Ugh! Internet Troubles

Hey friends. It's me writing you from a 'remote location.' Sounds kinda fun and adventurous and even a little inviting, right? Wrong! My sexy 'Remote' location is my friend's dining room!

A couple of weeks ago my telephone company called and offered to put all my phone charges on one bill. Sounded like a good idea. My exact question to them, 'Will it be seamless?' I was assured that yes it would be.

It was at that time that I should have turned around and run as fast as I could in the other direction screaming, 'Don't touch my phone! Back off bucko and nobody will get hurt!' Did I do that? In one word: nope, nada, no. (Guess that was 3 words.) I agreed to the 'seamless switch' in order to ease bill paying.

My first clue about this seamless transaction should have been when she said someone needed to come to my home. Silly me said yes. Thinking it would be a 2 min. ordeal (after all, we're talking 'seamless') I set up an appt. on an evening when I'd be home teaching. Telephone dude #1 shows up, clomps around my entire house for an hour and a half, pulls out half my furniture, does some sort of wiring in every telephone jack, drills a hole into the house and then promptly leaves.

After teaching I begin to investigate the damage and believe you me...it was easy to find. He'd turned on and left on every single light in the house. Furniture was pulled out, stuff nicely hidden behind said furniture was laying around and the hole he'd drilled between the garage and basement was left wide open for hot air to escape and furry things to climb in! No way, that just wouldn't do.

Next I tried to plug my phones back in and 2 new problems arose. 1 jack no longer worked nor did my answering machine. Not being one to sit back and just take stuff I was immediately on the horn to the company and arranged for someone to come back the following evening. Also got myself a $40 credit with which I went out and purchased a new phone with answering machine.

Dude #2 shows up a couple of days later and fixes broken jack and plugs critter hole. Nice, helpful dude. All appeared to be well once again until yesterday when my Internet access was kaput. Making no less than 5 calls in 24 hours (after all a girl needs her Internet access!) I think we may have gotten to the bottom of the problem. What my 'This will be Seamless' phone company 'forgot' to tell me was that they had taken my phone system from analog (whatever that is) to digital. Guess what...my Internet service doesn't work with digital! Ugh!!! BUT, for a mere $10/month they can install a 'dry loop' for me. Ummm...nope! Why would I pay you $120 a year for something you offered to me? Time for you to come back to my abode and take me back to analog. If it's good enough for my Grandma, it's good enough for me!

Now, I wait....and wait. The line they gave me was that it would probably take 8-10 days to get my phone line back to analog. Ummm...nope again! Let me speak to your supervisor! So, I wait. Hoping to hear tomorrow about what they're going to do to get me up and running again. Then, need to push to get time added to my Internet that I can't use.

'Seamless' my foot!!!