February 10, 2021
Why I hate...
Hate is such a strong word, but really, that's the only word I know...
Why I hate VERIZON the phone company and VERIZON the DSL provider.
A short story by Jamye Waxman
I am living in the housing projects where not everybody has a computer, and where maybe two people have wireless Internet. That means I can't get my wireless card to work in my apartment, and that means for the past two months I have been living a life in a solitary studio overlooking the East River without any form of outside communication. I don't want a TV, which means I can't get a cable modem to help my computer get online. I opted for the "cheaper" alternative, a phone hookup which would lead to DSL service.
Ah, DSL, I thought, how exciting! I couldn't wait to get my phone and my new friend. At first Verizon was very nice, and seemingly helpful. They hooked me up with a phone number and the insurance that my DSL starter kit would be in the mail the next day.
I got a call the next day that they had to change my phone number. Okay. Fine. No Big Deal. The new number was actually a much easier to remember one, and I was happy with the triple same digits at the end of it. I anxiously awaited my DSL starter kit. Another week passed. Nothing.
When I called Verizon to find out where the kit had gone, they told me that my DSL order had been cancelled because they couldn't find service for the old number. No one had "communicated" to a "communications" company that my phone number was changing. I was upset. Disturbed. But I gave them another hour of my time, all the information they needed, and the hope that they could somehow expedite my service. I placed this second call on Jan. 27th and they told me I wouldn't see DSL until Feb. 9th.
Since I feel like 2005 is my year of practicing patience, I decided this was a good enough test. I waited, patiently, until Feb. 9th. I read the instructions on the install kit that eventually made it's way to my home, and I followed all instructions, including the one that read "don't install until after 6PM on the date of installation."
I didn't get home until close to 11PM. Like a child on Christmas Eve, I tore open the box that held the key to my outside communication. I did everything the install CD told me to do, and when it came time for my computer and the DSL system to become one, nothing happened.
Funny, I thought. I'll give it a few more minutes to connect.
After 40 minutes (the instructions said it would take several minutes to get a connection, and I didn't know what several meant), I called Verizon. I told them that my DSL was having problems, and they looked up my order. The technical man on the phone last night told me that my order had once again been cancelled.
I told him I hate Verizon. I told him that for a communications company they sure as hell didn't know how to communicate. He told me to call sales in the morning.
This morning, upon my 7AM wakeup, I made the first call. I didn't talk to anyone until after 8AM. They told me that my service wasn't cancelled, it's just that it's still pending. When I asked what that meant, they couldn't give me an answer. They couldn't tell me how long until my service would be active and no longer in limbo.
I hate Verizon.
The sucky thing is that I have no where else to go. I don't want to get cable. I can't use my wireless card in my apartment and I need Internet access in my abode. So now I must wait, a prisoner of Verizon, while they take steps 8 and 9, apparently my service is almost complete at step 7. I asked if they could email me an update, they said no. They said they couldn't really do anything, except tell me what they've told me.
What can I do? I'll demand lots of free DSL time, but other than that, I've already made some ridiculous threats to any Verizon phone operator I get to talk to. I am going mad. And it's all because of Verizon.
Insanity. Just another reason to hate Verizon.
Posted by jamye at February 10, 2021 04:28 PM