Day by Day

Wednesday:
5 minutes after starting my first call at work, suddenly both computers (if only you could see how ridiculous my desk is with 2 computers going and my working on both simulaneously) click off anything internet-driven. Internet DOWN!!!

I call my work partner to let her know and ask her to tell the boss, then I dial a local technician for my particular internet brand who happened to give me his card for "any future problems". He walks me through a few steps/questions and decides that it is most likely a local outtage and gives me the number to call to find out for sure if that's the problem.

I call. I work my way through the menus until I get a person ("Jane" who is obviously from India). After verifying my account and greetings, I tell her that I have already spoken with a local AT&T technician and he says that it sounds most like a local outtage. She says she will check that, checks it and says that no, my line is coming into my house just fine, so it's a problem with me, my computer, my line, etc.

Jane: "Let's try X."

Me: "Ok. (try X) It's saying Error ABC."

Jane: "Ok. Delete the X we did previously."

Me: "Ok."

Jane: "Ok. Now, do X again."

Me: "Without making any other changes? Just repeat the exact same thing?"

Jane: "Yes."

This goes on for SIX repeats of the exact same process with NO CHANGES made - and amazingly no change in results over the course of the next hour and 20 minutes. Then Jane finally decides to call a supervisor who, after keeping me on hold for about 15 minutes, informs her (who informs me) that SURPRISE!!! There's a local outtage. Then I spent ANOTHER 20 minutes on hold while they determined an ETA for the fix. When she returned, the determination was that they didn't have an ETA for the fix. (Glad I waited 20 minutes for that.)

Thursday:
No internet. (Day TWO with no work, thus no pay.) Three equally irritating and frustrating calls with equally clueless AT&T reps to be told new ETAs (each moving farther into the future) and that they have no information in India (dur) about why we're having an outtage here in my little town in Georgia.

Friday: Internet is FINALLY back up! I worked a day (begrudgingly doing the work after my impromptu vaca, but glad for the paycheck renewal and the not losing my job for internet outtages thing - ha!)

Saturday: Internet is back out. ETA for the fix? 10am the next day.

Sunday: Internet is still out. ETA for the fix? 4pm.

4pm - Internet is still out. ETA for the fix? 9am Monday.

Monday:
9am - Internet is still out. ETA for the fix? 4pm

I call back. I get another random person and go through the basic info and then begin, "Ma'am, I understand that this problem is in NO way your fault and you have nothing to do with the speed at which it is resolved, BUT... YOU are the person they will let me speak to so I am going to express my frustration to you." And then I continued to do so. At which point I got, "Ma'am, if you can hold please for just 2-3 minutes, I am going to transfer you to my supervisor. I apologize for the troubles you've had." (How did the previous 4 times I vented this same mounting frustration not warrant the same response?)

Once I spoke to the manager, "Ian" (still in the Indian-based tech room here), I was told he was researching "the REAL reason for the outtage" and "the REAL ETA for the fix" and would call me back in 20-30 minutes. (This "REAL" info is as opposed to the lie they feed people who call in and don't complain loud enough or in the correct terms about the outtage, I suppose.)

The REAL problem is the same as the lie and the ETA is the same as I've previously been given. 4pm.

4pm - Nope. Still not up. (Please note this equals THREE non-working days for me, thus THREE days off of my paycheck.)

Blah, blah, blah. Yada, yada, yada. Another irritating conversation with "Ian's co-manager, Andy"...and I took my computer to our besties' (and two-street-away-neighbors') house and set it all up there so I wouldn't have to miss another day of work.

Of course, when I woke up and was getting ready to head over there, I checked and the internet was back up, so I went and got my stuff and reset it all here.

Now my iPhone has stopped responding to touch (and since it's a touch pad phone, this renders it completely useless). Super!

All of this is to say, "I AM SO SORRY FOR DISAPPEARING FOR MORE THAN A WEEK WITH NO NOTICE!!!" I have had withdrawls from writing and reading all my blogs!!!

More to come before the day is over.

Some of the ingredients: my parents, a new baby (NOT mine), toddler eyes (4 total) full of bubbles, projectile vomiting, and a birthday!!!

Love & Shipoopies,
Leslie