Customer service clarification, Verizon

I've been blogging about customer service issues and dissed Verizon, but I should have noted that when they (the company) sent a technician out to my house, he (the person) was excellent.

First, he told me frankly there was no way I could get the connection speeds I signed up for and suggested I downgrade my plan. I was just to far away from the local hub. Then he installed what he called a home run—a direct line from the service box on my street to my modem. He claimed by bypassing any local connections in the house, this would ensure I was getting the fastest speed possible.

This is a good illustration of something I said earlier (forgive me for quoting myself):

...good customer service is often representative of the individual and bad customer service often of lame brain company policy.

Anyway, I felt like I needed to set the record straight on that one. I am not actually sure if he was a Verizon employee or a subcontractor working for Verizon. But in any case, I felt he helped me out as best as he could.

Bad customer service: Verizon (part 2)

I've blogged a few times on customer service, both good and bad. I said I experienced both flavors with Verizon, my DSL provider. But I never followed up on that last post. Really it was not the modem at all. But that is a long story and not relevant to today's post. Except that Verizon's customer service is pretty bad.

Recently I wanted to find out if my IP address is unique to me. I tested a few times and found that is is always the same, but I really wasn't sure if the IP was specifically mine or if they filtered a number of clients through the same IP. After talking with some others who know more about this than I do, I am pretty sure my IP is unique to me. But in my process, I sent an email to Verizon technical support through their web site and asked the question.

I got the following response. Did they even read my email? I've annotated the email below just for kicks.

Dear E. Stevenson,
Yes, that's right, most people call me "E period."

Thank you for contacting the Verizon eCenter. I have received your email dated January 18, 2007 regarding information you need from Verizon Online DSL tech support.

We apologize for the trouble you are having.
Well, I am not really having any trouble, I just have a technical question and figure the technical support group would be the best people to contact.

In order to provide you with the technical assistance required to resolve your issue, please contact our Verizon Online Technical Support team directly.
Hmmm...is email not direct enough? Are the smart technical support people only available by phone? Don't they have email?

To reach Verizon Online Technical Support, please dial (800)567-6789. Verify the 10-digit telephone number on which you have or wish to have Internet service, then say the name of the department.

A Verizon Online representative will be happy to assist you.
Aren't you a Verizon Online representative? If not, who are you and why did you get my email I sent to VERIZON?

For offline self-help, DSL customers can use Verizon Online's Support Center software, which should have been loaded on your computer during installation.

You can run the Support Center software to automatically check and fix many common Internet and e-mail problems. You can also find answers to frequently asked questions. Like, why do you have email support, if you then direct people to call? That is a frequently asked question I now have. Just look for and click on the Verizon Online Support Center software "question mark" icon located on your computer desktop or you may go to the following web site to download the software at no additional charge.

http://www.verizon.net/help

The Verizon Online Technical Support team to which we have referred you will be able to assist you. If you have any additional questions, please let us know. Yes, is my IP address specific to me.... We look forward to serving you. If you had just answered my question you would have served me and wouldn't need to look forward to it at a future time.

Thank you for using Verizon. We appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
Darlene
C'mon, we are pretty close. Can I call you "D period?"
Verizon eCenter

Chad Vader

I am not sure where I read about this "series' some guys created and are distributing on YouTube, but it is really funny. Well...that is if you think the premise of Darth Vader's brother (in a full Darth Vader garb) as a shift manager of a supermarket is funny. One of my favorite scenes is Chad Vader telling an angry supermarket customer that he can "feel his anger" and if that the customer "strikes him down" he will refund his money. Hilarious . Note the first episode is probably the weakest, so give it a chance.

Episode 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wGR4-SeuJ0
Episode 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPVlljVWqBg
Episode 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh8u6nTx8wY
Episode 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogIqayRDr4w
Episode 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAkOfoI3SpE

The five things you probably don't know about me post

I was tagged by Barry Gruabart at Content Matters as part of this "five things you don't know about me" blog chain letter thing. Barry tagged me at my employer's group blog, but I moved the response over here.

I don't ever pass on those chain emails that people still send me, but this blog tag thing feels a little different (you need to come here; it is not pushed to your inbox).

So, if you are interested, here are the five things you probably don't know about me:

• Like Barry, my first plane ride was in my early 20s for my first "real" job out of college. It was from Philly to Seattle. But with the same company I then went on to take several international trips and have been to 5 continents. I still need to get to South America (should be doable) and Antarctica (may be more difficult) to hit all seven.
  
  
• With that said, my personal geographic world is pretty small. I can walk to the homes of my sister, my mother-in-law, my wife's sister, my wife's brother, and a number of friends, including one I knew since before kindergarten. My parents, another sister-in-law, and many life long friends, are only a 5-10 minute drive a way.
  
  
• My mother was born in Italy. She was only 4 when she came over with her father, so she doesn't have an accent. But my grandmother is that stereotypical Italian grandmother who is most happy when you are eating large portions of food.
  
  
• In eighth grade, I was condemned to hell by Sister Helen, the principal of my Catholic grade school. All because I didn't want to be an alterboy anymore. I remember most sins were cleared up with a few Hail Marys. I didn't realize the penalty was so rough for this.
  
  
• I was once kicked out of Veteran's stadium in the 4th quarter of an Eagles game. Yes, I was in the fabled 700 level, but no, it was not my fault. Really, it wasn't.
  
  
• I can make things burst into flames just by staring intently at them. Ok, this is a lie, but just wanted to see if you were paying attention. I already did my five.

So that's that. But sorry, I am not passing this on to other bloggers. I am breaking the chain. I've already been damned to hell, so really, what worse can happen?

Rest assured, you can still buy rabbit ears

DSCN4003
Originally uploaded by estevenson.

I have assumed that most people have cable or satellite television and are not picking up their programming from the free electromagnetic television waves darting through the air. I assume this because of the reactions I get whenever I mention I don't have cable. You would think I just said I need to go turn the crank on my car.

Well anyway, we got this under-the-cabinet radio/tv device for the kitchen for Christmas. Having no cable, I need to hook it up to an antenna. I want to use the rabbit ears on the tv in the den and get a new antenna for that tv. Although it has been a few years since I bought an antenna I remember buying one at RadioShack. So I went to RadioShack and asked if they sell them. They do. And they aren't hidden in the back in dusty boxes behind the eight-tracks. They are right there on the shelf. And in fact, the model I wanted, which has a picture frame incorporated into it, was sold out...but will be sent with the new shipments on Thursday. So they actually restock these too.

So there are obviously others out there who still use tv antennas.

A colleague of mine was telling me about his home entertainment set up and I mentioned I don't have cable (gasp!) and that the tv in my living room is actually an old dial tv I bought used from some guy when I was single and living alone (but I should state we do have a more modern tv in the den that we use the most). He didn't believe me so I needed to send him a picture of it, which is the photo here.