Ok, this has been going on so long I’m not sure where to start.
About a month ago we got a letter from our ISP (Tiscali) informing us that some “network enhancements” were being conducted by BT on the 24th of august and that we may lose connection for about 2 hours on that day.
Well, suffice to say these network enhancements didn’t help us much. From that day we had a very slow connection (around dialup and slightly under (as apposed to the 2 Meg we should have and had until then)). Well, Friday evening I phoned up Tiscali (as the letter said to and gave a number). Well, I went through the joys of their Indian support script (run this speed check, check for spyware, close p2p blah blah blah reset line blah blah
Well, that was fair enough, I accept that they have to run through these checks as I expect most issues they get calls about are nothing to do with them at all and are the users fault. I was also happy to hear this idea of progress. Next day was not so good, connection stayed about the same all day until about 6pm when it suddenly started disconnecting every 40 seconds (or so). So I called them up with the information to add to my outstanding issue (just so when I got a call they would be up-to-date). Well, they tried to make me pass through all the bullshit and after a while I gave up with them and they said that the engineer would call in 24hours and that it had been added as a note.
Ok, so big day comes and no call. Ok, perhaps they are busy, leave it another day. Nope, still no call. At this point speed seemed to return to a nice 2Meg, so I just guessed they fixed it and hadn’t bothered to phone me. Now as nice as it is to know what’s going on, I don’t care if my connection is working as it should.
The bliss didn’t last long though. That Thursday evening it went down in speed again. I decided to leave it for the morning. Nope, still no change. I made a call when I got home from work (about 6pm). They once again insisted that I went through all the speed checks, config and spyware etc. I explained I had done all this and that they should read my profile. They were persistent and at this stage I didn’t care, as long as it got sorted. They said that it had apparently been passed to level 2 tech support and they had not been able to fix it. It was now going to be passed to level 3 (in the UK thank God) who were apparently the highest level. I was also told they would phone us (the UK people) by 9pm that evening.
At 9:35pm that evening I made a call to India again and after a whole bit of speed checks etc (it seems they will not talk to you unless you run a speed check and confirm you know what a virus is…) they explained that the UK group finished at 9pm. I concluded that the UK group had just decided sod it, leave that for the next day. The Indian guy said that I would get a call on that Monday. So that would bring us up to the last Monday past. Well, as you might expect that Monday call didn’t happen so I called up that evening and complained (and refused to do any speed tests (by this point had they been sitting in front of me when about to ask me for a speed test, they would not have dared. I think they were even edgy about telling me when in India…)). Anyway, they told me that they would get a supervisor to chase the UK group and also (after a lot of badgering by me) that if I called the billing department then they would be able to give me the number for the UK group so I could rip shit out of them myself.
Well, the next day while at work I called the billing number and they claimed they didn’t not have the number and that the India tech support might have it. I then blew what I considered to be a reasonably long slow burning fuse at them. I did try about half an hour later just to check if it was just that person deciding not to tell me the number. Can’t hurt to try….
Ok, so I then got home that day and there was a message on the answering machine from (a very Indian sounding) tech support drone. They said they would call back to on Saturday at 11am. So from then to today I have brewed, I haven’t had the energy or the hour it takes for one of my called to them to spare.
Today, after a quick visit to town for some shopping I rushed back to be in at 11am (the house has had people in all day) and still not call. It is now 12 hours on from then and still no call. I haven’t phoned this evening because I have a life to lead when I’m not on the phone to Tiscali. Monday morning they are getting an earful. I have not take shit from them for over 2 weeks now, but Monday things are going to get ugly.
Oh, and as a tribute to how this is so not my fault, I know someone very near us with similar problems (and he is getting about the same level of customer service).
Heads will roll, and if you know me you will know it will not be mine.