Neil Gaiman posted a link to a great New York Times Op Ed piece on comics legend Jack "King" Kirby, and I'm going to do the same here.
I think that even people who aren't interested in comics at all should read it because Jack really was a monumental figure not only in comics but in American life, and I say that without hyperbole or fear of contradiction.
(Bring it, Contradiction: I'm not scared of you! I'll kick your ass!)
My favorite quote from the article:
Even at rest, a Kirby character pulsed with tension and energy in a way that makes movie versions of the same characters seem static by comparison.
That was the thing that bothered me the most about the most recent Fantastic Four movie and its treatment of Galactus (and honestly, to a lesser extent, even the Ultimate version in the comics): you really thought you could do it better than Stan and Jack did it?
In any case, I'm greatly enjoying having my high(ish) speed Internet back.
(Oh porn, how I missed you!)
It turns out that the problem wasn't actually my modem, but resolving it still required that my modem be replaced.
Apparently there was a lot of mucking around going on with the network, which had resulted in things like my speed being cut by over 75% several months ago. What? You mean I didn't always have such a slow connection? You mean I wasn't lying when I said I'd had better speeds for over a year?
The contractor - the "Asian Guy" mentioned by the goober - flat-out told me, "Someone had to have set your profile for that." When I mentioned what I'd been told about it, he said, "They lied." I said, "No shit.
In any case, while my modem was still provisioned, it was no longer on the network, and he couldn't get it back on, so he simply had a new modem provisioned for me, and voila!
The "Asian Guy," by the way, was extremely apologetic for it all, and oddly deferential. When he first arrived, he asked for permission to come in, and then permission to come into the bedroom. Then he went outside to make some calls to sort the thing out, and when he came back, he asked permission all over again. I was like, "What are you, a vampire with OCD?"
After he left I went out into the world to buy a new belt and get some dinner.
I needed a belt because my other belt broke, and I've been wearing a belt of late in order to clip my phone to it, as clipping it directly to my waistband causes my pants to droop and my skin (read: flab) to get pinched if I turn the wrong way.
Last week when I got home from the comic shop and eating my "Krapow!" the buckle came flying off while I was using the facilities. Long story short, as was inevitable, given that I'm Jon, the buckled landed in the pre-flushed bowl.
There wasn't any way to repair it, so I replaced the belt. Getting a belt today was a priority, as I'll be out and about quite a bit tomorrow, so I wanted to be able to start the day with a belt on which to clip my phone.
Once I got home from belt and dinner buying I foudn that two of my comics had arrived. I was mistaken on the conditions: Next Men #21 is Near Mint, despite costing over $50 less than the Near Mint copy at Milehigh Comics, and the other, which sold for $24 in Near Mint at Milehigh, is in Fine condition.
I'm hoping the larger order from Milehigh will arrive tomrrow.
Speaking of tomorrow, among the many things I need to do is get my annual state safety inspection done on my car. I have a feeling it won't pass just because it hasn't for the last years without first having some work done, but I have to at least make the attempt before the month is over.
In any case, it feels very good to be back in the 21st century and have a high(ish) speed Internet connection again, and to be able to more easily deliver updates to you, my devoted readership, who have perhaps suffered the most from my extended loss of service.
I'll do what I can to make it up to you.
Showing posts with label my cable company sucks ass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my cable company sucks ass. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2007
I'm (Finally) Back, Bitches!
It only took 24 days, but my shitty, shitty cable company finally has me back online, and even nearly back to my (still too low, but better) original speeds.
Sometimes miracles can happen...if you bitch enough while bending over and taking it up the backside.
Real posts will begin to appear soon.
Sometimes miracles can happen...if you bitch enough while bending over and taking it up the backside.
Real posts will begin to appear soon.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
My DirecPath Customer Survey Responses
Property: Bellemeade Farms
Accessibility of Customer Service: Poor
Helpfulness of Customer Service: Poor
Service installed in a timely manner: No
Channel Selection: Poor
Reception Quality: Poor
Pricing Structure: Poor
Compared to Others: Worse
Is Digital Important: Yes
Is Internet important: Yes
Do you work from home: No
Overall Score: 1
Additional Comments: My Internet service went out on August 3. In the course of three weeks I've placed multiple calls and have been given a different story each time. On August 8 I stayed home all day waiting for a tech who never arrived. The next day I was informed that a tech had been out, but that he had not stopped by my residence. I was told that there was an outage at the complex due to a 'lack of bandwidth' and that this issue was being worked on. On August 17, one of the many times I called in, I was told that there had been no update since the 9th. The next time I called, I was told that there was no such outage. On August 22 another tech was sent out. This one actually came to my residence, but was unable to resolve the problem. Unable to figure out the problem, he concluded that I needed a new modem. Naturally, he did not have a replacement modem. Currently, a tech is supposed to come out again on August 27 with a modem. I sincerely doubt this will resolve the issue. I want you to know that you are the worst company it's ever been my misfortune to deal with. While this is the most extreme example of your terrible service, it's hardly the only example. I can't tell you how much I look forward to the day when I no longer have to deal with you.
Accessibility of Customer Service: Poor
Helpfulness of Customer Service: Poor
Service installed in a timely manner: No
Channel Selection: Poor
Reception Quality: Poor
Pricing Structure: Poor
Compared to Others: Worse
Is Digital Important: Yes
Is Internet important: Yes
Do you work from home: No
Overall Score: 1
Additional Comments: My Internet service went out on August 3. In the course of three weeks I've placed multiple calls and have been given a different story each time. On August 8 I stayed home all day waiting for a tech who never arrived. The next day I was informed that a tech had been out, but that he had not stopped by my residence. I was told that there was an outage at the complex due to a 'lack of bandwidth' and that this issue was being worked on. On August 17, one of the many times I called in, I was told that there had been no update since the 9th. The next time I called, I was told that there was no such outage. On August 22 another tech was sent out. This one actually came to my residence, but was unable to resolve the problem. Unable to figure out the problem, he concluded that I needed a new modem. Naturally, he did not have a replacement modem. Currently, a tech is supposed to come out again on August 27 with a modem. I sincerely doubt this will resolve the issue. I want you to know that you are the worst company it's ever been my misfortune to deal with. While this is the most extreme example of your terrible service, it's hardly the only example. I can't tell you how much I look forward to the day when I no longer have to deal with you.
Friday, August 24, 2007
A DirecPath To Lousy Service
Okay, so as I mentioned the other day, a tech from my cable company actually came out to my place on Wednesday.
Actually, he was a tech sub-contracted by the tech contracted by my cable company. The contracted tech was on vacation.
Upon arriving, the tech looked at the flashing Cable light on the modem, he said, “This is easy; somebody accidentally disconnected you.” I said that it might have been nice if someone had figured that out nineteen days sooner. Ignoring that, he headed out the door saying, “I’ll be right back.”
After a few minutes he came back and said, “Well that ain’t it.”
He then proceeded to spend about forty-five minutes going back and forth from my bedroom down to wherever everything is hooked up, moving me from one port to the next, and occasionally pinging someone on his Nextel.
After a while he began tinkering with the cable outlets themselves, at one pint, I noted, actually knocking out my TV service. He mentioned that I probably shouldn’t have been working in the first place, as the cable outlet was wired incorrectly.
Even after fixing the wiring, though, the Cable light continued its petulant flashing.
Eventually he said that, having eliminated all other possibilities, it seemed that the problem was with my modem.
Naturally he didn’t have a replacement modem with him, because why would he? I mean, it’s not like he’s a technician for a cable company or any– oh, right.
Still, he didn’t have one, and said that the very soonest I could get a new one would be Monday, and even that was iffy.
It was at that point that the cable tech became witness to a Jon Explosion, and actually flinched away from the stream of invectives that came bursting forth from me. He could do nothing but nod his head in startled, sympathetic agreement at words like “worst fucking company I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with” and “lying sons of bitches” and “absolute fucking morons.”
And so he left – having fixed whatever he’d done to the TV and checking to make sure it was working, without me having to tell him to do so, which surprised me – and telling me that the “Asian guy” who is actually contracted by DirecPath to service my complex would be back on Friday and that he would see if there was anything else that could be done from outside my place.
