Repeated Failure To Make A Connection

I recently had an issue with my phone and Internet. The phone was operational but garbled with static, which in turn tricked my voicemail into thinking callers were leaving messages. As for my Internet, my speed was down considerably, and, according to the lights on my modem, the DSL connection would disappear every dozen minutes or so.

Once I convinced my ISP to send a technician, I got the basic line:

ISP: “Please ensure that someone is home between [Appointment Times] so our technician can have access to the property.”

Despite this warning, the technician never actually came to the door. Whoever it was worked outside on the lines the entire time and never even approached the door or picked up the phone to call us, effectively meaning I wasted a whole day for a meeting this person decided was unnecessary. I find this particularly egregious because at one point the technician packed up and left despite my having lost what little service I had. I gave the benefit of the doubt, and I was rewarded with a return; evidently, there was something related to the job that had to be done elsewhere. And since I got an email for a survey, I made sure to tell the ISP exactly how I felt. Thankfully, the problem was solved. For a month.

One month later, the phone was nothing but static with no hidden dial tone. Though the Internet’s speed was unaffected, the modem still said the DSL connection was dropping every dozen or so minutes. Once again, I got someone out after much manipulation. Once again, I got the line:

ISP: “Please ensure someone is home between [Appointment Times] so our technician can have access to the property.”

Once again, the technician never came to the door or called us. Once again, the technician packed up and left when nothing worked. Once again, I made sure the ISP understood that this was unacceptable. Once again, though, it was fixed. And once again, it only lasted a month.

This third time, nothing worked. At all. The phone didn’t even have static; it was just dead air. And the DSL connection was now so bad that it couldn’t be retained for more than a few seconds out of a dozen minutes. So, for the third time, I had to call my ISP. For the third time, I got the line:

ISP: “Please ensure someone is home between [Appointment Times] so our technician can have access to the property.”

However, due to how bad the situation had gotten, this time I turned my modem off and unplugged it from everything — the electrical socket, the phone line, and the computer. Also different this time, the technician actually came to the door and asked me to explain the situation.

Technician: “If the service is that bad, the lines are probably shorted out. The weather or an animal might be messing up the wiring. And since it’s been a recurring problem, I’m going replace the whole line and see if we need to get an exterminate out here.”

Later on, he came back to the door.

Technician: “I think I’ve got it set up. I just need to head back to the station to reset it, and then I’ll be back to check the connection strength. It’ll probably be an hour.”

True to his word, he came back within the hour.

Technician: “The outside lines say the connection’s strong — about what we can get in the area. I just need to check the inside.”

The phone worked again, with no sound effects. Then, we got to the modem. Once it was hooked back up, I powered it up. It took considerably longer than normal for my modem to power up and attempt to make a DSL connection. I made sure to mention this, just in case it was important.

Technician: “Wait. ‘Never that slow’? You’re sure?”

Me: “Absolutely. It normally tries to establish a DSL connection within three seconds.”

This was easily three times that.

Technician: “Hang on a minute.”

While my connection established, he pulled out his phone and called (I assume) his supervisor.

Technician: “This is [Technician], ID [number]. Can I have a work history for [my address] under account [My Name]?” *Pauses* “Okay, thank you.” *Hangs up* “Unplug your modem.”

Me: *Doing so* “What’s up?”

Technician: “The two guys who were here before also replaced your lines. From that and seeing your modem power up, I think the short is in your modem. The short’s taking the electricity from the outlet and sending it across the phone lines and frying them, which is also why it’s so slow to power up. If we replace the modem, the problem should disappear.”

Since I got my modem from the ISP, I gave it to the technician and he gave me a fresh one from his van. The new one powered up much more quickly, like my old one did before. After he confirmed that my Internet connection was back and up to speed, he marked my job done and went to his next one. And when that survey came in, I gave him a glowing review.

It’s been three months since that last technician came to fix my problems, and my lines haven’t yet shorted out. As such, I must conclude that his theory was correct. This, ladies and gentlemen, is why the companies ask you to stay home to greet their employees, and why it is so important for their employees to actually communicate with the clients.