Dad's Bell Adventure
The day was a lot better when I thought it was the 14th. Sometimes that's just how things are: you think you've travelled through time a few days only to find out you haven't. It's a downer.
JR and I spent the day maintaining the household. From cleaning to repairing, to tracking down a phone off the hook. That last bit was the most interesting.
This is a pretty big house and with nine phones (that I know about). All of them had no dial tone. JR and I scoured the house for all the phones, trying to track down the problem. We spend a good thiry minutes lifting, listening, and ultimately not getting anywhere. So we gave it up. Father did the same thing when he arrived. So the issue must be with the provider.
Watching my father deal with vendors is a family sport. He has little patience, something I'm glad he did not pass unto me. While eating supper and watching some football, I could hear him talking to the computerized prompt of Bell's phone customer support system. At one point he yelled to the computer, "Look, I don't want to talk to you, I want to talk to a technician." I couldn't help but smile. He's never going to get help with his attitude.
Thirty minutes later he's still on hold. A live person finally answers (I was actually surprised he got someone), and he starts rambling on how he wants a technician to come over. In his defense, he did check out the phone connection and tracked the problem to Bell's end. He's a talented engineer. After a few minutes of coaxing and chosen angry words, he's satisfied. Almost. The technician is coming the day after tomorrow, which means no landline till then. Upon hearing this he asks the CSR for credit for his troubles. He's also a good haggler. Another thing he didn't pass unto me. That one I could use.
In the end, he's somewhat happy. I think he got two free months of service. Knowing him, he'll probably try and talk the tech for more free things.
JR and I spent the day maintaining the household. From cleaning to repairing, to tracking down a phone off the hook. That last bit was the most interesting.
This is a pretty big house and with nine phones (that I know about). All of them had no dial tone. JR and I scoured the house for all the phones, trying to track down the problem. We spend a good thiry minutes lifting, listening, and ultimately not getting anywhere. So we gave it up. Father did the same thing when he arrived. So the issue must be with the provider.
Watching my father deal with vendors is a family sport. He has little patience, something I'm glad he did not pass unto me. While eating supper and watching some football, I could hear him talking to the computerized prompt of Bell's phone customer support system. At one point he yelled to the computer, "Look, I don't want to talk to you, I want to talk to a technician." I couldn't help but smile. He's never going to get help with his attitude.
Thirty minutes later he's still on hold. A live person finally answers (I was actually surprised he got someone), and he starts rambling on how he wants a technician to come over. In his defense, he did check out the phone connection and tracked the problem to Bell's end. He's a talented engineer. After a few minutes of coaxing and chosen angry words, he's satisfied. Almost. The technician is coming the day after tomorrow, which means no landline till then. Upon hearing this he asks the CSR for credit for his troubles. He's also a good haggler. Another thing he didn't pass unto me. That one I could use.
In the end, he's somewhat happy. I think he got two free months of service. Knowing him, he'll probably try and talk the tech for more free things.
