Automated phone systems

[Chris Maunder]

What the hell is the problem with phone companies in Canada??? I'm trying - desperately trying - to give them large wads of cash in exchange for a flaky DSL connection but I am defeated. Assumptions I think are valid when looking to get a new high speed internet service and have just moved to a new apartment:

1. I am not an idiot.
2. I do not have a phone connected yet. This means I do not have a phone number.
3. I'm looking for a high speed internet connection for a new apartment. I have never had a phone or dialup account in this country.
4. My apartment is not cable-internet enabled. DSL is my only option.
5. I can read and make my own choice. Usually this means being informed of the services provided by a particular product before buying it
6. I will perservere and burrow deep into phone systems and websites to achieve my goal.

Steps I have gone through.

1. Find a website for a DSL provider.
2. Fail to find information on the products (like speed for instance)
3. Find a page that looks like it has what you want but the stupid flash/javascript/GWBASIC script on the pages crashes and doesn't allow you to get past that screen.
4. Find another page that asks for your phone number and area code - but there's only an entry field for your phone number.
5. Find an online chat thing to talk to a representative and be told to phone the company to get a new service set up.
6. Call the company and be asked for a phone number. Please see the previous step and assumption 2.
7. Finally find a number that allows you to get past the auto-drones and, after going through the 'Press 1 to speak to someone who has no understanding of our products' have the phone go dead.
8. Find another number that allows you to get past the auto-drones and after 6 levels of pressing buttons be asked for your my number. See assumption 2.
9. Find another number and they advise you to visit their website. See Step 2. Then the phone gives you the 'this number is not connected' beeps.
10. Finally give up and decide that the only way I'm going to get info on DSL is if I have a phone number I can give the drones. Proceed through steps 1-9, replacing 'phone' for DSL.
11. Attempt to return to the search page to repeat step 1 and find that the website in question has removed your browsing history so you are unable to return to the search page by pressing 'Back'.
12. Fire up Google again and go to Step 1

I sincerely hope that every over-charging, employee-downsizing, customer-hating, sto

[Ray Cassick]

Reminds me about a time when I tried calling the local phone company around here to try to get ISDN service installed. The only reply from the person on the other end of the phone... "ISDWhat?" I gave up at that point :omg:

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Paul Watson wrote: "At the end of the day it is what you produce that counts, not how many doctorates you have on the wall."
George Carlin wrote: "Don't sweat the petty things, and don't pet the sweaty things."

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[Lost User]

Here's a blog where some phone company vs connectivity issues are discussed... http://www.satn.org[^] Steven J. Ackerman, Consultant ACS, Sarasota, FL http://www.acscontrol.com steve@acscontrol.com sja@gte.net

[benjymous]

The approach my mum takes is just to ignore the menus totally, and just keep hitting 1 until you get through to a human. When they explain that you're talking to someone in the wrong department just demand that they put you through to the correct department directly -- Help me! I'm turning into a grapefruit!

[Jason Gerard]

Usually Pressing 0 will get you straight in queue to speak to a person. Usually not the dept you want but, as you said, demand to be transfered directly. Jason Gerard qeou kai kurios Iasou Cristou doulos

[Andrew Peace]

That post could almost be written by David Wulff about BT it's that good!! :-D -- Andrew.

[Chris Meech]

Not to add salt to your wounds, but another irony here is that if you really wanted to get a high speed internet cable connection from the cable company, .....yes that's right, You have to have a telephone number :) Chris Meech "what makes CP different is the people and sense of community, things people will only discover if they join up and join in." Christian Graus Nov 14, 2002. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! Those leaks are driving me crazy! How does one finds a memory leak in a garbage collected environment ??! Daniel Turini Nov. 2, 2002.

[Roger Wright]

I'd strongly recommend that you publish the above word-for-word in a large newspaper, and name names. This would make an excellent guest column, and might actually be noticed by the telco high muckymucks! Nobody wants to read a diary by someone who has not seen the shadow of Bubba on the prison shower wall in front of them!
Paul Watson, on BLOGS and privacy - 1/16/2003