My Current Internet-Access Woes

Filed under: whines and rants

So my broadband connection has been down for quite a while now. (I hadn't noticed because my computer automatically connected me to a close-by wifi signal; it only became obvious to me that my own Internet connection was down when my TiVo let me know it had stopped updating its TV programming info.)

So I've had to call Comcast to fix the issue (it was definitely an issue with the cable box or downstream of the cable modem, not my 'puter). The experience has led me to a discovery that could be a business opportunity for someone -- Comcast is apparently in need of better service scheduling/tracking software.

Comcast technician #1 arrives Saturday (an hour ahead of my scheduled window, but that was cool with me), fiddles around with everything and determines it has something to do with something between my unit (the dwelling, not the cable box) and the amplifier on the roof. She gets on the phone with dispatch and tells me the earliest anyone can come out to look at the line is Monday. We decide to schedule something for the following Saturday since I didn't want to take time off work.

On Sunday afternoon, I'm enjoying a nice iced mocha from Dean and Deluca, and I get a call from Comcast: was I not aware I had an appointment for someone to come over today? Uh? No, I wasn't aware that a Sunday appointment was even an option, but sure I'll run home real quick to let the second cable person in.

I explain the situation to Comcast technician #2, who had been told absolutely nothing about the previous service call and therefore needs to repeat the entire troubleshooting procedure. He determines first cable person was wrong and it really was just the box. Cable person #2 doesn't have a replacement box (something cable person #1 would have left for me had she properly diagnosed the issue). Cable person #2 sets me up with an appointment Friday afternoon (sometime between 1 and 5) to have someone drop off a new box. Don't see why this would require an appointment, but am told I'd have to be home.

Get a call this morning (Monday) confirming my appointment with Comcast today. Huh? Woman on the phone doesn't know what the service call is supposed to be about but promises to make a note in the system advising the technician just to drop the hardware off at the front desk. Since they want the old modem back, I rescheduled the drop-off for tomorrow so I can bring it to the front desk tonight.

So we'll see what happens. Hopefully tomorrow will be the last day they'll need to remind me about the daily appointments I seem to have set up with them. (But more important: I'm cautiously hopeful that my Internet connection will be back up.)

Posted by Melanie Phung