ISP Hicups

[botnick]

Seems that again today the Server's Internet connection as some hicups, randomly disconnection everyone....

Sorry for the inconvinients...

[Haazen]

I am upset so this may not be the same sweet Haazen as usual. Any children in the room, you may want to send them out.

I called my ISP, I won't mentions their name, CHARTER, to try again to get this fixed. After spending 20 minutes on the line going through the automated service questions and answers, finally I got a real person. He sounded intelligent, very articulate and I felt good about the conversation. He understood the history of the problem. He understood that another Home Tech was not the help I needed. I could see that the history file showed a repeat problem and that it was a outside line problem. So after about 15 minutes with him, the solution was to connect me with the dispatcher for the line repairmen. I was pleased with this transaction. He said I will now transfer your call to the folks that can really help me. I said good bye and tank you very much. Oh boy, we're going to get something done now.

The phone started the transfer. I got a recorded message that my call was being transfered and to hang on the line. Oh goody. I heard it ring. I heard it ring again. And again. Then another recorded message "Your call could not be connected, please hang up a call the toll free number again". After near 35 minutes, I truly wanted to reach through the phone and choke the recording.

OK, lets start over. Maybe I'll get lucky and get the same guy again. You know, the intelligent, articulate one? But NOOOOO. This one came across as having the smarts of a cabbage. I explained that I had already talked to someone and that my call was tranfered to the line people and please to just transfer me again. But NOOOOO! This bug wit starts all over again. Asking my problem. Asking my address. Please verify who I am. I asked, and not very pleasantly, "Do I have to go through all this again?" He actually said no and then pressed on with his checklist. So speaking with this Einstein for about 15 minutes, he finally said he would connect me with the right people.

So after a few minutes, someone else picked up the phone. He answered the phone like he was at home. No proper answer as if in a business shop. Like the section name, his name and may I help you. Just "Hello". I asked him if he was the line shop. After a hesitation, he said yes. It sounded very reluctant. Sounded like he thought a second and said what I wanted to hear. I was thinking the first guy just transfered me to his brother-in-law just to brush me off. I asked him again if he was in the line shop and if he was in my area. He said he handles my area also. I am convinced that he was in Texas somewhere or even India. Nowhere near me and my problem.

After a few more minutes of talking, this brother-in-law gave me a new work order number. It was formated the same as a previous work order number so I thought it might be someone that works for the cable company which I won't mention the name "CHARTER". I asked him what the status of the last work order was. I gave him the number and he told me it had been canceled. CANCELED? Can you believe than? I asked why it was canceled and the problem was not fixed. The previous work order had an error in it. It was entered wrong so it was canceled. So for the next few minutes, I pressured him to assure me that this one would not be canceled. That the problem would be fixed.

I am not to smart at times but I am intelligent. It seems to me that if there is a work order that comes to you and it has an error, maybe take a few minutes and call the person listed on the work order and see what's up. Fix the work order and and proceed with fixing the problem. But NOOOOO! Just cancel it.

Throughout the second and third call today, I was truly not cordual. I was far from it. It did mention several times that I must be very low priority. That collecting my money was their highest priority. That they didn't seem to be very good at what they do. I have been involved with computers since 1970 and networks since 1977. These candle watt brilliance help desk jockeys tell me I don't know what I am doing. They tell me I am stupid. Well maybe I am, but not when it comes to networking and computers. I have worked for everyone from IBM to NASA. This guy has work for...........? Nobody! I asked him how long he had been doing this work. He told me he just started. I have over 30 years of network experience and you are telling me I don't know what's going on? I realize that new people need to gain experience some how. But at least show them what a piece of wire looks like before they start doing help desk functions on a network. Maybe that's just me.

OK, enough ranting. They claim that this new work order will actually be fixed. I have my doubts but I can hope. Thanks for your patience and still trying to play and have fun. I will keep on these folks.

[Haazen]

And the ongoing saga with Charter continues.

