I just moved to Princeton. (Any place within 15 miles of Princeton is called "Princeton" so that they can charge a premium.) You can tell how long it took me to move by noting that my last weblog entry was almost two weeks ago. I need high-speed access, so I called Verizon about getting DSL hooked up. I was told that the area is DSL-capable, but whether I can get DSL at my house depends on the actual phone lines running to it. I told Verizon that I wanted two more phone lines installed and to please make sure that they supported DSL.
Turns out that they don't even pretend to honor such requests. You get what you get. They hook up the phone lines, you wait 10 days for their computers to update, and then they tell you whether you can get DSL. First they told me I'd have to wait to find out, then they told me my lines supported DSL, now they're telling me they don't, so I may be screwed. (Please don't send me back to ISDN).
It is beyond my comprehension that someone who wants DSL and orders it in advance can't get it. If anything could make phone company service worse it is getting them involved with computer technology. They can't even get the "phone" part right.
True Story: When I ordered two new lines a few weeks ago, I dutifully waited for the phone man (I've never seen a phone chick) to show up at the appointed time. When I called to ask why no one showed up, Verizon said that they didn't need to send someone out and that the lines should "just work," but I should call them back if it didn't. After wiring and testing and rewiring and retesting for several hours, I concluded that they didn't install the second line.
When I called to complain that the second line wasn't working, they cheerfully told me that it wasn't installed. Yeah, I concluded that. Silly me for making an installation appointment or believing it would work without a phone man showing up. When I asked why they didn't install it when they said they would, the customer disservice representative said, "We just tell people it is hooked up, and then we wait until they call to complain when it isn't."
A few days later they sent out super-phone-man, who not only did everything perfectly, but was punctual and courteous to boot. They apparently save him for people they're screwing over with the DSL setup.
From his dial-up,
Bruce
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Tell me a funny phone company or DSL story.
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even worse without install techs
Actually I've had very good luck with install techs, but on recently moving to San Francisco, I tried one of those "install it yourself DSL kits".
Which EarthLink never sent. Then when I would call about where my DSL modem was, they would try to walk me through making sure it was properly installed.
"Is the modem plugged into the wall?", "No, I don't have it."
"Did you put the line filters on?", "No, you haven't sent me the modem."
On, and on, and on.
broadband bermuda triangle
Ah. Mere mortal. You've only experienced one set of problems with broadband. I, however, am the broadband bermuda triangle, and am destined to slowly kill any broadband provider who dares to come near me.
Seriously, though, this is insane. It should not be this difficult to get fast, effective, and affordable high speed access - and I live in the middle of Silicon Valley.
However, I do understand your problems with install techs. In that Salon article I didn't even get a chance to talk about the install tech who came very very close to electrocuting himself in my living room (as I screamed in slow motion "noooooooooo!" as he jammed a metal screwdriver into a live electricity outlet) or about the install tech who didn't show up because his "truck was stolen". Oh wait, I also forgot to talk about the DSL install guy who showed up and decided that our phone lines weren't good enough, but didn't tell me. He just went away and left me wondering why I didn't have any DSL. Fun stuff all around.