10.21.2009

1-800-CATCH-22

For years when there has been good, ground-soaking rain, my phone line develops static and an annoying squiggly sound which prevents conversation and access to the Internet.

Although I would rather eat a green snake than to make such a call, on Wednesday, 14 October, I called the toll-free number for “AT&T Home Repair.” There was no need to explain the problem as the representative could hear it quite well for herself. I was adamant that the problem is not inside my home, that I am not going to pay for repair and that the problem only occurs after much rain.

“We will send a tech out by the 21st,” she said .

Today.

The static problem finally clearen up around noon yesterday. At 3 p.m. a very nice lady from AT&T called. Briefly, here’s how the conversation went:

AT&T: Good afternoon, Ms. Trotter. I’ve just checked your phone line, and it is clear. The tech has a ticket to come out and check your phone line, but he cannot do so if the line is now clear.

Me: Well, if he had come any time in the last week, he could have check my line. The static has just cleared up.

AT&T: He has an instrument which can pinpoint the area on the cable where the problem exists, but it has to be causing the static when he does it. I’ll have to pull his work ticket for today.

Me: So, you are saying I will have to wait until another good rain, call then and hope the repairman pulls the work ticket before the problem clears up?

AT&T: Why don’t you do this: keep up with the weather report, and if rain is predicted, go ahead and call and set up a work ticket. You can always cancel it if you have to.

Me: I’m not playing that game of caling, then calling again to cancel.

AT&T: I’m sorry. I guess it’s a “Catch-22” situation.

Me. I guess it is.

***

At 5 p.m., I was typing a rather long email to friend Frodo – a discussion about immigrants who settled in the Mississippi Delta – and got kicked offline.

Static.

6 comments:

Falzone for America said...

BJ.,
I'm glad to see you're back online. AT&T is an old & former nemesis of mine. BTW They are also instrumental in lobbying against net neutrality. They provide TV & DSL services as well. I was thinking about ditching my Sprint Cell phone and my Time Warner Cable TV. Then I would keep Time Warner Internet and watch TV over the Internet. Free full length movies and regular programming is available. Then I could also get Magic Jack Internet Phone service. Magic Jack costs $39.88 to purchase and $19 PER YEAR!!

Don't eat any green snakes!!!!!

Frodo, supporting the Patriot Act said...

There was a great, well, semi-great, movie some years ago, before the "break-up of Ma Bell," which had to do with a computer that took over the world. In the end it was identified as the Telephone Company. Say, what happened to all those regional telephone companies, like Bell South, and who is this AT&T? Maybe Frodo better be careful, he's noting some problems "on the line."
Hello, Dick, is that you listening in?

Sue said...

Welcome back BJ, Hi Frodo! I had dial-up when I first got this computer, I knew nothing at all about making sure the phone number was local, so of course my first months bill was 400.00!! I quickly got rid of dial-up!!

Infidel753 said...

It's possible that posting this and identifying AT&T by name will get you a better response. It worked for me once with Symantec (I still canceled them because of an obnoxious e-mail I got from one of their customer-service people afterwards).

Tiny said...

At&T took over Bell South and will soon have its monopoly back again. Our anti-trust laws have been stripped from the books, it seems.

Big Business seems to have everyone over a barrel and wants to keep them there. The banks to big to fail has used our bail out tax-money to give even more perks to their CEOs and not a dime to help the taxpaysrs whose money helped to bail them out. Something is very wrong with this picture!

We have to keep being the squeeky wheel if we want to get oiled enough to get out country's economy back on a solid footing.So call everytime every little thing goes wrong and pretty soon they will get tired of hearing our voices and do something to correct the problems.

Hang in there BJ. Better times have to be on the way.

Falzone for America said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRODO!!!!!!!!!!!!