschedule my installation appointment. I asked if that meant that it would be next week before a technician would come out. She said yes. I recounted my experience over the last seven days and told her that I am not confident that a reschedule for next week would end any differently than the one today. I told her that I had my own computer consulting business for 20 years and if I was as incompetent with my clients as Earthlink is with me, I would have been fired. I politely asked her to reschedule for today. She said she would try, and would call me back either way. I wasn't optomistic but about 20 minutes later she did call back and said that a technician would be at our place between 11AM and 12PM.
At 11:49AM the TimeWarner technician arrived and installed the cable modem. Jason was very fast, professional and nice.
I had one chore to accomplish. Call Earthlink AR and tell them to change my "Service Date" from 10/11/13" to "10/18/13".
[continued in the next post]
Comment