Customer Service - NOT!

CUSTOMER SERVICE BLOG

Today I'm blogging about the way customer service has changed. In my parents days of customer service. You
called a repairman and he fixed your washer and you paid the bill if it the appliance was not still under warrenty.

Well I have spent the past month in hell not because of my washer breaking down but my internet and phone lines.
I'm now ready to talk about my expierence. It all started Father's Day Weekend when we returned from Kansas City.
I couldn't get on the internet and at first I thought I was having internet problems. Soon I figured out it was a connection
problem. So after calling the phone company every other day for the next two weeks they decided to take us seriously.
The past two weeks went something like this ...
"Let me do some testing and I'll call you back." They call back and say.."Try this, now try this...click this..what does it
say on your screen." We reply with...."It's blank it doesn't say anything." ...she says...."Oh this isn't good but we'll try
this..." and so the story went for a week.

Now the past week they tell us after more endless conversations. "It's your modem, go buy a new modem because
if you buy one through the phone company it will take forever. This person works for the phone company (But never
mind about that), so Frank searches high and low for a modem it has to be an AT&T DSL one. This past Sunday he
finds one by calling the Chanute Wal-mart and he goes out of town to pick it up. Installs the modem it worked until
11:00 Sunday then nothing. Okay he calls during his lunch hour on Monday (By this time he's in meltdown mode)
they tell him to go get new inside lines and phone jacks and install all of that. He does and by Tuesday at lunch
NOTHING so he calls again by his cordless phone and they say "It's got to be the line to the house OR you need
new phones. He says a few things and they get the hint he's not amused by their if,and's or but's. They tell him
they'll be sending a repairman out on Wednesday.
Wednesday: The repairman comes and says it's our new modem, I call Frank and the repairman talks to him. They
come to an understanding and the repairman is packing up to leave after checking all the dianogstics etc when he
pushes a button and we lose everything. He goes back outside and said he finally found the problem one of our lines
was carroided and the only thing holding together was the rusted etc...ends. Then he says because of the way cables
are set up in our area that he must go uptown and flip a switch testing to see if it's the computer line or the phone wires.
He comes up parks up the street and takes a ladder down off the top of the truck. Then he sets up the ladder climbs the
poll across the street this poll hosts the street light and of course a lot main wires etc.. after this he dives up in front of
our house and tells me I need to keep our dog busy while he sets up his ladder. The dog is overly friendly but I manage
to keep her busy and he works on the back pole and lines for a long time. Then he comes in and checks the computer.
VIOLA we now have everything working. This man was professional, focused and even though it took him three hours
and some change it was worth it to have someone who wasn't giving up until the job was done.
HOWEVER I still say there is a murder mystery plot in here somewhere. Now why am I writing this blog today? Because
I want to hear your stories on when appliances, cars, computer, phones, etc.....breakdown. Good or bad let's blog about
your stories.
Pamela