So the phone went out of service last week (probably during an electrical storm we had) and I had to have Verizon come out to repair it. I set up the appointment thru their web site, and they told me the tech would be at my apartment sometime between 8 AM and 4 PM on Tuesday (yesterday), and that I'd have to stay home to receive the tech. I was kind of glad to have the excuse not to go to work, since Denise got in late Monday night and we could both use the rest.
Anyway, Tuesday morning rolls around, I get up early enough to be sure to be ready when the tech gets here, and begin dozing off in my recliner... then at about 9:45 AM, the phone rings, and the tech from Verizon tells me that everything is set. (So why did you tell me I had to be at home...?) But wait, it gets better.
Later the same evening, the phone rings again, and again, it's Verizon. This time, they're calling me to ask me whether the repair service went OK and whether the phone is working again. In the immortal words of Dave Barry, "I am not making this up."
I bit my tongue and replied politely that yes, the phone was working fine, thank you for checking. Afterward, I told Denise about it and said that most likely the guy was just following orders... likely as not, he himself wasn't an idiot but was merely following instructions given to him by an idiot. Denise agreed and pointed out also that their service in that regard is significantly better than that I've received from my cable company when my cable connection goes out... a point that I certainly can't disagree with.
Posted by Zathras at June 25, 2003 12:13 PMRemember how they said that breaking up Ma Bell would make things more affordable? Economical? Better service? More on time service?
The problem with utilities is that their heads are so stuck in their asses that they're charge you for things you don't even use (speaking of which, what happened to that cell phone bill fiasco a few months ago)?
I keep getting bills and lawsuit threats from companies that I've never even heard of, up to the point where I'm convinced most of them are frauds.
I miss the days where I could just simply knock on a friend's door and talk to them. Now I have to go through long distance calls, answering machines, "I'm on vacation" emails, etc. By the time I've gotten through to the person I've forgotten what I wanted to tell them.
Posted by: Shaw at June 25, 2003 09:04 PMIt's a paradox that I mentioned to Janelle a few years ago... we have phones at home with answering machines, email addresses, cell phones, and even mobile and wireless email, now. And yet, the more ways we have to get in touch with each other, the less available we seem to be to each other.
The cell phone contract did expire last week. I haven't received the final bill, yet. Considering that fighting would probably only save me five dollars or so, even if I won (which is by no means a certainty), I'm probably just going to pay it to avoid the headache. I'd prefer to stand by my principles, but battling Cingular on this one is probably just not worth the headache (as opposed to my cable company, whom I've battled before and will probably battle again).
Posted by: Zathras at June 26, 2003 10:55 AM"It's a paradox that I mentioned to Janelle a few years ago... we have phones at home with answering machines, email addresses, cell phones, and even mobile and wireless email, now. And yet, the more ways we have to get in touch with each other, the less available we seem to be to each other."
I think that only qualifies for people that live *near* one another. For those of us that can't easily get out to socialize, our ability to communicate online has made a massively positive impact. Similarly, close friends/family that live far apart -- such as Parrish and Shaw, Kyle and myself, etc -- have a much better chance of staying in touch than they did back before there were so many options.
If someone is failing to respond to requests for communication, I don't think it's the fault of the technology, it's that the person doing the request is a lower priority. The individual has to be *choosing* to spend his/her time in other ways than being in contact with the individual trying to be with him/her. Don't blame tech for that, blame the individual that neglects particular bonds in favor of alternative interests.
Posted by: Moggy at June 26, 2003 02:45 PM