I pit Cavalier... No, Verizon... No, somebody...

The BBQ Pit
#1

Last Thursday, around 1:30 PM, while watching streaming video of Gonzales forgetting everything, I suddenly lost the stream. Then I found I was unable to load anything. I rebooted my computer. Still nothing.

I double-checked all of my connections: computer to router, router to DSL modem, DSL modem to wall jack etc. Then I checked my phone… no dial tone. I did discover that, if I called my number from my cell my Cavalier voice mail would answer after a few rings. I double-checked all of the phone connections… nothing. I took a corded phone outside to test in the junction box and discovered that there is no junction box outside, or in the basement. (I currently live in the second floor of a duplex and I had never checked the phone connections before.)

Then I called Cavalier customer service on my cellphone. Of course I had to use 45-50 cellular minutes navigating menus and listening to muzak on hold. :mad:

Finally I got to talk to an operator. I explained that I had checked all of the connections and that the building had no junction box for me to test (you would normally use this to tell if the problem is yours or the phone companies).

The he told me that he had a quick test he could do. A few seconds later he told me that the problem was the phone company’s. I think he said that it was in the “central office”. I forget the exact term.

He tried to turn it back on but was unable to. He then told me that they would send out someone on Friday between 8 and 5 to fix it.

Around 4:00 PM Friday he called me back (I had given him my cell number) and told me that the technician hadn’t been given all the necessary information and therefore hadn’t been able to make the repair. :mad: :mad: He said they’d send somebody out on Monday. :mad: :mad: :mad:

Half an hour later he calls me and tells me that he found out what happened. Verizon (who actually owns the wires, etc.) had turned off my service DUE TO A CLERICAL ERROR!!! It would be resolved Monday. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

On Monday (yesterday) they told me that a Verizon tech would go out to the central office this coming FRIDAY to fix the problem. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: I told them that I was extremely unhappy about this as I had done nothing to warrant a disconnection and that this problem should have been corrected the day it happened.

Today (Tuesday) I used my cell to check my voicemail which, fortunately, has continued to work through all of this. There was a peppy friendly prerecorded message from Cavalier saying that it was calling to confirm that the problem had been totally resolved on Monday.

Of course this was not the case, I still had no DSL and no dial tone. I called their customer service to tell them that it had in fact not been resolved. The woman I talked to told me that my account showed a service order for someone from Verizon to come out and fix the problem on MAY 29!!!

JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!! FUCKING MAY 29??? FUCKING FIVE WEEKS AFTER I’M DISCONNECTED DUE TO A GODDAMNED FUCKING CLERICAL ERROR???

I informed her that there was no way that was happening. She said that she would look into at least getting me a dial tone a little sooner.

After ending that conversation (still using my cell minutes) I called the PUC and told them that I wanted to file a complaint against Cavalier and Verizon. As it turns out, I can only file a complain against Cavalier since I am not technically a customer of Verizon (even though they appear to be the ones at fault here). I filed the complaint.

After a while the woman from Cavalier called my cell phone back to tell me that she managed to get a service order for this friday for a dial tone. I asked about the DSL. She said that that could be added later. I asked what that meant. She said maybe next week. :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I told her that I had filed a complaint with the PUC. She asked if there was anything else she could do for me. I said yes but it didn’t look like she was going to and ended the call.

GODDAMNIT! I AM USING THE FREAKING INTERNET TO LOOK FOR A NEW JOB! I HAVE RESUMES OUT AND I’M WAITING FOR EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS IN RESPONSE! YOU CUT ME OFF DUE TO A CLERICAL ERROR, THEN YOU TELL ME THAT IT WILL TAKE 5 FREAKIN’ WEEKS TO CORRECT IT, THEN YOU BACK DOWN AND TELL ME THAT YOU CAN KINDA SORTA FIX IT THE END OF THIS WEEK (I’ll believe it when I see it) AND MAYBE BY NEXT WEEK YOU CAN HAVE IT COMPLETELY RESOLVED… THIS WAS NOT MY FUCKING MISTAKE, I DID NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS RIDICULOUS TREATMENT. AREN’T THERE LAWS? ISN’T IT ILLEGAL TO JUST CUT SOMEONE OFF WITHOUT NOTICE? DON’T YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF RESPONSIBILITY TO CORRECT YOUR ERRORS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE? AND SHOULDN’T I BE ABLE TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST THE COMPANY THAT ACTUALLY IS AT FAULT RATHER THAN ONE THAT MAY JUST BE AN INNOCENT BYSTANDER IN ALL OF THIS? :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I’m typing this on a friends dialup AOL account. I don’t know when or if I’ll post again or be able to read your responses. Maybe one day I’ll return to the world of telephones and internet, if someone will let me…

#2

I don’t know if this is still true, but Verizon used to have a extra-special complaints number. I think it was called “Escalated Complaint Hotline” or “Corporate Complaint Board” or some such important-sounding name that implied it wasn’t available to mere peons. It was in amongst the other help line numbers published in the front of their phone books.