Friday – today – marks the three-week point from when, upon returning home from work, I discovered that my Cable light was flashing.
And that’s how things stand now: three weeks without Internet service. Three weeks full of lies, misdirection, and a complete and utter lack of commitment even to the notion of customer service.
But let’s go back to the beginning, back even before the beginning, so that this particular instance of lousy service can be put into its proper perspective.
When I first arrived in Virginia in 2002, I lived in Ashburn, where my cable service was provided by a company called Adelphia, a company that, I soon learned, was bankrupt.
Despite the bankruptcy, Adelphia provided service that, while not exactly exemplary, was pretty much on par with cable company standards. Further, while I had a few service interruptions over the course of three years, my Internet connection was fairly dependable, and during that time, without an attendant increase in cost, my downstream connection speeds went from an acceptable 1.5 Mbps to an excellent 3-4 Mbps.
In 2006 I bought a condo in Leesburg. It wasn’t until after I’d bought the place that I found out that I would not be getting my cable service from Adelphia, but rather from a company known as MediaWorks.
I’d never heard of MediaWorks, but soon learned that they were a small niche cable company that provided cable services to condo developments and apartment complexes. They had their own cable plant located on the grounds of the complex.
From the start I was less than thrilled. The TV service was poor, as several channels were duplicates of each other, others were mislabeled, and the volume levels varied widely. For example, in order to be able to hear the programming on Comedy Central, I have to turn the volume up to full blast. This can be a heart-stopping problem if I change the channel without first remembering to lower the volume.
Beyond that, they actually receive the programming that is distributed to us via a series of DirecTV and Dish Network satellite dishes, so when it rains the TV goes out. Basically, as MediaWorks customers we received the disadvantages of satellite TV without having access to any of the advantages, such as the on-screen guide, pay-per-view, etc.
What made it worse was that many of the channels would not return even after the rain stopped and everything was dry again. On more than one occasion I had to call in to complain about this in order to get the channels back.
Then there was the matter of my Internet service. While I was paying roughly the same as I’d been paying to Adelphia, with my 3-4 Mbps service, I was only getting a connection speed of about 1 Mbps. Still, it was better than nothing, and so lacking any other real options, decided to just grit my teeth and bear with it, hoping that either MediaWorks would improve their speeds over time – as Adelphia had – or that Verizon’s FiOS would become available.
After nearly a year of spotty TV service and Internet speeds that never got any faster, I was informed that MediaWorks was now DirecPath, the former having been acquired by the latter.
I had hoped that this would bode well and that some improvements would be made.
That hope died when my Internet speed dropped by more than 75%, from a paltry 1 Mbps to an excruciatingly slow 200 Kbps.
I waited it out to see if this was some sort of temporary issue, but after a month it was clear that it was a more permanent issue.
So I called in to complain.
“I have a problem with my Internet speed,” I said. This was greeted with what was clearly a knee-jerk, automatic response that had been drilled into MediaWorks’/DirecPath’s customer service reps: We only offer one megabit!
I sighed and said, “I understand, and at this point I would be happy to get a megabit, but I’m getting speeds that are more than four times lower than that.”
I was transferred to tech support, where I was once again informed, “We only offer one megabit!” I sighed again and explained the situation once more.
I was then told, in direct contradiction to the knee-jerk defense, “We only offer 256 K!”
“That’s impossible,” I said, pointing out that I’d been getting 1 Mbps for over a year.”
I was informed that there was no conceivable manner in which I could have been getting such speeds, and clearly I was either delusional or an outright liar.
Another person I spoke to said that the service they offered was “256 Kbps down, and 1 Mbs up.”
I said, “That’s absurd. No company in its right mind would offer Internet connectivity with that kind of setup.”
“Well, I’m just reading what it says.”
“Then you’re reading it wrong.”
Ultimately, though it was clear that they felt I was a lying troublemaker, or at least wanted me to feel that way about myself, it was agreed that a tech would come out to address the issue of my connection speed (in addition to fixing the three channels that hadn’t come back since the last time it had rained).
No such tech ever showed up, though the channels did get fixed.
I sent in multiple complaints via their online form, with the assurance that “someone” would be in touch with me within 48 hours.
That never happened.
Eventually I discovered that I would be moving within the next few months, so I decided that I would just grit my teeth and deal with the lousy service until it was time to leave.
Of course, it wasn’t until after August 3 that I discovered just how lousy the service could get.
As mentioned, when I got home my Cable light was flashing. I shrugged, figuring it was just an outage that would get resolved overnight or early the next day. At worst, it would be out until Monday.
On Monday I decided that I should call in, just to make sure that it wasn’t just me and that work was being done.
After jumping through various “tech support” hoops that included doing things that I’d already done and being accused of having made changes to my setup even though I’d explained that nothing had been changed by me since I’d set things up over a year and a half earlier, it was decided that I needed to have a tech sent out. The person I spoke to said she would e-mail dispatch and that dispatch would call me.
About a half an hour later I got the call. “Can you be home Wednesday from 8 AM to 6 PM?” A ten hour window? WTF?
I didn’t really want to have to stay home all day and I asked if they could narrow it down a little, like letting me know if it’d be in the morning or the afternoon. “No, it could be anytime within that period; we can’t really say when.”
I sighed and agreed that I would stay home all day, as the alternative – signing a key release – was even less palatable.
So I sat at home all day.
By 4 PM no one had arrived, so I called in and asked what the odds were that anyone would show up within the next two hours. I was assured that someone would.
At 7 PM I called in to report that the tech was a no-show and my Internet was still out. I was assured that maybe the tech had been delayed, but he would complete every job on his docket before calling it a day, and someone from dispatch would call me to give me his ETA.
Never happened.
Thursday I got home, hoping that maybe something had been done in the intervening 24 hours. The light was still flashing. I called in and was told that a tech had been at the property, even though he hadn’t actually stopped by my place. It was determined, I was told, that there was not enough available bandwidth to support the number of users in the complex, and that other people were affected, and that there was no ETR, but it was being worked on.
I gave it a couple of days and called in to check on the progress. No new information had been entered in the notes since the initial notes about bandwidth. The rep said she would e-mail dispatch and they would call me.
No call.
Called again, got the same story.
All along, by the way, at least after the second call, I was being assured that I would receive credit for the time I was without service. This was reported to me as if it were not something that should go without saying, and as if it should be enough to satisfy me and assuage any concerns I might have. “Oh, you mean I won’t have to pay for a service I’m not receiving? Consider me mollified! But wait, all things considered, I’d rather be paying for a service and actually receiving it.”
Finally, on the 18th day of my outage, my patience had reached its limit.
“My patience has reached its limit,” I said to the customer service rep.
It was at this point that I leaned that I’d been lied to: there was no widespread outage involving a lack of bandwidth, and no one was actually working to fix my problem.
And that was when another tech was scheduled to come out, with the instructions that he was not to leave until my problem was fixed.
Further, the rep was going to call me back on Thursday to verify that everything was working.
You know how things worked out with that tech, and it’s a good thing I didn’t hold my breath waiting for that call.
And that brings us up to date.
I have to say that, without question, the service I’ve received from MediaWorks/DirecPath is the absolute worst I’ve ever received.
The whole point of this entry is an attempt to mobilize a campaign of DirecPathvictims customers who have fallen prey to this lousy service.
I know that several people have come to this blog and read my earlier posts on this topic (The search string leading them here? DirecPath Sucks.), and one of them has left a comment documenting yet another instance of DirecPath absolutely failing as a provider of quality cable services.
I would encourage others to share their experiences in the comments. You can do so anonymously, and while I recognize that the anti-spam word verification can be a bit of a pain, it shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle to you sharing your frustration with me and the others (and there must be a lot of others) who have suffered as a result of DirecPath’s “service.”
I’m fortunate enough that within a month I will be out from under DirecPath’s dead weight, but I still want to make sure that they’re taken to task for their non-existent commitment to providing quality service to their customers, to discourage any apartment complexes or condo developments who are thinking about signing a deal with DirecPath, and encouraging those that have signed up with them to reconsider. Every little piece of ammunition you can provide is greatly appreciated.
