| THIS IS A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE FROM THE SORABJI.COM MESSAGE BOARDS (1995-2016). |
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| By Whet on Saturday, June 20, 1998 - 12:24 pm: |
Got my phone bill yesterday. Was TWICE the normal amount. There were TWO calls, total about 1.5 hour, and they expect me to pay nearly $46. The first call rings in at a heafty $0.48 /min. What the??? Ok. Must be a mistake. I start calling, working my way through the maze of computer instructions, press this press that and hell no don't press the other one or you gotta start all over again. FINALLY got someone in customer service. Explained my situation to them. They say yes thats what your charges are sir, what do you expect me to do about it? WHAT? I EXPECT YOU TO LOWER THE CHARGES WHY DO YOU THINK IM CALLING????? Yet another explanation: I'll paraphrase by saying "You used the WRONG finger" The wrong finger eh? Ok this is a call between two adjecent states - a call from one inlaw's house to the other inlaw's house charged to my home number so neither would have to pay. That I *should* have used a calling card, or *should* have just given whatever a couple of bucks to pay the phone bill (no shit this is phone company customer service making these suggestions) I'm like whats the difference - its ALL done on the computer? HELL I could have used my CELL PHONE and it would have been CHEAPER ARRRFGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!! Then they say oh well I'm sure we can get a percentage reduction in your bill cause you're dissatisfied. OK now we're getting somewhere. Lets do it ... how much? Ummmm sorry sir, our computer is down. You have to call back later. :P |
| By Whet on Monday, June 22, 1998 - 01:14 pm: |
Called them back, went through about FOUR people, each a higher level. To make a long story short, they adjusted the rate to something more reasonable, about what I would have paid on a cell phone. But not without getting my feathers really ruffled. Guess it was worth it. |
| By Oddball Odd on Thursday, June 25, 1998 - 11:29 am: |
They need a spank. |
| By Whet on Friday, June 26, 1998 - 09:39 pm: |
There is a fiber optic box about 5 miles from the house, but the BEST speed I can normally hit is 20something k. Thats it, on a 33.6, a 56k whateva, still doesn't get past that 20something mark. It used to be WORSE, I'm talking like 12-14. I called and called and called, and even hooked up my own test equipment, scope yada yada called the guys out and said LOOK at this NOISE WILL YA?? They eventually sent out a special loop engineer that informed me after checking everything that they were only required by law or whatever to guarantee and support 9600 baud. I was about to give up, then had a brainstorm. Installed a second line, and they HAD to run new wire, (2pair) the old having been there 45 years. Then I went around the channels, ran into a local guy that had been with the phone company for years and got him to come out and off the record check out the system and switch the ends of the line in the boxes for me. That got it up to the 20something k. (wherever you are old dude, I tip my hat to you for your help :) Every time it rained it used to go to shit though. I finally decided to work on it myself. Got a white hardhat (got several from old jobs), a phone company color sorta uniform, put out a couple of orange traffic cones, and in the middle of the day just like I was there for a purpose, removed the lid to the green metal box on the street (noting the warning label about tampering with phone company equipment being some offence punishable by hanging or something) and went to work. Its not that bad really, I'm one of those people thats a master of all things mechanical and electrical, and if you've ever been a technician of any sort you know that in the right setting any other comrad technican sort will give you all the information (and sometimes parts) you need to help you with a project. So I had already talked to a few guys and had an idea what to look for. Sure nuff, there it was. Some 40something year old connections where it went underground that hadn't been touched in 20 years, covered with spider webs, weeds that had grown into the box, and every time it rained half shorted out the connections. In about 10 minutes it was all gone, tightened up and back in shape. BTW anyone thats associated with the phone company..... I meant no harm, just I wanted my fucking modem connection to WORK. Thats all. Plus I live out in the middle of NOWHERE, and its not like my lines are critical so I figured what the hell. Plus my neighbors don't care. If they see me up a pole on a ladder they just wave hi. (they are used to me doing weird shit at weird times.) Anyhow - no real point to this. Just for the last 10 months or so, I've had a pretty much rock solid high 20'sk connection. For this neck of the woods, thats great. Just took 10 minutes, a hardhat and a couple of orange cones. :) |
| By I got a name or what on Friday, June 26, 1998 - 11:49 pm: |
trombonist lumberjack pretender (Jarod does the phone company) goosemeister gourmand if not gourmet redhead who would notice this? don't tell me you collect junk |
| By Whet on Saturday, June 27, 1998 - 11:47 pm: |
Oh and btw... EVERYTHING I post is REAL. NOTHIN and I mean NOTHIN is made up. Regarding junk: One of my favorite things to do is grasp from the jaws of recycling - equipment on its way to that scrap yard in the sky. Then skillfully and economically bring it back to life. Call me the frankenstein of used and abused equipment if you like. A few more hints about who I am? I've worked as a or in a: grass cutter bussboy/resturant janitor (by the hour no paperwork) and these on a payroll etc: lumber mill power company draftsman welder machinist electrician truck driver bench technician erector (WOO HOO) computer tech maintenance tech supervisor co-op student for YEARS engineer and last but hopefully not least: business owner. Does that solve the mystery? ;-) |