After such lousy line service this weekend, I called Charter again this morning. After explaining the problem for 23 minutes, the first call center person transfered me to the dispatch center to open a work order to fix the lines. This person told me several times that tis time the work order would be entered correctly so it will get fixed and not canceled. Remember the last 2 work orders have been canceled due to improper coding. I told her that. clerical errors got my last work orders canceled. Again she reassured me that this one would be right.

I did not get a warm fuzzy about this whole thing. So right after I hung up with her, I called again and started the process all over again. BTW: The last call was in N.Carolina. This next call was answered in the Philippines. So I talked to a call center person explaining the issues again. I gave her the work order numbers that had been given to me 20 minutes earlier and she said they were in the system. We talked a bit more, actually I did all the talking, actually ranting, she said she would talk to her supervisor. She came back a few minutes later and told me the work order had been canceled. The new work order was canceled while we were talking about it.

I transfered me to her supervisor and he explained that only a service tech, you know, the guy that comes to your house and looks at stuff can open an escalated ticket for outside work. So the last 2 line dispatchers I spoke to were blatantly lying to me. I asked how many guys must come to the house and say the problem is outside somewhere before it actually gets worked. He told me just 1. But I have had 3 and the 4th is coming Wednesday. Now after 48 minutes on this call and before we were finished, the call got cut off.

So after a cup of coffee, I will try for the 3rd call today. I have worked on lines and computers and internet since 1977 back when is was called ARPANET. I know what makes them tick or not. They talk to me like I am Joe Schmoe that knows nothing reading from their scripted responses.

One good thing about all this, I have spoken to folks all over the world. Maybe I should do some socializing while on the phone at their expense. But it is at my and your expense, Every time they send out another tech to my house for no reason, the price of service has to go up for everyone to cover the incompetence.

Profit trumps quality.

[Pix]

All I can say is, please don't feel awful about this "Charter" mob Haazen. We know you're doing everything you can to try to rectify problems that are outside of your control (ie. outside of your house). I will say though, that you're a much more patient person than I'd be in your same situation Haazen.

In the past, we have had similiar problems with our ISP here in Oz and it can be very infuriating talking to Help Desk people who tend to run through their pre-printed list of questions. My answer to this nowdays is to ask to be put through to their Supervisor before they start to get stuck into their questioning. It saves a bit of time for both sides thank goodness lol.

Anyway, thanks so much for keeping us updated on the matter. I'm sure it'll all be fixed in the end. In the meantime, thank you to you for allowing us to play on your server/shard. A few little disconnections here and there on your server is like pure heaven to us. We are used to playing on our ISP's supplied game servers which disconnect about every 5 minutes and that goes on and on 24 hours a day lol.

Anyway, thanks again and good luck with the Help Desk ppl! *smiles*

[Haazen]

Here is the latest charter chapter. This morning 2 trucks came an poked and prodded. Inspected and detected. Wiggled and giggled. They checked all the connections and then left to do what they called a Balance Runout. Which I understood to mean go look at all the amplifiers between here and the fiber shed 1/2 mile away. Morris told me they finished.

At least for a change, Morris is an actual line tech opposed to a home tech. So now we see how things go. I wouldn't take a nickel bet on this BTW.

We usually get the problem in the early evening so we will see. Don't hold your breath unless you look good as blue.

[orelinde]

*runs around in circles in a major panic because for some odd reason i can not get into the shard and i did not do any patching or change my coffee drinking habits, ok i actually increased the caffeine but this should only help* please advise.

[Tobias Frost]

orelinde said:

*runs around in circles in a major panic because for some odd reason i can not get into the shard and i did not do any patching or change my coffee drinking habits, ok i actually increased the caffeine but this should only help* please advise.

The server just went down for its daily reboot. Hopefully it will be back up soon.

[storm]

Heh, every once in a while I read through the posts in other categories. Obviously, I've just read about the ISP hiccups and the pain it's given Haaz. Haaz, all I can do is show you the staff of the tech help area which may (or may not) help you to deal with them in the future. (might suggest offering a banana or two).