On a final note, in order to use their online payment services, I still have to use DirecPath’s legacy MediaWorks site.
If I go to the DirecPath site, there is a form into which you can enter your Zip code to find out if you are in a DirecPath residence. When I enter my Zip code it tells me “Sorry, your area is not currently being serviced by DIRECPATH.”
You can say that again.
Actually, he was a tech sub-contracted by the tech contracted by my cable company. The contracted tech was on vacation.
Upon arriving, the tech looked at the flashing Cable light on the modem, he said, “This is easy; somebody accidentally disconnected you.” I said that it might have been nice if someone had figured that out nineteen days sooner. Ignoring that, he headed out the door saying, “I’ll be right back.”
After a few minutes he came back and said, “Well that ain’t it.”
He then proceeded to spend about forty-five minutes going back and forth from my bedroom down to wherever everything is hooked up, moving me from one port to the next, and occasionally pinging someone on his Nextel.
After a while he began tinkering with the cable outlets themselves, at one pint, I noted, actually knocking out my TV service. He mentioned that I probably shouldn’t have been working in the first place, as the cable outlet was wired incorrectly.
Even after fixing the wiring, though, the Cable light continued its petulant flashing.
Eventually he said that, having eliminated all other possibilities, it seemed that the problem was with my modem.
Naturally he didn’t have a replacement modem with him, because why would he? I mean, it’s not like he’s a technician for a cable company or any– oh, right.
Still, he didn’t have one, and said that the very soonest I could get a new one would be Monday, and even that was iffy.
It was at that point that the cable tech became witness to a Jon Explosion, and actually flinched away from the stream of invectives that came bursting forth from me. He could do nothing but nod his head in startled, sympathetic agreement at words like “worst fucking company I’ve ever had the misfortune of dealing with” and “lying sons of bitches” and “absolute fucking morons.”
And so he left – having fixed whatever he’d done to the TV and checking to make sure it was working, without me having to tell him to do so, which surprised me – and telling me that the “Asian guy” who is actually contracted by DirecPath to service my complex would be back on Friday and that he would see if there was anything else that could be done from outside my place.
Friday – today – marks the three-week point from when, upon returning home from work, I discovered that my Cable light was flashing.
And that’s how things stand now: three weeks without Internet service. Three weeks full of lies, misdirection, and a complete and utter lack of commitment even to the notion of customer service.
But let’s go back to the beginning, back even before the beginning, so that this particular instance of lousy service can be put into its proper perspective.
When I first arrived in Virginia in 2002, I lived in Ashburn, where my cable service was provided by a company called Adelphia, a company that, I soon learned, was bankrupt.
Despite the bankruptcy, Adelphia provided service that, while not exactly exemplary, was pretty much on par with cable company standards. Further, while I had a few service interruptions over the course of three years, my Internet connection was fairly dependable, and during that time, without an attendant increase in cost, my downstream connection speeds went from an acceptable 1.5 Mbps to an excellent 3-4 Mbps.
In 2006 I bought a condo in Leesburg. It wasn’t until after I’d bought the place that I found out that I would not be getting my cable service from Adelphia, but rather from a company known as MediaWorks.
I’d never heard of MediaWorks, but soon learned that they were a small niche cable company that provided cable services to condo developments and apartment complexes. They had their own cable plant located on the grounds of the complex.
From the start I was less than thrilled. The TV service was poor, as several channels were duplicates of each other, others were mislabeled, and the volume levels varied widely. For example, in order to be able to hear the programming on Comedy Central, I have to turn the volume up to full blast. This can be a heart-stopping problem if I change the channel without first remembering to lower the volume.
Beyond that, they actually receive the programming that is distributed to us via a series of DirecTV and Dish Network satellite dishes, so when it rains the TV goes out. Basically, as MediaWorks customers we received the disadvantages of satellite TV without having access to any of the advantages, such as the on-screen guide, pay-per-view, etc.
What made it worse was that many of the channels would not return even after the rain stopped and everything was dry again. On more than one occasion I had to call in to complain about this in order to get the channels back.
Then there was the matter of my Internet service. While I was paying roughly the same as I’d been paying to Adelphia, with my 3-4 Mbps service, I was only getting a connection speed of about 1 Mbps. Still, it was better than nothing, and so lacking any other real options, decided to just grit my teeth and bear with it, hoping that either MediaWorks would improve their speeds over time – as Adelphia had – or that Verizon’s FiOS would become available.
After nearly a year of spotty TV service and Internet speeds that never got any faster, I was informed that MediaWorks was now DirecPath, the former having been acquired by the latter.
I had hoped that this would bode well and that some improvements would be made.
That hope died when my Internet speed dropped by more than 75%, from a paltry 1 Mbps to an excruciatingly slow 200 Kbps.
I waited it out to see if this was some sort of temporary issue, but after a month it was clear that it was a more permanent issue.
So I called in to complain.
“I have a problem with my Internet speed,” I said. This was greeted with what was clearly a knee-jerk, automatic response that had been drilled into MediaWorks’/DirecPath’s customer service reps: We only offer one megabit!
I sighed and said, “I understand, and at this point I would be happy to get a megabit, but I’m getting speeds that are more than four times lower than that.”
I was transferred to tech support, where I was once again informed, “We only offer one megabit!” I sighed again and explained the situation once more.
I was then told, in direct contradiction to the knee-jerk defense, “We only offer 256 K!”
“That’s impossible,” I said, pointing out that I’d been getting 1 Mbps for over a year.”
I was informed that there was no conceivable manner in which I could have been getting such speeds, and clearly I was either delusional or an outright liar.
Another person I spoke to said that the service they offered was “256 Kbps down, and 1 Mbs up.”
I said, “That’s absurd. No company in its right mind would offer Internet connectivity with that kind of setup.”
“Well, I’m just reading what it says.”
“Then you’re reading it wrong.”
Ultimately, though it was clear that they felt I was a lying troublemaker, or at least wanted me to feel that way about myself, it was agreed that a tech would come out to address the issue of my connection speed (in addition to fixing the three channels that hadn’t come back since the last time it had rained).
No such tech ever showed up, though the channels did get fixed.
I sent in multiple complaints via their online form, with the assurance that “someone” would be in touch with me within 48 hours.
That never happened.
Eventually I discovered that I would be moving within the next few months, so I decided that I would just grit my teeth and deal with the lousy service until it was time to leave.
Of course, it wasn’t until after August 3 that I discovered just how lousy the service could get.
As mentioned, when I got home my Cable light was flashing. I shrugged, figuring it was just an outage that would get resolved overnight or early the next day. At worst, it would be out until Monday.
On Monday I decided that I should call in, just to make sure that it wasn’t just me and that work was being done.
After jumping through various “tech support” hoops that included doing things that I’d already done and being accused of having made changes to my setup even though I’d explained that nothing had been changed by me since I’d set things up over a year and a half earlier, it was decided that I needed to have a tech sent out. The person I spoke to said she would e-mail dispatch and that dispatch would call me.
About a half an hour later I got the call. “Can you be home Wednesday from 8 AM to 6 PM?” A ten hour window? WTF?
I didn’t really want to have to stay home all day and I asked if they could narrow it down a little, like letting me know if it’d be in the morning or the afternoon. “No, it could be anytime within that period; we can’t really say when.”
I sighed and agreed that I would stay home all day, as the alternative – signing a key release – was even less palatable.
So I sat at home all day.
By 4 PM no one had arrived, so I called in and asked what the odds were that anyone would show up within the next two hours. I was assured that someone would.
At 7 PM I called in to report that the tech was a no-show and my Internet was still out. I was assured that maybe the tech had been delayed, but he would complete every job on his docket before calling it a day, and someone from dispatch would call me to give me his ETA.
Never happened.
Thursday I got home, hoping that maybe something had been done in the intervening 24 hours. The light was still flashing. I called in and was told that a tech had been at the property, even though he hadn’t actually stopped by my place. It was determined, I was told, that there was not enough available bandwidth to support the number of users in the complex, and that other people were affected, and that there was no ETR, but it was being worked on.
I gave it a couple of days and called in to check on the progress. No new information had been entered in the notes since the initial notes about bandwidth. The rep said she would e-mail dispatch and they would call me.
