I have hinted at my frustration with incompetent people in a previous blog….but things has progressed to unexpected heights.
When I started living the country full time I changed my phone package to include long distance calls, internet and cable. It sounds simple enough. I stayed at the same address with the same provider…Or so I thought…
Someone somehow decided to modify my billing address…. so I stopped receiving bills. I got calls about it, I made calls back trying to correct the mistake back and forth for weeks. Last week I thought I had finally spoken to someone who knew what she was doing, when she assured me that everything was corrected and that I should get my statements shortly. The next day… again a call inquiring about why I had not paid my bill. I explained for the umpteenth time that I was awaiting to see the bill so that I could pay it…Bla bla bla…he apologized said he understood and made a note in my file (IF they really do that I must have a very thick file). I was still confident that I would get my bill and be able to pay it and be on my way……But that was too simple … the next day… with no warning, the phone went dead….zilch…nothing…total silence…
Now how does one communicate with the phone company when there is no dial tone? A cell phone, of course is handy BUT it works on battery and is billed by the minute…and what do big companies do when you call? they put you on hold for hours…To make things even more interesting…my cell phone does not work inside the house…because I am surrounded by mountains, I have to stand outside a few feet away from my door. So imagine if you will, a very irritated woman in her nightie, standing in the rain waiting for a human to come on the line for 2 hours!!! I was NOT a happy camper…
Eventually a nicer person claimed he had corrected the mistake and I should get my phone back in the next 24 hours….
The 24 hours came and went…and still no phone….
I tried to access my bill online thinking this could speed things up…. Again I hit a wall getting an error message suggesting that I try again later….There was a cute little pop up offering direct help through a chat window…I figured why not??
Let it be known that no matter who you get, the person is ALWAYS called Linda….and Linda is an idiot….who keeps asking if you are satisfied that she has answered your question…. All Linda was able to do was get me even more irritated….claiming that I do not exist…Hellooooo….
Sooo here I sit by the phone with no dial tone …and no phone bill to pay…
When they call to sell you something they are so quick to access your profile and history but when there is a problem they have no clue who you are or that you have been paying your bills on time religiously for 40 years…and treat you like you are a good for nothing dead beat. This is adding insult to injury…
I tried going to their service outlet in person thinking that if I offered to pay my bill they might see that I really exist…no such luck…they would not take my money. I was handed a phone and told to speak to the customer service…and the circle started again…I ended up loosing my cool and leaving after being told one more time that I do not exist…