I've been absent for the past two or three weeks... Feels like its been years. See, the problem with moving to a new location in my area is the phone company. It seems that 7 times out of 10 they break things for many of the customers that subscribe to the ISP I work for as well as many other folks in the area.
Now I too have had the pleasure of experiencing the telecommunication nightmare known to many in the United States as Century Tel (AKA Century Hell). The problem is not necessarily the employees but the structure of the company. The old "Right leg doesn't know where the left one is going" metaphor applies. I place an order with one person whom manages ALL ISP connect requests for the entire USA... That one person then (with no checks or balances) fires off an order to an assignment group (that if one were to call ctel and ask for, they would not know it exists) then that assignment group fires the order to the main office in Washington state, then to the central office in my neck of the woods... Sometimes, not in that order.
I placed an order for DSL service on the 24th of March. I received a reply on the 27th that I was due for installation on the 3rd of April. Often we receive no notice when the connection will be configured but this time, I lucked out.
So the 3rd rolls around... I wait... and wait, DSL sync, but no access to the web. I call, I'm told that the order has not been completed... I wait, I call back and explain who I am and who I work for, "yes the order was completed earlier today but.... something does not look right."
Joy, I place a trouble ticket in for Friday as I know there are no technicians working on the weekends for Century Tel a major US telecommunications player. Friday while at work I watch my modem for any signs of life... I wait... I call, and am told the trouble ticket was not completed yet... I call again, "oh yes, it was completed earlier and all is well your internet works."
...
So I thought, I'm pretty sure that person has no clue... Then, I luckily know a ctel technician (whom gets paid close to $50 USD an hour) and give him a call... "Wow, we never pointed this toward you... sorry, I'll get that fixed." <-That man saves me from wondering what I do to get the internet working more times than I can count.
Oy, this is just but one story of many in what I consider the wild wild west of the Internet and telephone technology department of Century Tel USA... Now all I have to do is place a trouble ticket for a technician to look at the lines since I'm not seeing the correct speeds I requested when I sent off my DSL order.
Does anyone at NMA live in a Century Tel land? Have you had similar experiences with other companies? Is this level of stupidness seen in Europe and the like?
BTW I'll be posting photo's of the new place in the "Cribs" thread in general chat... I'm contemplating making a short comical youtube film about moving into a house that a famous Washingtonian serial killer lived in. That will feature a good portion of the home.
Now I too have had the pleasure of experiencing the telecommunication nightmare known to many in the United States as Century Tel (AKA Century Hell). The problem is not necessarily the employees but the structure of the company. The old "Right leg doesn't know where the left one is going" metaphor applies. I place an order with one person whom manages ALL ISP connect requests for the entire USA... That one person then (with no checks or balances) fires off an order to an assignment group (that if one were to call ctel and ask for, they would not know it exists) then that assignment group fires the order to the main office in Washington state, then to the central office in my neck of the woods... Sometimes, not in that order.
I placed an order for DSL service on the 24th of March. I received a reply on the 27th that I was due for installation on the 3rd of April. Often we receive no notice when the connection will be configured but this time, I lucked out.
So the 3rd rolls around... I wait... and wait, DSL sync, but no access to the web. I call, I'm told that the order has not been completed... I wait, I call back and explain who I am and who I work for, "yes the order was completed earlier today but.... something does not look right."
Joy, I place a trouble ticket in for Friday as I know there are no technicians working on the weekends for Century Tel a major US telecommunications player. Friday while at work I watch my modem for any signs of life... I wait... I call, and am told the trouble ticket was not completed yet... I call again, "oh yes, it was completed earlier and all is well your internet works."
...
So I thought, I'm pretty sure that person has no clue... Then, I luckily know a ctel technician (whom gets paid close to $50 USD an hour) and give him a call... "Wow, we never pointed this toward you... sorry, I'll get that fixed." <-That man saves me from wondering what I do to get the internet working more times than I can count.
Oy, this is just but one story of many in what I consider the wild wild west of the Internet and telephone technology department of Century Tel USA... Now all I have to do is place a trouble ticket for a technician to look at the lines since I'm not seeing the correct speeds I requested when I sent off my DSL order.
Does anyone at NMA live in a Century Tel land? Have you had similar experiences with other companies? Is this level of stupidness seen in Europe and the like?
BTW I'll be posting photo's of the new place in the "Cribs" thread in general chat... I'm contemplating making a short comical youtube film about moving into a house that a famous Washingtonian serial killer lived in. That will feature a good portion of the home.