No call.
Called again, got the same story.
All along, by the way, at least after the second call, I was being assured that I would receive credit for the time I was without service. This was reported to me as if it were not something that should go without saying, and as if it should be enough to satisfy me and assuage any concerns I might have. “Oh, you mean I won’t have to pay for a service I’m not receiving? Consider me mollified! But wait, all things considered, I’d rather be paying for a service and actually receiving it.”
Finally, on the 18th day of my outage, my patience had reached its limit.
“My patience has reached its limit,” I said to the customer service rep.
It was at this point that I leaned that I’d been lied to: there was no widespread outage involving a lack of bandwidth, and no one was actually working to fix my problem.
And that was when another tech was scheduled to come out, with the instructions that he was not to leave until my problem was fixed.
Further, the rep was going to call me back on Thursday to verify that everything was working.
You know how things worked out with that tech, and it’s a good thing I didn’t hold my breath waiting for that call.
And that brings us up to date.
I have to say that, without question, the service I’ve received from MediaWorks/DirecPath is the absolute worst I’ve ever received.
The whole point of this entry is an attempt to mobilize a campaign of DirecPath
I know that several people have come to this blog and read my earlier posts on this topic (The search string leading them here? DirecPath Sucks.), and one of them has left a comment documenting yet another instance of DirecPath absolutely failing as a provider of quality cable services.
I would encourage others to share their experiences in the comments. You can do so anonymously, and while I recognize that the anti-spam word verification can be a bit of a pain, it shouldn’t be an insurmountable obstacle to you sharing your frustration with me and the others (and there must be a lot of others) who have suffered as a result of DirecPath’s “service.”
I’m fortunate enough that within a month I will be out from under DirecPath’s dead weight, but I still want to make sure that they’re taken to task for their non-existent commitment to providing quality service to their customers, to discourage any apartment complexes or condo developments who are thinking about signing a deal with DirecPath, and encouraging those that have signed up with them to reconsider. Every little piece of ammunition you can provide is greatly appreciated.
On a final note, in order to use their online payment services, I still have to use DirecPath’s legacy MediaWorks site.
If I go to the DirecPath site, there is a form into which you can enter your Zip code to find out if you are in a DirecPath residence. When I enter my Zip code it tells me “Sorry, your area is not currently being serviced by DIRECPATH.”
You can say that again.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Anatomy Lesson
(And no, my Internet is not fixed yet; posted this via dial-up. I'll post more on the saga of my shitty cable company tomorrow when I'm at work)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Hey Look! A Threshold Post!
No, don't get your hopes up - my cable Internet connection is still out (this day 18).
I called in yet again today, doing the whole "irate customer at the limit of his patience" thing and, while getting another line of BS, learned that I've been getting nothing but lines of BS every time I've called.
I was informed that, contrary to what I was told before, there is no widespread outage, and, because there's no outage, no one is actually working on fixing it.
*Sigh*
So, once again tommorow, two weeks since the last time, I have the 10 hour window during which a technician will supposedly be arriving.
This time I can't actually sit and wait for the tech to not arrive - I have a training thing for work in the afternoon - so I, reluctantly, signed a key release at the leasing office to let the tech come in. Given that I'm sure he won't actually be coming here, I doubt that it's really an issue, but I don't like the idea of a stranger coming into my home when I'm not here.
The person I talked to claimed that she's put a note in the ticket that the tech is "not to leave until the problem is fixed." I'm sure that will work wonders.
In any case, that's how things stand here.
Sunday night I went to see Superbad with Brian and Kathleen and some of their friends at that new theater where Scott and I saw Stardust.
Holy. Freaking. God.
Funniest damn movie I've seen in a long time.
The only downside? I've never felt more like a pedophile in my life, thanks not only to the hot young girls in the movie, but some of the preternaturally developed hot young girls at the movie (damn farmers injecting everything with growth hormones, which find their way into the systems of developing young people).
For the record, all of the girls in the movie, despite how young they looked (Imagine, a movie about teens that starred people who actually look like teens.), are over 18. In fact, the one who looked the youngest is actually 23.
So that makes it slightly better, though still somewhat unsettling.
As the movie was starting, Kathleen asked me if I've ever written or thought about writing a screenplay, as she could see me writing something similar to Superbad.
I told her that I've never tried writing one, but that I have considered it.
Of course, that's only lately, and what's been kicking around in my head is not a teen sex comedy, but rather a biopic.
It's not something I'm likely to do - beyond my usual laziness and lack of motivation is the fact that this particular project would require a lot of researche and travel and and interviewing people, as the most readily-accessible information isn't sufficient to tell the whole story.
Even so, I'm not going to say who would be the subject of the movie, because if I'm not going to do it I don't want anyone else doing it either.
And no, it's not Jack T. Chick.
Anyway, I think that'll do it for this dial-update.
I called in yet again today, doing the whole "irate customer at the limit of his patience" thing and, while getting another line of BS, learned that I've been getting nothing but lines of BS every time I've called.
I was informed that, contrary to what I was told before, there is no widespread outage, and, because there's no outage, no one is actually working on fixing it.
*Sigh*
So, once again tommorow, two weeks since the last time, I have the 10 hour window during which a technician will supposedly be arriving.
This time I can't actually sit and wait for the tech to not arrive - I have a training thing for work in the afternoon - so I, reluctantly, signed a key release at the leasing office to let the tech come in. Given that I'm sure he won't actually be coming here, I doubt that it's really an issue, but I don't like the idea of a stranger coming into my home when I'm not here.
The person I talked to claimed that she's put a note in the ticket that the tech is "not to leave until the problem is fixed." I'm sure that will work wonders.
In any case, that's how things stand here.
Sunday night I went to see Superbad with Brian and Kathleen and some of their friends at that new theater where Scott and I saw Stardust.
Holy. Freaking. God.
Funniest damn movie I've seen in a long time.
The only downside? I've never felt more like a pedophile in my life, thanks not only to the hot young girls in the movie, but some of the preternaturally developed hot young girls at the movie (damn farmers injecting everything with growth hormones, which find their way into the systems of developing young people).
For the record, all of the girls in the movie, despite how young they looked (Imagine, a movie about teens that starred people who actually look like teens.), are over 18. In fact, the one who looked the youngest is actually 23.
So that makes it slightly better, though still somewhat unsettling.
As the movie was starting, Kathleen asked me if I've ever written or thought about writing a screenplay, as she could see me writing something similar to Superbad.
I told her that I've never tried writing one, but that I have considered it.
Of course, that's only lately, and what's been kicking around in my head is not a teen sex comedy, but rather a biopic.
It's not something I'm likely to do - beyond my usual laziness and lack of motivation is the fact that this particular project would require a lot of researche and travel and and interviewing people, as the most readily-accessible information isn't sufficient to tell the whole story.
Even so, I'm not going to say who would be the subject of the movie, because if I'm not going to do it I don't want anyone else doing it either.
And no, it's not Jack T. Chick.
Anyway, I think that'll do it for this dial-update.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Cutesy "Happiness Is..." Thought Of The Day
Happiness is....remembering in the afternoon that you bought a King-Size Twix in the morning.
And, given that my shitty cable company had not yet fixed my Internet as of last night (I called and had it "escalated." I'm sure that will light a fire under their asses.), that's probably all you're going to get from me by way of blog entries for the foreseeable future.
At least I left you with a happy thought.
And, given that my shitty cable company had not yet fixed my Internet as of last night (I called and had it "escalated." I'm sure that will light a fire under their asses.), that's probably all you're going to get from me by way of blog entries for the foreseeable future.
At least I left you with a happy thought.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Long-Ass Post In Which We Play Catch Up (With Photos!)
In case you hadn’t guessed based on the lack of posting, as of this morning before I left for work my shitty cable company still has not fixed my Internet connection.
When I last called to get a status update, there wasn’t one.
I said, “It’s been out for eleven days now. It’s getting ridiculous.”
The rep I was speaking to said, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“It’s not that I feel that way,” I countered, “it’s how it is.”
She then informed me that I would be credited for the time I’ve been without service. She said this in such a way that it seemed she thought I would be impressed by their magnanimity.
