"Internet Nightmare" by Rolly A. Chabot

Hi everyone... just wanted to stop in and rant a little about Internet Service Providers and the battle we fight to get what we pay for or in my case what I was not getting.

OK lets all be honest here and admit when we lose service we become somewhat disoriented and lost with out being connected. When we disconnect on our own and pursue other pleasures in life such as a long walk. Or sometime away at that special remote cabin in the wilderness that really is a choice we make and we are OK with it. The test of our patience comes when our providers fail to deliver for one reason or the other.

Gather around and allow me to take you down a pathway filled with frustration and finally I was able to get what I have been paying for dearly back again. Help yourself to some coffee, tea, diet coke and some goodies. Quigley and I will love the company. If Quigley pretends she is not listening and paying more attention to you that is because she has been the tough one in all of this.

Good news by the way The Novel "Smoothwolf" I offered as a free download on Amazon managed 670 downloads. Thank you all who got a copy and if you could I would appreciate a review. It would be a great help.

It all started after I arrived back home and found my Internet down. Being the savvy old techie I have become I did the normal unplug, wait and reboot of my modem. Poof and the net was back but very slow.

Later that night I tried again and the modem was doing all sorts of strange things so I called my service provider who is the biggest in the Province of Alberta with the major share of the market. I decided I better call and report this problem. Like many of you I had to go through all the options they ask for on the phone and then was informed that due to high volumes in calls I would have a wait of no less than 45 minutes.

My other option was to connect to a live chat techie. So I pulled out my trusty Mobile Internet Key, plugged it in and again I went through all the procedures only to find that I was # 28 in the cue. Being the patient person that I have become I waited and waited and I was # 28 for 20 minutes before I made to # 27. To make a very long story short 78 minutes later I actually chatted with my speedy fingers. Millisa who was going to show me how this should be done advised me to do all I had already done. It is a game you learned to play. I eventually gave up after learning she was off in some far distant country after she asked if we had snow still. I just gave up.

I called directly at 9 am sharp the following morning. (Catch them while they are still fresh) This time after the 10 minute tutorial of options I actually spoke with a real live person and was told to do all of the same that I had already tried and I mentioned I thought the modem was bad.

It was like I had insulted them saying something might not be right with their equipment. We went through unplugging and plugging in and rebooting over and over again and the modem still failed.

I was advised that a technician would need to pay me a visit to correct the problem and she scheduled an appointment. It was put on a priority list and I was given a date 9 days away. It was the fastest they could get someone to my remote location. You see I live a few hundred miles in the deep snake infested woods where there are all kinds of scary things and a GPS would never work here. (Just kidding) I live in a small town that has all the amenities including power, flush toilets, phones and yes we have roads and I even have a house address. Come now, get real, 9 days to get service.

A few hours later I was called and asked if I would be willing to drive two hours one way then back again at my expense to get a new modem and I said "Nope" you get it to me. I was told I would need to wait the 9 days in that case. I suppose you might say it was at this point I was completely insulted and started to get a little short. I asked if they had ever heard of couriers, mail or even an air drop. I told them I could watch the skies. Trust me there was no humour returned.

I then wrote a rather blunt email to the company and address it to some upper Executive that must have posted his name by mistake on the company site.

Being the resourceful person I have become I called a few of the competitors and learned of what they offered as bundles for everything like I have with this company. You know, phone, Internet, TV etc. What I learned was as a promotional I could get a far better deal with another Canadian company and I was on the verge of taking the plunge when my cell phone rang. It was my service provider and I put him on hold while I finished with the competitor. They informed me as a new customer I could have service within three days at a reduced rate and I could have service within two days.

The fellow on hold was a very nice fellow and when I mentioned I was thinking of switching and moving on the name of the tune changed slightly. Actually so did the rhythm and the tempo and yes even the pricing. It was then I was able to get their attention. They said they would be looking into it a little further ... right I thought.

An Executive Director of the provider called a few minutes later and told me a new modem was on the way. His words "Rolly you are a valued customer." That was yesterday and the new modem arrived priority courier this morning. I plugged it in and configured all of the toys I have here and again the network is secure and up and running. I will be sending the old failed modem back to them C.O.D.

I may be boasting here about my new modem but it is twice as fast and is one sleek looking model and has many new options. It is working great and I am once again a happy camper.

As consumers we do have some rights. Do we have too many toys and gadgets you bet. But as a customer who pays for a product or a service like us can make a difference if we speak out. We can make a point without getting angry, frustrated yes but at the end of the day all we want is what we pay for. Communications in this house alone with the net, phone and satellite amounts to 150 dollars per month. To most people that os a great deal and we expect better than to be just shuffled off to the side like little children and basically be told. This is the way it is so just accept it.

If you feel you have been cheated or wronged please say something and stand your ground. By the way one other benefit is this company matched the competitors price and reduced it further. The bonus is I have been locked into the new price for a year.

Maybe some lessons can be learned by some of these companies that maybe, just maybe the consumer might have an idea of what is wrong. I later learned the old modem I have has been recalled by the company for just this reason. Maybe someone should send out a directive to notify the customer service staff.

At the end of the day know that you are all loved and oh yes in case you are wondering we do not have snow here yet and not expecting any for a few months.