…from not being able to harness the power of the technology they offer.

I have always felt that if one is not the master of the technology they use, they will be the poorer for it.

Just a few minutes ago, I was almost asleep, happily downloading something with this computer, while listening to Internet radio at the same time. It is a regular occurrence at this house. Both my son and I schedule large, or long downloads during the small numbered hours of the day, so as to not interfere with other traffic throughout the day.

I realized, in some way, that something was wrong, and was soon awake enough to realize the connection with our DSL modem had been lost. This has been occurring since January, and I have been trying to get it through to the ‘customer representatives’ at Verizon that the problem was either faulty equipment at the local Central Office or the Actiontec modem I had been given about 18 months ago.

After going through the drill of restarting the modem/router three times, and having no WAN connection showing, checking all the appropriate places where a physical problem could be (we have cats!), I called the support number. After going through the voice prompts, I was soon in a loop of requesting tech support, and being told that I had had a support issue, but that it had been rectified and closed yesterday. After two revolutions on this merry-go-round I pressed ‘0′ and got a ‘person’ to talk to.

I was immediately treated like I was ‘not smarter than a fifth grader’, and asked to do exactly what I had done three times in the previous 12-15 minutes. After this miraculously did not repair my connection, I told this ‘expert’ that I had been on the status page of the router, and was not able to sync with the equipment in the CO. All was well on the network here at home, as I could see and transfer files with the remaining two computers still connected at this time. I kept telling the person I was getting a ‘red’ light on the WAN light. This, according to the Actiontec manual, which I apparently know better than the tech support, indicates no connection to the equipment at the CO. Still this did not seem to register with him. He kept insisting that my problem was that I was using Opera instead of Internet Explorer. (Oh, how I do wonder how the Internet survived until the advent of Internet Explorer!)

Finally, after about two more minutes of listening to his scripted drivel, the light went magically from red to green. Just as he was about to tell me there was no more he could do right now, I told him the connection was now up and running. Since he was using equipment to diagnose the condition of the connection at that time, why was it not he who informed me that all was well?

He then told me I must have an intermittent problem with the modem, to which I told him I had been trying to get this fact across to the business office since January of this year. I had explained that this was the reason for the trouble ticket that had been issued yesterday, and that the ‘trouble’ had not been resolved. I asked why the system kept repeating that the problem had been resolved. And why, since I have been a customer of their DSL service since early in the year 2000, I had to be treated like an idiot, instead of possibly looking at the notes in their system, and giving me the benefit of the doubt when I said I had conducted all of the stuff he made me do, before I called.

He ended this ‘fine’ support call with the words I have come to hate. “Sir, I cannot do anything further this evening, as the billing office will have to be contacted during their business hours to get a new modem sent out.” I related the fact that I knew that, and twice this week I had gotten home at about 4:30, gotten on the phone immediately to the billing office, both times being transferred to tech support, and then after another couple of handoff’s, along with the obligatory wait in queue, told by the tech support that I was speaking to someone who could not help. I should have called the billing office. When I related the fact that this very call was started with the billing office, and my unfortunate transfers, I was then told I would have to try again tomorrow, as the billing office was now (at 5:17) closed.

Ever wonder how big business makes any money? I know I do.

Tags: verizon, internet, isp, tech support, dsl, technology, phone queue