I wasn’t, and told her as much.
Of course, my calling and complaining and being snarky isn’t actually accomplishing anything. It’s not even making me feel better.
In any case, now I’m at work with time on my hands (gave the busy station to the new intern, who is much more intelligent and capable – by default if nothing else – than the last one), and am taking advantage of the much faster than dial up network connection to write up an entry (or two).
On Saturday night Scott and I went to see Stardust (unlike the rest of the movie-going public, apparently) and thoroughly enjoyed it (Despite the fact that I really wished they’d included one of the best parts of the book, Yvaine’s softly muttered F Bomb, which they could have included, as PG-13 movies are allowed one instance of the F Word so long as it’s used in a non-sexual way. So, “Fuck you, Charlie,” would be acceptable, whereas, “I want to fuck you, Charlie,” is not.). My thoughts on the movie pretty much mirror Scott’s, so you can read his review of it to get a more in-depth understanding of what I thought of it.
Getting to the theater was a bit of a challenge. It’s a relatively new theater located in a relatively new development which I’d never been to before. I tried to map the route via Google, but found myself skeptical about the directions provided, as Google was placing it somewhere in Ashburn Village, which I was pretty sure is not where it’s located. The directions on the theater’s site contradicted the directions Google was giving.
Apparently the theater’s address is too new to appear on maps, and Google was just defaulting to some random address in Ashburn.
Eventually I took note of the fact that the theater was located “behind Harris Teeter’s,” found the address to the Harris Teeter’s in that development, and then mapped to that address. The directions on the theater’s site would have been enough to get me there, but I wanted to have it mapped as well.
Sunday I didn’t do much, as I felt more than the usual amount of lethargy. To be honest, I felt rather the way I felt when I was in jail. I had absolutely no interest in doing anything. I took a 3 hour nap (after 9 hours of sleep), and still felt tired.
In the evening I ended up doing some writing for Kathleen, who wants me to do some freelance content writing for her new business.
On Monday I had the home inspection of the house I’m going to buy. Everything went pretty well, with no major issues found.
Before that, I met Kathleen for lunch, during which we agreed upon the payment terms for my content writing. I bought lunch, but pointed out that she should have done it, as she could have written it off as a business expense.
She came with me to the home inspection so that she could check the place out.
Here are the pictures that it occurred to me to take while I was there:
Here's a view of the back of the house.
Here's a shot of the rather large backyard.
Here's a blurry shot of the eat-in kitchen that shouldn't be an eat-in kitchen, as the table makes it a little cramped. There's actually a dining room that's been turned into a family room that I will be turning back into a dining room.
Here's a shot in the living room in which a blury Kathleen can be spotted. It's not because of the camera; she is actually blurry in real life.
And here's another shot of the living room from the other side.
I didn't take any shots of the front or the upstairs. Why? Because I'm like that.
Yesterday I met Scott at the comic shop. He’d brought the girls along to pick out comics for themselves, as he’s hoping to help create a new generation of comic geeks. Stacy waited in the van with Scarlett, and after we were done we all went over to the brick oven pizza place to eat. The pizza place was my suggestion, as last week when I stopped at the comic shop there were some extremely appetizing smells emanating from the place.
At one point while we were there I stood up to allow Stacy to get out of the booth to take the girls to the bathroom. While I was standing there, Vicki randomly head-butted me in the stomach. It barely registered as a tap, so it wasn’t painful at all, but it seemed odd, so I commented on it, saying, “Your daughter just head-butted me in the stomach.”
I was prepared to just write it off under the category of “Kids are Weird,” but when they got back from the bathroom Stacy wanted Vicki to apologize to me, per the conversation they’d had about it. Vicki didn’t want to apologize, and her continued refusal to do so led to her being taken out to the van by Scott.
I always feel awkward in those kinds of situations. I mean, I didn’t feel any particular need for an apology, but on the other hand I understood Scott and Stacy’s position as parents, so I had to rein in my tendency to just dismiss the whole thing with a joke, which is my default response to, like, 90-99% of the things I encounter in life (well, at least the non-annoying things, though I even joke about annoying things eventually, if not immediately).
Eventually she did apologize.
The whole thing reminded me of the time many years ago when I was living with my mom and dad. I was the only one home at the time when the Principal of the grade school came to the door with a very embarrassed-looking girl. It turns out that at some point my mom had bought some raffle tickets for some school function from the girl in question. It turns out that the girl had pocketed the money from selling the tickets and spent it on herself.
As punishment, she was being brought around to explain and apologize to everyone she’d taken money from.
I remember thinking that it was kind of funny and admiring the sheer audacity of someone who thought she could get away with something like that in such a small town, and then noticing the hopeful expression on the Principal's face as she waited for me to heap scorn on this girl who had undoubtedly been sufficiently humiliated already.
As the default adult, it was up to me to take this seriously, even though doing so went against my basic nature.
The best I could manage was a weak, “Well, as long as you learned your lesson.”
I had thought about laying it on thick and adding, "Now go forth and sin no more," but decided against it.
Anyway, the head-butt to the stomach was one more instance of Jon struggling to be a Serious Adult™ and struggling to keep a straight face.
Hopefully, like the young thief, Vicki has learned her lesson (I don't know if the thief learned her lesson or not, but let's say she did for the sake of argument. At the very least, I'm sure she learned that if you're going to steal money, be less obvious about it. That counts as a lesson, I think.).
I think she did.
Unless she’s formed a sub-conscious connection between Jon and punishment and will begin to harbor a deep-seated resentment of me.
Meh, either way.
When I last called to get a status update, there wasn’t one.
I said, “It’s been out for eleven days now. It’s getting ridiculous.”
The rep I was speaking to said, “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“It’s not that I feel that way,” I countered, “it’s how it is.”
She then informed me that I would be credited for the time I’ve been without service. She said this in such a way that it seemed she thought I would be impressed by their magnanimity.
I wasn’t, and told her as much.
Of course, my calling and complaining and being snarky isn’t actually accomplishing anything. It’s not even making me feel better.
In any case, now I’m at work with time on my hands (gave the busy station to the new intern, who is much more intelligent and capable – by default if nothing else – than the last one), and am taking advantage of the much faster than dial up network connection to write up an entry (or two).
On Saturday night Scott and I went to see Stardust (unlike the rest of the movie-going public, apparently) and thoroughly enjoyed it (Despite the fact that I really wished they’d included one of the best parts of the book, Yvaine’s softly muttered F Bomb, which they could have included, as PG-13 movies are allowed one instance of the F Word so long as it’s used in a non-sexual way. So, “Fuck you, Charlie,” would be acceptable, whereas, “I want to fuck you, Charlie,” is not.). My thoughts on the movie pretty much mirror Scott’s, so you can read his review of it to get a more in-depth understanding of what I thought of it.
Getting to the theater was a bit of a challenge. It’s a relatively new theater located in a relatively new development which I’d never been to before. I tried to map the route via Google, but found myself skeptical about the directions provided, as Google was placing it somewhere in Ashburn Village, which I was pretty sure is not where it’s located. The directions on the theater’s site contradicted the directions Google was giving.
Apparently the theater’s address is too new to appear on maps, and Google was just defaulting to some random address in Ashburn.
Eventually I took note of the fact that the theater was located “behind Harris Teeter’s,” found the address to the Harris Teeter’s in that development, and then mapped to that address. The directions on the theater’s site would have been enough to get me there, but I wanted to have it mapped as well.
Sunday I didn’t do much, as I felt more than the usual amount of lethargy. To be honest, I felt rather the way I felt when I was in jail. I had absolutely no interest in doing anything. I took a 3 hour nap (after 9 hours of sleep), and still felt tired.
In the evening I ended up doing some writing for Kathleen, who wants me to do some freelance content writing for her new business.
On Monday I had the home inspection of the house I’m going to buy. Everything went pretty well, with no major issues found.
Before that, I met Kathleen for lunch, during which we agreed upon the payment terms for my content writing. I bought lunch, but pointed out that she should have done it, as she could have written it off as a business expense.
She came with me to the home inspection so that she could check the place out.
Here are the pictures that it occurred to me to take while I was there:
Here's a view of the back of the house.
