...is that the service guy does show up - even on time - and then comes up with a very creative reason why the work you need done can't be done that day. Or at all.
So the guy actually does show up, calls me, I drive out to the cattle gate and guide him in. He looks at the dish, like he's not quite sure what it's for. He logs onto my computer, goes on line, turns to me, and says, "It's connecting."
I say, "Yeah, it's always worked fine."
He says, "So what's the problem?"
Alarm bells go off. I've been here before.
"It doesn't need to be fixed. She wants it moved to a different location."
"I can't do that on a service ticket. That needs a moving ticket."
"Well," I say, not reaching for a firearm, "You drove like fifty miles to get here. Can't you get on the phone you have in your hand right there and generate a new work order? One that permits you to move the system, as I'm quite certain [Landlady] asked for in the first place, since she's perfectly aware that the system isn't broken and doesn't need to be fixed?"
"No, I can't do that." Then he went off on an exceedingly unconvincing riff about how my dish has a right-dingus, and when we get it to the new location it might need a left-dingus because they've been transitioning to left-dinguses instead of right-dinguses, but he didn't bring any left-dinguses with him because he didn't know he was supposed to move the dish to a different location, and that's why he can't move the dish to a different location.
Or something. I confess I stopped listening, because I've heard better excuses.
Anyway, we're still in the old, cold scriptorium and may be for some time.
MG11: The Magnificent Swiss Maxim Gun
8 hours ago
8 comments:
Joel I'll just comment here for all the latest posts. The suckage in your life recently is even getting me down. I suspect that I would at least have put my hand on the gun.
On the cistern thing: Is your check valve in the casing or between the pump and the cistern? You'll be pulling the pump if it's down the hole. A possibility (at least temporarily) is to put a check valve after the pump and see if it solves the problem.
Warn Landlady to be on the lookout for a "customer issue" service ticket charge for the "NTF" service call.
About then is when you whip out your digital camera, and take pictures of the service tech, the truck, the paperwork, and everything else, and tell the tech about the nice snail-mail you are going to be sending to corporate headquarters.
You mention just how impressed you are that after missing one appointment already, he arrived completely prepared to do the wrong thing, and because of the paperwork mistake, that he is going to be driving out at least one more time.
Make sure that your mail asks about their method of compensating their techs - is it by the trip, or by the fix?
Reminds me of the tech who used to show up at our lab on Thursdays to do preventative maintenance on our antique computer (it had magnetic core memory!) It would fail on Friday - so the tech would get paid for a service call. Those guys really know how to work the system.
Then you need to follow through, and send the mail to corporate HQ. Give it a week or two, and watch the fireworks. For some reason, real mail is taken very seriously by HQ types.
About then is when you whip out your digital camera, and take pictures of the service tech, the truck, the paperwork, and everything else, and tell the tech about the nice snail-mail you are going to be sending to corporate headquarters.
You mention just how impressed you are that after missing one appointment already, he arrived completely prepared to do the wrong thing, and because of the paperwork mistake, that he is going to be driving out at least one more time.
Make sure that your mail asks about their method of compensating their techs - is it by the trip, or by the fix?
Reminds me of the tech who used to show up at our lab on Thursdays to do preventative maintenance on our antique computer (it had magnetic core memory!) It would fail on Friday - so the tech would get paid for a service call. Those guys really know how to work the system.
Then you need to follow through, and send the mail to corporate HQ. Give it a week or two, and watch the fireworks. For some reason, real mail is taken very seriously by HQ types.
We have had the professional techs from Ingesrsoll rand out trying to fix our air compressor EIGHT FUCKING TIMES, from thirty miles away.
It got so stupid, they sent TWO of them and they still can't figure it out.
In the mean time, we rented a portable air compressor on a trailer and the dumb bastards have run it out of diesel twice, after I warned them two days in advance.
The first time it took me an hour and a half and having to use my wifes car to jump the battery.
She would kill me if she ever found out.
The second time took two and a half hours and I used my old Ford.
I so, feel your frustration and damn skippy, document the shit out of this and tell them to kiss your ass when that first bill shows up.
They can't communicate amongst themselves ain't your problem.
Anyone who's ever run a small business would just about have a conniption if they saw their customer service handled in these ways - this utter disrespect for Where The Money Comes From and 'why you didn't get a bonus this year'.
Several years ago I called some national company that our electric co-op had contracted with to provide ISP services - and ultimately went a few go-rounds with them over a tech who couldn't seem to be troubled to actually keep an appointment - or call if unable to keep same appointment. (and this was just to see if my site could be serviced!) By the third time the manager in Florida somewhere had promised me many dollars in discounts if I'd give them another chance. I politely explained to him that I'd prove myself a fool if I allowed them to sign me on given their demonstrated lack of initiative.
Luckily I ran across a young guy fresh out of college in a nearby town who started his own ISP business. I now pay less than I paid for dial-up - and less than I'd have paid that national provider - and have had a good working relationship with his business for several years now. I'm glad to see my money go to someone who demonstrates initiative and backs it up with their own labor.
It's really a flat-out wonder that anything works around 'this joint' these days!
{sigh} I'll call them in the morning.
That's WildBlue, isn't it?
As soon as I found out we could (finally) get broadband over out cable, I dropped them like a hot rock.
...Then they didn't take me off the books- or bill me for months until the old company called me up saying my modem was still working on my account.
Wild Blue would not stop my account or stop billing me until I payed $550 for services i had not used...b@stards.
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