Thursday, February 21, 2008

You can't make this stuff up!

So today I'm going about my day, made a couple phone calls, filled out some stuff online- normal routine. I start supper and realize I'm out of cheese, so I pick up the phone to call my grandma to see if she has any I can use. No dial tone. Odd- then I realize no dsl. Interesting.

I quickly think back- no, we paid our bill. I haven't even recieved the new one yet. Thankfully we had just purchased a pay as you go cell phone and I had that with me, so I call At&T
I reach an automated system.I tell the nice computer man voice that I need technical support. He transfers me to...another automated system. I tell that nice computer man voice what is wrong with my phone line, he runs a test, and tells me that my phone will be repaired today between the hours of "now and seven O clock pm" (I didn't know that "now" was an hour, but thats beside the point) I hang up, and decide to take advantage of the quiet (HA!) by cleaning house. About an hour or so later I picked up the phone and hear a dial tone. Goody! Drat, no dsl.
So I call At&T again.
The computer man voice says "I see you are calling from area code nine zero three dash five five three" Wait! what? Thats not my number! So I wait, and wait. I get put on the phone with "bob" from India. Quick side note I wonder how many "bob" s work at that place?
I couldn't understand a word that "bob" said. He finally said there was no dsl signal, and he was going to tansfer me. First he wanted to give me a ticket number. He rambles off a string of letters and comes to "wee" Wee? Wee?
"three" I ask?
"no, wee" said "bob"
"there's not a letter 'wee'"
"wee as in wictor"
"V!?!"
"ok"
aye aye aye

It should have come as no surprise when he tried to transfer me we got disconnected.
I call back.
"thank you for calling AT&t"
"I want a person"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand, are you having trouble with your telephone line?"
"Yes"
"please describe that problem" retorts the highly irritating computer man voice
"I want a person"
"If I understand correctly you want to speak with an agent- is this correct?"
"YES" gritting my teeth now
"In order to serve you better, I need to know what sort of agent you need to speak with. Are you having trouble with your telephone line?"
"YES !!!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Are you having trouble with your telephone line?"

At this point I'm ready to throw my telephone and the evil computer man voice through the window. I start punching zeros "I. Just. Want. A. Real. Person."

"thank you for calling AT&t this is Sue* how may I help you?" {*name has been changed to protect the very nice real person who ended up with a nearly irate me}

"Sue- I'm telling you now, I am not in a good mood- I am very frustrated, so please forgive me if I sound snippy"

I proceeded to explain to Sue what was going on- and that yes I had a dial tone, but the number wasn't my number, and I was having to take someone else's phone calls. She assured me a tech was on his way.

Two hours later, my number is back, my dsl is back- and I'm sure my hair will regrow. ;-)

2 comments:

Jaime said...

That is too funny! (Only because it happened to you and not me, of course...)

I thought you were going to say that Connor unplugged something. :-) Hey, it could happen... :-)

Stephanie said...

Ted was on the phone for an hour last night also for tech support. He gets frustrated because it's some guy off the street in India giving him directions that he's reading from a script and it's not until the script is finished and he still can't help Ted with the problem that he gets someone who really knows anything then the problem is solved in 5 minutes like you said. :)