Here's a shot of the rather large backyard.
Here's a blurry shot of the eat-in kitchen that shouldn't be an eat-in kitchen, as the table makes it a little cramped. There's actually a dining room that's been turned into a family room that I will be turning back into a dining room.
Here's a shot in the living room in which a blury Kathleen can be spotted. It's not because of the camera; she is actually blurry in real life.
And here's another shot of the living room from the other side.
I didn't take any shots of the front or the upstairs. Why? Because I'm like that.
Yesterday I met Scott at the comic shop. He’d brought the girls along to pick out comics for themselves, as he’s hoping to help create a new generation of comic geeks. Stacy waited in the van with Scarlett, and after we were done we all went over to the brick oven pizza place to eat. The pizza place was my suggestion, as last week when I stopped at the comic shop there were some extremely appetizing smells emanating from the place.
At one point while we were there I stood up to allow Stacy to get out of the booth to take the girls to the bathroom. While I was standing there, Vicki randomly head-butted me in the stomach. It barely registered as a tap, so it wasn’t painful at all, but it seemed odd, so I commented on it, saying, “Your daughter just head-butted me in the stomach.”
I was prepared to just write it off under the category of “Kids are Weird,” but when they got back from the bathroom Stacy wanted Vicki to apologize to me, per the conversation they’d had about it. Vicki didn’t want to apologize, and her continued refusal to do so led to her being taken out to the van by Scott.
I always feel awkward in those kinds of situations. I mean, I didn’t feel any particular need for an apology, but on the other hand I understood Scott and Stacy’s position as parents, so I had to rein in my tendency to just dismiss the whole thing with a joke, which is my default response to, like, 90-99% of the things I encounter in life (well, at least the non-annoying things, though I even joke about annoying things eventually, if not immediately).
Eventually she did apologize.
The whole thing reminded me of the time many years ago when I was living with my mom and dad. I was the only one home at the time when the Principal of the grade school came to the door with a very embarrassed-looking girl. It turns out that at some point my mom had bought some raffle tickets for some school function from the girl in question. It turns out that the girl had pocketed the money from selling the tickets and spent it on herself.
As punishment, she was being brought around to explain and apologize to everyone she’d taken money from.
I remember thinking that it was kind of funny and admiring the sheer audacity of someone who thought she could get away with something like that in such a small town, and then noticing the hopeful expression on the Principal's face as she waited for me to heap scorn on this girl who had undoubtedly been sufficiently humiliated already.
As the default adult, it was up to me to take this seriously, even though doing so went against my basic nature.
The best I could manage was a weak, “Well, as long as you learned your lesson.”
I had thought about laying it on thick and adding, "Now go forth and sin no more," but decided against it.
Anyway, the head-butt to the stomach was one more instance of Jon struggling to be a Serious Adult™ and struggling to keep a straight face.
Hopefully, like the young thief, Vicki has learned her lesson (I don't know if the thief learned her lesson or not, but let's say she did for the sake of argument. At the very least, I'm sure she learned that if you're going to steal money, be less obvious about it. That counts as a lesson, I think.).
I think she did.
Unless she’s formed a sub-conscious connection between Jon and punishment and will begin to harbor a deep-seated resentment of me.
Meh, either way.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Hello Mr. Awkward, May I Call You Socially?
On the way home from work yesterday I stopped by the comic shop. After parking a fair distance away, as the area was packed with cars, I began walking to the shop. As I got closer, someone said, "Hey, Jon!" and appeared to be looking at me.
The person - someone tall wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a cap and standing next to a woman I didn't recognize - didn't match up with the(extremely short) list of people I know that immediately sprang to mind, so I began to assume that there was someone behind me named Jon (or, more likely, John).
As I got closer, I figured out who it was just before he identified himself; it was David, my Realtor.
In answer to his question, I explained that I was stopping by the comic shop. He introduced me to his wife, and pointed out that they live just down the street from the town center where the comic shop is located.
We talked a little about how things are going to go on Monday with the home inspection, and then we began to go our separate ways. I told his wife that it was nice meeting her, and then added as an afterthought, after taking note of her belly, my congratulations on the son they're expecting. Because of the way I just sort of blurted it out, I'm sure it came off as a perfect example of my social awkwardness.
In any case, David responded, somberly, "She's not pregnant Jon."
I might have been flustered by this if I had added my awkward congratulations solely based on the evidence of her belly, but I knew that she was pregnant from previous conversations with David, so I said, "Nice try; I know she's pregnant," and we all laughed, which helped to erase some of the evidence of just how socially inept I really am (especially when taken by surprise).
Then I went into the comic shop, had a comic geek conversation about comic book movies, and was soon home, where I found that having the whole day to work on it wasn't enough time for my cable company to fix the problem with my Internet connection.
I don't imagine they did any work on it today, so it will be Monday at the absolute soonest before I have it up and running again.
As mentioned, tonight after work I'm going to catch a showing of Stardust with Scott.
(And you should be going to see it, too. In fact, what are you doing sitting there reading this? Go see Stardust! Now!)
Earlier today Brian IMed me saying, "haha, we just had to page Scott for something."
I responded, "lol, he's been bitching about being on-call all week."
With all the compassion he could muster, Brian said, "well, he's got something more to bitch about now."
I added that they needed to make sure to be done with him before 7.
Unless my Internet connection gets fixed soon, I probably won't be doing much blogging this week. Sure, I can post stuff over dial up, but it's a pain, and even with my QWERTY keyboard on my phone, I just can't see myself engaging in mobile blogging or "MoBlo."
(More like "MoBlo Me").
I know that a lack of regular updates will be pretty rough on you, but I think you'll survive.
I have faith in you.
The person - someone tall wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a cap and standing next to a woman I didn't recognize - didn't match up with the(extremely short) list of people I know that immediately sprang to mind, so I began to assume that there was someone behind me named Jon (or, more likely, John).
As I got closer, I figured out who it was just before he identified himself; it was David, my Realtor.
In answer to his question, I explained that I was stopping by the comic shop. He introduced me to his wife, and pointed out that they live just down the street from the town center where the comic shop is located.
We talked a little about how things are going to go on Monday with the home inspection, and then we began to go our separate ways. I told his wife that it was nice meeting her, and then added as an afterthought, after taking note of her belly, my congratulations on the son they're expecting. Because of the way I just sort of blurted it out, I'm sure it came off as a perfect example of my social awkwardness.
In any case, David responded, somberly, "She's not pregnant Jon."
I might have been flustered by this if I had added my awkward congratulations solely based on the evidence of her belly, but I knew that she was pregnant from previous conversations with David, so I said, "Nice try; I know she's pregnant," and we all laughed, which helped to erase some of the evidence of just how socially inept I really am (especially when taken by surprise).
Then I went into the comic shop, had a comic geek conversation about comic book movies, and was soon home, where I found that having the whole day to work on it wasn't enough time for my cable company to fix the problem with my Internet connection.
I don't imagine they did any work on it today, so it will be Monday at the absolute soonest before I have it up and running again.
As mentioned, tonight after work I'm going to catch a showing of Stardust with Scott.
(And you should be going to see it, too. In fact, what are you doing sitting there reading this? Go see Stardust! Now!)
Earlier today Brian IMed me saying, "haha, we just had to page Scott for something."
I responded, "lol, he's been bitching about being on-call all week."
With all the compassion he could muster, Brian said, "well, he's got something more to bitch about now."
I added that they needed to make sure to be done with him before 7.
Unless my Internet connection gets fixed soon, I probably won't be doing much blogging this week. Sure, I can post stuff over dial up, but it's a pain, and even with my QWERTY keyboard on my phone, I just can't see myself engaging in mobile blogging or "MoBlo."
(More like "MoBlo Me").
I know that a lack of regular updates will be pretty rough on you, but I think you'll survive.
I have faith in you.
Friday, August 10, 2007
The Saga Continues
Yesterday, rather than calling in first thing in the morning to complain to my shitty cable company that the tech had been a no-show on Wednesday, I decided to wait until I got home to see if, by chance, the problem had been fixed.
Of course it hadn’t, so I called in to complain.