It is, in fact, available to mere peons, and those guys get to kick some ass. Helpful, friendly, competent, and TOTALLY PISSED OFF by stupidity. After Verizon dicked me around for 6 weeks with no end in sight, I called them, and they had the problem fixed in four days with an extra $200 worth of service thrown in for free. And all of the technicians who showed up to do the work were incredibly hot babes (not sure how they arranged this, but damn).

However, this was seven years ago, so that hotline might not still be running. It’s worth a look, though.

mischievous

#3

That is outrageous. I would place a call to the Penn PUC 1-800-782-1110 and file a complaint. Their website . I work for a phone company and I know that we bend over backwards to ensure our customer’s are happy. Most especially if it was our mistake. If you had to wait for the next day, well there are only so many technicians and so many hours in the day. But, weeks? There’s no reason for it.

#4

(I’m sitting at a library computer. They had to turn off the porn filter in order for me to access straightdope :confused: )

I’ve already filed a complaint with the PUC but I’ll check out that website, thanks.

Cavalier is giving me all of these excuses about how it’s “not that simple”, etc. Verizon won’t even talk to me about it since I’m not technically their customer.

You know that if this was the CEO of Verizon this problem would have been fixed IMMEDIATELY (and people may have lost their jobs).

I just can’t believe that they tried to put me off for more than a month. This is freaking ridiculous. :mad:

The worst part is that I have no real alternatives. All phone providers around here use Verizon’s wires. I could try Comcasts VOIP but I’ve heard horror stories about that, plus if the power goes out your phone service is gone.

#5

Are you sure that Cavalier is not blaming Verizon because it makes them look better? Can you get someone from Cavalier to do a 3 way call with Verizon customer service, since Cavalier is their customer, to try to get service quicker?

You might want to go to consumer advocate at your local TV station to see if they would do a “Shame on the phone company” episode.

#6

Well, I finally have my service back. But I had to solve part of their problem myself.

There was another service call scheduled this past Friday afternoon. By Friday evening I still had no dial tone or DSL and Cavalier customer service said there was nothing they could do till Monday.

This morning I woke up with a brainstorm. I used to have two phone lines, from back when I had dialup internet service. I dug out the splitter plug that gave me access to line 2, lugged it into a jack, plugged a phone into line 2, and presto, a dial tone! :smiley: When I dial my home number from my cell, my phone rings! The same thing worked for the DSL. So I’ve swapped the wires so that my jacks now default to what used to be line 2 and everything works fine.

So I had to solve part of the problem for them. But, the nice part is that they are giving me 2 months of free phone service!

You don’t know how good a dial tone sounds till you’ve been without one for nearly two weeks. :smiley:

#7

Very glad you have dial tone back, sorry you were screwed over by both companies. Good for you to get two fee months out of this.

#8

If I hadn’t thought to check the second line this might have gone on indefinitely. They were apparently clueless. I don’t know how they managed to switch it over to the wrong line.

#9

They had told me repeatedly that I didn’t need to be home for a repairman to come since the problem was in their central office and they didn’t need to come here to fix it.

Yesterday morning, I called them and told them that the problem was solved.

So what happens? A few minutes ago there’s a knock on my apartment door (they can’t use the doorbell downstairs?). It was a man from Verizon, here to fix the phone. :confused:

#10

You know what it says in big bold letters on Verizon paystubs? “Provided to you by our customers”.

#11

To be fair, I’m not sure who’s to blaim for the whole fiasco, Cavalier or Verizon. It may be that Verizon repeatedly screwed things up, or it may be that they were simply acting on faulty info provided by Cavalier, or they may both be at fault. I will say that much of what Cavalier told me didn’t ring true to me.

Whatever the explanation, the whole business was unacceptable and they have complaints on record with The PA PUC, the Better Business Bureau, and the FCC.

The one good thing is that they are giving me two months of free service. I consider it a consulting fee for having solved the problem for them.

#12

So today I got the regular monthly bill. What the hell happened to the 2 months of free service! :mad:

Tuesday morning they’re getting an angry phone call.

#13

I just received an automated phone call from Cavalier informing me that my service call is scheduled for sometime between 7 am and 8 pm tomorrow. :smack:

I called them to let them know that it wasn’t necessary and that they should cancel the call.

While talking to them I metioned that I was expecting a credit which wasn’t showing on my most recent bill. She said that the credit hadn’t been applied in time to be reflected on the latest bill but that if I called their automated payment line it should tell me that I have a credit. I called that line and it does show the correct credit.

So it looks like all of this is finally settled, although I fully expect to be woken up at 7:30 tomorrow morning by a service person making an unnecessary service visit.