I really like the functional service level of my DSL. When it’s not working right though, it’s irritating as can be. I’ve had intermittant problems with them since I moved into this house last June. It may not make any technical sense, but apparently every time the weather changes, my internet stops working right at home. For this season, it seems like during the day the uplink is almost non-functional and download works great. Then as the weather cools down at night I completely lose service until I reboot a few times.
I’ve called Verizon technical support enough times I know all the basic troubleshooting steps, and I do them before calling. I’ve been instructed now by a “Tier 3” technical support person to just ignore whatever “Tier 1” wants and just ask straightaway for Tier 3. If they want to do the basic troubleshooting stuff, I just get fed up until they transfer me. I hate to be that way, but it’s the game you have to play since Verizon is too ignorant to open an American, English-as-a-first-language call center. They have one for business users, but consumer accounts have to speak to “Paul” or “Anna” in the Phillipines, Mexico, or Brazil.
To make matters worse, I called from work on Friday because I have terrible cell signal at my house (it’s Verizon Wireless, go figure) and blessed out a Tier 1 agent until I got retention, who got me a Tier 3 person, who scheduled a new modem and ran a 24 hour line test. The next day, Saturday, I got a phone call that I missed. My voicemail said it was Verizon tech support and I should call them back if I’m still having the same problem. I called, they had closed my ticket because I didn’t immediately answer their call. I cried BS on that and the tech opened a new ticket referencing the old one. I asked for him to send me to Tier 3, and instead he kept me on hold for about 15 minutes (taking their required two-minute check-in to tell me to continue to hold) while he spoke with a “Network Specialist” and finally figured out I wasn’t just pulling his leg about having a signal problem.
Tier 1/2 techs run a line test, and apparently it’s not nearly as detailed or comprehensive as the next level’s line test, because he said I had a “good connection” and should be fine, but I was still having the issue. I said “Look, I didn’t just call you for $#!ts and giggles, I’m not bull$#!tting you here. Your test seems inaccurate, because it’s definitely having uplink problems.” Finally he came back from hold to say they were having technical difficulties with the line test with the Network Specialist, and then they did discover a problem. I got tired of waiting and just asked if there was anything else they’d need for me today, and they finally acquiesced they didn’t really need me to wait on hold while they resubmitted my request to the central office.
Today I got a phone call that I answered right away. I’m so nervous about answering unknown numbers from outside my area code. It was Verizon, sounded like probably a Tier 3, he was at least a non-accented english speaker. We confirmed an 8am – 12 noon time on Friday when I’m off work for a tech to come out. My modem should be in Monday or Tuesday and maybe that will resolve the issue.
However, I’ve inspected my modem’s status page, and what I see is that my attenuation is fine, SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) for download is fine, but SNR for upload is 5 (not sure what the unit is, maybe dB?) – which I looked up and that is supposed to cause sync issues and connectivity problems, which is exactly what I’m seeing. I’m going to try moving the DSL modem to another room and a shorter phone cable to see if that fixes anything.
Anyone else pissed off by the random outages, signal issues, service issues, and the really ridiculous foreign call centers? You shouldn’t have to learn another language or play some sort of game to get real technical support and timely customer service. Also, remember when you’re a business and you upset one customer, that customer goes and tells at least 5 other friends. Well what happens when that customer is a blogger? Hundreds of people find out just how much you suck. Fight back, friends.
I once told a Verizon tech I would catch him fire if I could and that any Verizon person I see will immediately be on my shit list. I am still having trouble with my DSL.
I too am pissed off by the random outages, signal issues, service issues, and the really ridiculous foreign call centers! I’m having connectivity issues today! I have been through the same scenario with the Verizon tech people!
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Yes, I continue to have problems with Verizon support. Do they really think folks like their problems being handled by tech people in India or Brazil? Do they really think we love that woman's recorded voice? Right now, my DSL works fine, but only after someone in India with a hard to understand accent bypassed the regular modem start up process. The next problem was getting my account to show up online. Another 45 mins. Really, even though I believe the world is connected, India seems a bit far away to handle a problem in New England. This morning I spent 45 mins on the phone with (as usual) a variety of Verizon folks, one after the other, (and don't you hate that recorded voice???) trying to figure out why my bill was not current online, while they have it up to date. I asked them if they could email me a more current total, and they told me they couldn't do this. But, not to worry, it would show soon. Well, if Verizon can't do this, then who can? Well, no more paying my bill online then. Back to slow mail I'm pretty close to giving up on Verizon, my only hesitation is that Comcast is just as bad.
I recommend always asking for retention, calling between 9am – 5pm EST. Then ask for Tier 3 in Canada. That should be a little closer to home and easier to understand.