I was informed that a tech had been on-site, though he didn’t actually come to see me, and had determined that the outage wasn’t only affecting me. I had assumed as much when it went out in the first place, but my shitty cable company assured me that I was the only one calling in to complain. Turns out that was not true; pretty much everyone had called in to complain.
The problem, apparently, is a lack of sufficient bandwidth to support the number of users they have.
I’m willing to bet that this also explains the 75% drop in speed I experienced which coincided, I think, with some new people moving in. Even more people have moved in recently, which clearly exacerbated the problem.
They couldn’t provide an estimate as to when the problem will be resolved, though I will say that my face won’t be turning blue from me holding my breath waiting
Of course it hadn’t, so I called in to complain.
I was informed that a tech had been on-site, though he didn’t actually come to see me, and had determined that the outage wasn’t only affecting me. I had assumed as much when it went out in the first place, but my shitty cable company assured me that I was the only one calling in to complain. Turns out that was not true; pretty much everyone had called in to complain.
The problem, apparently, is a lack of sufficient bandwidth to support the number of users they have.
I’m willing to bet that this also explains the 75% drop in speed I experienced which coincided, I think, with some new people moving in. Even more people have moved in recently, which clearly exacerbated the problem.
They couldn’t provide an estimate as to when the problem will be resolved, though I will say that my face won’t be turning blue from me holding my breath waiting
Thursday, August 09, 2007
I Guess I Could Live Like That...If You Call That Living
When I don't have Internet connectivity I tend not to spend much time at my computer, even though the majority of the time I spend at the computer isn't devoted to making use of the Internet.
However, no matter what I'm doing at the computer, there's always a good chance that I might need to make quick use of the Internet. Say, for example, I'm working on a picture and I decide to include, oh, a jungle background. Not having a reference on hand, I'll do a quick Google image search and (theoretically, at least), voila!
Knowing that I won't have the ability to do something along those lines should I need to in the course of whatever non-Internet tasks I'm engaging in makes me feel less inclined to engage in any task.
And because my dial up-enabled computer is Munin, which is in the kitchen, where I have to stand to use it, I really didn't spend much time at the computer during the week (until yesterday when I spent most of the day working on a picture that did not, of course, benefit from any additional elements found via a Google image search).
At this point, so far as I know, I still don't have an Internet connection at home.
After waiting 8 of the 10 hours at home (and turning down a lunch invitation from Kathleen and not meeting Scott at the comic shop) I called my shitty, shitty cable company and said, "Given that he hasn't shown up at all in the past 8 hours, what are the odds that the tech will show up in the next 2?'
I was assured that he would arrive by 6, skeptically said, "Okayyy..." and hung up.
By 6 I still had a blinking cable light and had not been visited by a tech.
At 7 I called and said that the tech was, at the latest, supposed to have arrived an hour earlier.
I was assured that even though the tech may have been too busy to make it by 6, he would not end his day until he had fulfilled all of his duties (evidently they have so many problems to fix that they can't all be addressed in a 10 hour window). I was told that dispatch would be contacted and would call me to give me the tech's ETA.
No such call ever came, and my cable light was still flashing this morning.
What's most frustrating about this is not that I don't have Internet - though that does infuriate me - it's that I have no real recourse. All I can do is keep calling and complaining and getting blown off.
I could cancel my service, I suppose, and if they're never going to get around to fixing it, it could be argued that I might as well do so, but while I could live for a month+ without Internet at home, I really don't want to.
And I shouldn't have to, dammit.
However, no matter what I'm doing at the computer, there's always a good chance that I might need to make quick use of the Internet. Say, for example, I'm working on a picture and I decide to include, oh, a jungle background. Not having a reference on hand, I'll do a quick Google image search and (theoretically, at least), voila!
Knowing that I won't have the ability to do something along those lines should I need to in the course of whatever non-Internet tasks I'm engaging in makes me feel less inclined to engage in any task.
And because my dial up-enabled computer is Munin, which is in the kitchen, where I have to stand to use it, I really didn't spend much time at the computer during the week (until yesterday when I spent most of the day working on a picture that did not, of course, benefit from any additional elements found via a Google image search).
At this point, so far as I know, I still don't have an Internet connection at home.
After waiting 8 of the 10 hours at home (and turning down a lunch invitation from Kathleen and not meeting Scott at the comic shop) I called my shitty, shitty cable company and said, "Given that he hasn't shown up at all in the past 8 hours, what are the odds that the tech will show up in the next 2?'
I was assured that he would arrive by 6, skeptically said, "Okayyy..." and hung up.
By 6 I still had a blinking cable light and had not been visited by a tech.
At 7 I called and said that the tech was, at the latest, supposed to have arrived an hour earlier.
I was assured that even though the tech may have been too busy to make it by 6, he would not end his day until he had fulfilled all of his duties (evidently they have so many problems to fix that they can't all be addressed in a 10 hour window). I was told that dispatch would be contacted and would call me to give me the tech's ETA.
No such call ever came, and my cable light was still flashing this morning.
What's most frustrating about this is not that I don't have Internet - though that does infuriate me - it's that I have no real recourse. All I can do is keep calling and complaining and getting blown off.
I could cancel my service, I suppose, and if they're never going to get around to fixing it, it could be argued that I might as well do so, but while I could live for a month+ without Internet at home, I really don't want to.
And I shouldn't have to, dammit.
Monday, August 06, 2007
What's So "Up" About Dial Up?
My cable Internet access has been out since I got home Friday night.
I didn't call in to complain about it until today, as they offer no support on weekends.
They don't really offer much on weekdays, either.
A tech is supposed to come out Wednesday...between 8 and 6.
That's a 10 hour window, for those of you keeping score. I have to, potentially, sit at home for 2 hours longer than a standard workday.
(That it's 2 and a half hours shorter than my workday is irrelevant.)
In the meantime, I must resort to dial up, which saddens (and angers) me.
I can't wait until I'm out of here and have access to FiOS.
Speaking of which, I signed a contract on the house tonight. My settlement date is September 19th.
We'll be doing a home inspection next Monday.
But anyway, yay me, I guess, and yay massive debt!
They seem to have worked out some other coverage at work so that I haven't had to go in (though the OT would be nice, especially now).
I did pick up a little more OT today by taking a really boring training class (preceded by having lunch with Scott).
Speaking of lunch, I haven't really eaten anything since then, so I suppose I should attend to that.
I didn't call in to complain about it until today, as they offer no support on weekends.
They don't really offer much on weekdays, either.
A tech is supposed to come out Wednesday...between 8 and 6.
That's a 10 hour window, for those of you keeping score. I have to, potentially, sit at home for 2 hours longer than a standard workday.
(That it's 2 and a half hours shorter than my workday is irrelevant.)
In the meantime, I must resort to dial up, which saddens (and angers) me.
I can't wait until I'm out of here and have access to FiOS.
Speaking of which, I signed a contract on the house tonight. My settlement date is September 19th.
We'll be doing a home inspection next Monday.
But anyway, yay me, I guess, and yay massive debt!
They seem to have worked out some other coverage at work so that I haven't had to go in (though the OT would be nice, especially now).
I did pick up a little more OT today by taking a really boring training class (preceded by having lunch with Scott).
Speaking of lunch, I haven't really eaten anything since then, so I suppose I should attend to that.
Monday, June 04, 2007
You Guys Suck (No, Not YOU GUYS. I Mean My Cable Company)
After I got home yesterday I sent off some hate mail to my cable company. My cable company, by the way, is DirecPath, formerly Mediaworks. Their site can be found here. They claim to be the three-time winner of the “Cable Operator of the Year” Award, though I can’t help but wonder if they created the award themselves, like a man buying a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug for himself. If any of you out there are currently using their “services,” you have my sympathy, and if you’re about to movie into a complex that is “served” by them, my only suggestion is “Don’t.”
When I began using your service over a year ago my Internet connection had a downstream speed of about 1 Mbps and an upstream speed of about 240-250 Kbps. It was not exactly the fastest connection, but it was at least acceptable.
This remained the case until about a month ago, at which point my speed dropped to a range of 212-253 Kbps.
When I first called in to complain about slow speeds, the immediate response I received was “We only offer 1 Mbps.”
