Technical Help

I recently purchased a Crosley turntable that allows me to record music from vinyl or cassettes to CDs.  This has been fun, but then, the equipment started malfunctioning. I was able to coax it to work, until enough was enough, and I finally called the 24/7 help line.  The person I spoke to was very nice, but her suggestions were all I had tried.  She referred me to a "technical support person" who, of course, is only available during regular business hours.

I received a call during business hours yesterday, so today, I took some time off from work, and called back.  I spent more time (maybe 10 or 15 minutes) on hold than talking to the tech helper.  It turns out, based on questions asked about my purchase date and manufactured on date, that I need a software update.   So, I will be receiving a CD with instructions, and was encouraged to call if I needed help installing the new software.

So, why did the 24/7 technical help person not have this information?

In October, I wrote about the fact that my network went down...Well, it was really due to the upgrades by my internet service provider .  The modem I had, which I purchased in 2003, was out of date, and could not handle the updates by the ISP.

When I called for help, I was told I would have to wait 4 days for service.  I extended it a day on my convenience, and used public wifi to keep up with computering while my network was down.  The technician who came to my home did ABSOLUTELY nothing but look on the numbers on my modem.  I felt bad for him:  he was the bearer of bad news, and I am sure he took the brunt of a lot of angry comments, as he said he had seen this over and over.  He said he almost asked on the phone about my modem, but was required to make a home visit, so he did.

I responded to the ISP satisfaction survey and complained that the on call technician could have asked about the numbers on my modem, the in home technician did no other work, and I lost service unnecessarily because of the delay at getting the technician to my home.  I actually received a response, that acknowledged they could have the phone help people ask about numbers on modems.  Additionally, my bill was adjusted for the service time I lost.  The amount was small, but the principle was that my ISP is trying to provide good customer service.