Can You Hear Me Now?

Apparently, May is not my month for customer service.  A while ago I was having issues with my home DSL service.  I called and after several days and rude people, I got extremely frustrated and cancelled my account all together.  I probably should list the name of the company, but to be nice I will just tell you it rhymes with “Berizon.”

I do not have cable and do not want to pay for it but the “cable” services required the bundled packages.  All I wanted was the Internet service, this was actually proving to be much more difficult than I thought it would be.  Also thrown into the mix is my location.  I live in an older complex and this also limits certain companies due to dated lines, etc. 

As I continued to search, I started realizing why I had to switch to Ver--, I mean, Berizon when I moved here.  SUCK.  Basically, it came to either me getting cable service or going back to Berizon.  I seriously contemplated paying way more money for cable so I wouldn’t have to go back.

So, by the time I bit the bullet and called to reconnect my service, it was too late.  I had to start all over.  I don’t have a landline but apparently now, a week later, I needed to have one.  So they assigned me a phone number and after 45 minutes I finally signed-up (again) to be a reluctant Berizon customer. 

On Thursday morning I woke up and hooked up everything that they sent me in the mail.  Never mind the fact that I still had the same equipment but if you want to send me more because you can’t figure out a way to save money, be my guest.  Anyway, everything hooked up but no DSL or Internet light.  No biggie, the little booklet did mention it could take until 4pm or so.

By 6pm, I was calling Berizon to figure out what the deal was.  At least by 6, I saw a DSL light but I did not see an Internet light.

I think Berizon doesn’t quite get the full meaning of Customer Service.  I’m actually pretty sure I could have gotten just as far with a kindergartener.  I get they probably have a script they go through but if you are not actually understanding what you are giving technical support for you may as well tell me how to make toast.  Ask the question you need to ask, but if I tell you I have already done those steps, don’t waste the time to make me do it again.  Not cool.

After a long and painful conversation, the representative said it sounded like a line needed to be reset somewhere on their end.  When asking how long this would take I was told it could take from 24- 72 hours. 

After 72 hours, I called again and explained the entire story and asked if the line had been reset because I haven’t heard anything and the light on the modem box was still dark.  She said she would talk with someone and call me back.  She called back, left a message that a technician needed to come to my house and made the appointment for Tuesday morning, as the Monday deadline had passed. 

By Tuesday afternoon I knew something was up.  I called and asked where the technician was because taking off a day of work to have a no-show was not good.  The woman on the other end said, “A technician?  No, they aren’t ready for a tech to come to your place.”

This is where I started to unravel.  I will be honest and tell you that it does take a lot to make me lose it.  I’ve worked with 28 kindergarteners in the same room for days…I have a high tolerance. 

I calmly asked the service representative if they weren’t ready then why would someone make an appointment for me on Tuesday morning?  She verbally shrugged this question off and said they would call me back with a time.  Meanwhile, I called my mom to vent.  She told me to call back and ask for the supervisor.  So I did.

The problem with calling and asking for a supervisor with Berizon is they apparently like to protect each other.  At this point, I started to take notes on everything.  I used the names they told me, but I doubt those were real.

Tuesday (You know this isn’t good when I start with the day):

2:45:  Anna wouldn’t give me to a supervisor.  Put me on hold to contact a different department. 

2:47:  Came back on and said she did contact a supervisor and still waiting for the maintenance department.  Put on hold again.

3:01:   Anna came back and told me she didn’t want to keep me on hold but would call me back in 20 minutes.

3:15:  Anna called and said I needed to have someone come out to my house.  (REALLY?  REALLY??)  I asked her again for a supervisor.  She put me on hold.

3:34:  Anna came back on the line and told me a supervisor would call me back as will someone from the maintenance department.

3:45:  Tracy (supposed supervisor) called from dispatch at the central office and told me I had an appointment for tomorrow morning for a tech to come to my house.  I explained that no one asked me if that time worked for me and this would be the second day I am not at work but waiting on Ver—Berizon.  (Never offered any credit, etc.  Had an “oh well” attitude).  I explained to her that I did not want the appointment unless they HAD to go inside my house.

Wednesday:

8 -12:  Time passed with no phone call or technician.

1:35:  Called and spoke to Fred.  Asked to speak with Tracy.  Wouldn’t give the call over but instead had me go through the entire story about the appointments.   He put me on hold to look up all the information.  He also was looking up information on the person I talked with yesterday as well as the field technician.  (As this was happening, a random number beeped in but I did not answer it). 

1:45:  According to Fred, Tracy is not a supervisor she just makes sure the process gets finished.  Still explained I wanted to talk with her so she can hear the rest of what was going on and document it.  Fred also mentioned that the tech called me and I did not answer the phone.

Here is where I lost it.  I became a bit on the loud side and said, “You mean the call that just beeped in as I am talking to you??  That is the ONLY call I missed and if that was your guy he called and it is almost 2:00 PM, not during the hours of 8 -12 and unless the dude is driving from Dallas, this is unacceptable.”

Fred, obviously trained in the art of calm and meditation, says “the technician said he is on his way now.”

Still in my heightened freak-out mode, I say, “I need to get off this phone.  I do not even have any words to express how pissed I am right now.  This is hands down, the worst customer service I have gotten.  Tracy NEEDS and should call me back!”

Fred, "Thank you for calling Berizon, have a nice day."

At this point I needed one of those old school phones that I could slam down and hurt his ear so he could actually understand in his comatose state how frustrated I was.  Instead I just had to sweetly beep him off with my cell phone.

Still coming down from my anger high, I look over at my modem and see a red DSL light blinking.  Ok, the tech was there.  Eventually the red light turns green, as does the Internet light.

Next I get a knock at the door.  Bryon, the tech, is outside and asks if he can come in and look at my modem.  I told him I expected him this morning.  He said he did try calling but there was no answer.  I whipped open my phone and showed him the random beep-in number and asked if this was him.  He said it was and I reminded him that he just called and, again, it was not the morning call I would have expected. 

I let him in and he looks at the modem and says in a cocky attitude, “Well all the lights are on so the Internet must be working.”  I told him I knew he was here because I saw the lights blinking and then go green.  I also told him how the customer service people gave me a run-around.  You know what he told me?

“The customer service with Verizon is horrible…”

Agreed.  I’m still waiting for Tracy to call me so I can tell her the same thing…