Unexplored Territory

Friday, December 01, 2006

Murphy's Law doesn't even cover it

If it didn't happen to me, I would be a little leery of this tale being told by anyone else. But it was me ... and this is what happened.

My work computer went on the fritz. That has already been established. I work from home, so I don't have anyone I can call to ask them to come down and fix my mouse, or get me hooked back up to the network.

I have learned to troubleshoot a lot of issues, and I have learned to recognize a lot of the problems that a computer can create.

When I was getting the Windows message last week, I had a feeling something was happening with the hardware, and it would call for a new PC to be shipped to me. And that is what happened.

I received the PC on Wednesday, and immediately hooked it up. Immediately, I had no internet connection. I tried a lot of things ... unplugged, plugged back in, shut off, let it sit for 1 minute, etc. All of the things I knew that someone down the line was going to ask me. Still nothing.

So I called my employer's tech desk. They said it sounded like a modem/internet connection. After typing in ipconfig, we determined that I wasn't throwing an IP address, so that meant connectivity.

So I called my provider. Let's say it is the one with the cute little Warner Bros. cartoon character. Not naming any names.

I had it running through a router, and we determined that was where the problem was. As soon as I disconnected the router and plugged the modem directly into my PC, all was well.

We have a high wind warning today until 7 tonight. And there is local flooding. I promise, there is a correlation.

When there is a large amount of ground water, our service is sporadic. And with the high wind, I had a feeling things were going to be a little dicey today.

At 9, I came back to witness a dead modem. No power light. No nothing. So I call my provider. We both surmise that it is fried, and that I would go pick up a modem at my local office because it would take them until Monday or Tuesday to get me a modem. I highly doubt it takes THAT long, but you know those companies.

I bundle the kids up (did I mention that we started off at over 50 degrees today and are supposed to drop to freezing, along with the 60 mph wind gusts? ... yeah.... pleasant day), and we head over to the provider's office. I receive a new modem.

I come home, think I am golden and try to hook it up.

It hooks up, I get all of the required lights, and I think I am in business.

I'm not. Because I have no service connection. Instead, I receive a screen that tells me I need to "provision" my modem. Which is company-speak for "you are screwed."

In the meantime, the Mominator comes in and promptly misplaces her car key. She decides to stay there to get the Man on his bus, and to drive me apeshit looking for her car key. She also rains down the information that there is a power pole on the street over from mine that is precariously hanging over the street. I think nothing of it, which proved to be a big mistake later.

So I return to my bedroom with the phone attached to my ear because I have decided to call the support line to get my modem provisioned.

I reach a level 1 specialist. She can't help me. She promptly transfers me (without telling me) to a level 2 specialist. She tells me that I have to speak with a level 3 person, and says she is going ot transfer me. Instead, she transfers me back to level 1. I explain to the level 1 person that I NEED to speak to the level 3 person. The level 1 person asks me no questions and sends me back to level 2. I guess she wasn't listening.

So I speak with the level 2 person, who tells me that the initial level 2 person must have hit the wrong transfer button (gee... do ya think?), so he said "you will hear a series of beeps as I transfer you. Just stay on the line as we are busy, but someone will get to you momentarily."

No series of beeps. Just two clicks. You know the ones ... the "I have just cut you off" clicks, and then the fast busy signal.

Nice. That was 30 minutes of my time wasted.

So I get back on the phone and try it all over again. I immediately get to a level 2, who sent me to level 3. Where I sat. And sat. And sat. And sat.

I decided to call my manager in all of this as I had two cases that needed to be sent in within a certain period of time. So I spoke with him for a few minutes, and we discussed the downfall of the cable provider industry.

Then my phone started beeping. It had been off its charger for a few days, so I guess it had decided that an hour's worth of phone time straight was too much for its system.

So I go out to the kitchen, and grab our other phone.

And I blame the next action on the fact that my brain cells were slowly oozing out of my ear. I turned the phone I was on off before I turned the phone I needed on. So it was no surprise that I heard dial tone when I picked up the second phone.

At this point, I start to question my sanity

and I decide to delve back into the world of customer service.

I FINALLY get through to the level 3 person that I need to talk to. She asked me a few questions, and then said she was going to be sending the software to my modem to get it to run.

The lights blinked on and off, and finally the support person said "can you restart your PC for me?"

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, I say yes.

And I do. No sooner did I start to utter the words that my computer had booted back up and was ready to be tested on internet connection and ....

MY POWER GOES OUT!

Out. Gone. For an hour.

I called my boss, and he said "I think there is a country song out there about this same exact situation."

If there isn't, there will be. And it's going to be called....

Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Utility Workers

2 Comments:

Anonymous said...: Oh man. What a day! *hugs*; 6:59 PM
Anonymous said...: I think I would have just gone back to bed and woke up the next morning! You poor thing!; 5:22 AM