When I went on to explain that I was getting considerably less than 1 megabit, the response changed to “We only offer 256 Kbps.”
Technical support informed me that my account was “set” at 256K and that I would need to have my account changed. This was despite the fact that I’m still paying the same amount that I’ve paid right from the start, most of which time I was receiving speeds of 1 Mbps. The technical support person stated that it was not possible for me to have ever received that sort of speed with the way my account was set, basically saying that either A. I’m mistaken about the speeds I was receiving, indicating that I’m not savvy enough to notice a more than 75% decrease in speed or that B. I’m lying about having ever received higher speeds.
When I spoke to someone in customer service and asked how it was that, with no accompanying decrease in price, my account was set to a lower level of service I was told that the top speed offered has always been 256 Kbps, again, implying that I’m mistaken or lying about my previous speeds.
I work in the Network Operation Center of a major ISP, and have worked in technical support for DSL and cable Internet services – I know the difference between 1 Mbps and 256 Kbps; I am not lying when I say that I had previously been receiving 1 Mbps, nor am I mistaken, so the claim that the speed offered has “always” been 256 Kbps is patently false.Clearly the level of service I receive has been changed dramatically and without notice (or even an acknowledgment on your part that it has changed, as the response I receive is that it’s “always” been that way, even though when I initially mention that my problem is related to speed I’m informed that you offer 1 Mbps) with no corresponding change to the amount I am paying for said service.
A technician was supposed to be dispatched to my residence to discuss my concerns about my Internet service on 5/30. No one ever stopped by
My current speed, per Broadband Reports, is 238 Kbps down, 242 Kbps up.
In the 21st Century this barely qualifies as broadband, and is certainly not a level of service that is appropriate for the amount of money I’m paying per month, particularly when I had been receiving speeds more than four times faster for the same price.
To say that I am frustrated would be putting it mildly. This is clearly an unacceptable situation. I am paying far too much money per month to receive less than a quarter of the speed I had been receiving for more than a year, and the speeds I am currently receiving barely qualify as broadband.
They certainly don’t match up to the claims of being “blazingly fast” or 30 times faster than 28.8 dial-up that are listed on your Web site. I’m not certain why you base your speed comparisons to a 28.8 modem, given that 56 Kbps modems have been the standard for nearly a decade, though that’s neither here nor there.
I have previously sent in a complaint about this (as well as a complaint about my TV service, which has been at least partially addressed) and did not receive a response. The response I receive upon calling is neither consistent nor helpful.
Please respond to this communication. Given that I can get DSL service at three times my current speed for less than half the cost, I will likely make the switch unless I receive an acceptable response.
Thank you,
When I began using your service over a year ago my Internet connection had a downstream speed of about 1 Mbps and an upstream speed of about 240-250 Kbps. It was not exactly the fastest connection, but it was at least acceptable.
This remained the case until about a month ago, at which point my speed dropped to a range of 212-253 Kbps.
When I first called in to complain about slow speeds, the immediate response I received was “We only offer 1 Mbps.”
When I went on to explain that I was getting considerably less than 1 megabit, the response changed to “We only offer 256 Kbps.”
Technical support informed me that my account was “set” at 256K and that I would need to have my account changed. This was despite the fact that I’m still paying the same amount that I’ve paid right from the start, most of which time I was receiving speeds of 1 Mbps. The technical support person stated that it was not possible for me to have ever received that sort of speed with the way my account was set, basically saying that either A. I’m mistaken about the speeds I was receiving, indicating that I’m not savvy enough to notice a more than 75% decrease in speed or that B. I’m lying about having ever received higher speeds.
When I spoke to someone in customer service and asked how it was that, with no accompanying decrease in price, my account was set to a lower level of service I was told that the top speed offered has always been 256 Kbps, again, implying that I’m mistaken or lying about my previous speeds.
I work in the Network Operation Center of a major ISP, and have worked in technical support for DSL and cable Internet services – I know the difference between 1 Mbps and 256 Kbps; I am not lying when I say that I had previously been receiving 1 Mbps, nor am I mistaken, so the claim that the speed offered has “always” been 256 Kbps is patently false.Clearly the level of service I receive has been changed dramatically and without notice (or even an acknowledgment on your part that it has changed, as the response I receive is that it’s “always” been that way, even though when I initially mention that my problem is related to speed I’m informed that you offer 1 Mbps) with no corresponding change to the amount I am paying for said service.
A technician was supposed to be dispatched to my residence to discuss my concerns about my Internet service on 5/30. No one ever stopped by
My current speed, per Broadband Reports, is 238 Kbps down, 242 Kbps up.
In the 21st Century this barely qualifies as broadband, and is certainly not a level of service that is appropriate for the amount of money I’m paying per month, particularly when I had been receiving speeds more than four times faster for the same price.
To say that I am frustrated would be putting it mildly. This is clearly an unacceptable situation. I am paying far too much money per month to receive less than a quarter of the speed I had been receiving for more than a year, and the speeds I am currently receiving barely qualify as broadband.
They certainly don’t match up to the claims of being “blazingly fast” or 30 times faster than 28.8 dial-up that are listed on your Web site. I’m not certain why you base your speed comparisons to a 28.8 modem, given that 56 Kbps modems have been the standard for nearly a decade, though that’s neither here nor there.
I have previously sent in a complaint about this (as well as a complaint about my TV service, which has been at least partially addressed) and did not receive a response. The response I receive upon calling is neither consistent nor helpful.
Please respond to this communication. Given that I can get DSL service at three times my current speed for less than half the cost, I will likely make the switch unless I receive an acceptable response.
Thank you,
Jon Maki
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
How Could It Be Otherwise?
This is how the world works.
I sat home all day waiting for some schmuck from the cable company to come and fix the problem with channel 41, which is displaying information for Dish Network customers ranging from how to read their Dish Network bills to using their Dish Network remotes rather than, as it’s supposed to, displaying The Learning Channel, and to address my concerns/questions/complaints about the speed of my Internet service.
The waiting was interfering with my plans to head to the comic shop to pick up this week’s new comics for Scott and myself.
By a bit after 4 PM, channel 41 was no longer telling me about the great services offered by Dish Network, but was instead showing me designer Laurie Smith flouncing around in all her pregnant look-at-me-I-have-it-all-a-great-career-and-a-family-just-look-at-how-I’m-glowing-and-keeping-my-hand-on-my-belly-to-make-sure-you-notice-that-I’m-pregnant glory.
So one problem was addressed. The other? Well, by 5 I knew that the chances of the schmuck from the cable company actually knocking on my door were slim to none, so I said, “Screw it,” got in the car, and headed over to the comic shop to pick up this week’s new books…only to discover that this week’s new books won’t be in until tomorrow due to the holiday.
*Sigh*
If I weren’t so dead-solid positive that my cable company wouldn’t do anything to shatter its record of shitty service I would bet that the schmuck actually showed up during the time I was gone.
I sat home all day waiting for some schmuck from the cable company to come and fix the problem with channel 41, which is displaying information for Dish Network customers ranging from how to read their Dish Network bills to using their Dish Network remotes rather than, as it’s supposed to, displaying The Learning Channel, and to address my concerns/questions/complaints about the speed of my Internet service.
The waiting was interfering with my plans to head to the comic shop to pick up this week’s new comics for Scott and myself.
By a bit after 4 PM, channel 41 was no longer telling me about the great services offered by Dish Network, but was instead showing me designer Laurie Smith flouncing around in all her pregnant look-at-me-I-have-it-all-a-great-career-and-a-family-just-look-at-how-I’m-glowing-and-keeping-my-hand-on-my-belly-to-make-sure-you-notice-that-I’m-pregnant glory.
So one problem was addressed. The other? Well, by 5 I knew that the chances of the schmuck from the cable company actually knocking on my door were slim to none, so I said, “Screw it,” got in the car, and headed over to the comic shop to pick up this week’s new books…only to discover that this week’s new books won’t be in until tomorrow due to the holiday.
*Sigh*
If I weren’t so dead-solid positive that my cable company wouldn’t do anything to shatter its record of shitty service I would bet that the schmuck actually showed up during the time I was gone.
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