Second U-Verse, Same as the First
I received a telephone message from AT&T the day after the failed attempt to install U-verse saying all is well in the telephone world and I should call a particular 800 number to reschedule their coming to our house. I did as I was told.
What ensued was a half-hour of being shuttled from one person to another while, in between, listening to some lame music and a recording telling me periodically how important my call was to them and to keep on the line.
Upon dialing the 800 number, there is the usual set of choices given by a cheery digital voice including things like “Let me look up your account.” Sure. Right. So I hit the number button I thought nearest to what I wanted. The recording told me I had two outstanding service orders. The first one “it” read was the aborted installation from yesterday. The computer guy said it showed it had been completed. (Wrong.) I could respond with choices like “complete,” but nothing to reschedule other than “talk to a technician.” That’s what I said.
Person #1 was, indeed, a technician. I explained the background, the call today from AT&T saying it was all ready for installation, etc. He told me he was a technician and not in sales and he would switch me to sales who scheduled installations.
Person #2 was in sales. I went through my story again. He looked up my account. I asked for an appointment for installation. He told me that this was not his job (he just “sells” U-verse) and he would now shift me to a dispatcher who did the scheduling. He asked what state I was in and I gave him a geographical answer.
Person #3 was a dispatcher. She heard my story. Asked what state I was in. She then asked me what my U-verse account number was. I told her I didn’t have U-verse installed yet and wouldn’t my telephone number pull up what she needed? Nope. She needed my U-verse account number. Luckily, I had jotted it down on some scratch paper last week and could find it to read it to her. She put me on hold for five minutes while she looked up my account. She came back and said Missouri was not in her region for scheduling and she would have to forward me to a dispatcher who handled my state.
Person #4 now came on the line. He asked what state I was in (I resisted snarky answers, but told him I was getting really impatient with this whole process). Again, he put me on hold while he pulled up my records and read through them. He then asked whether a technician had called to say the outside wiring problem had been fixed. I told him (again) I had received a phone message saying I should reschedule my installation.
“When would you be available for us to come?” he asked. I told him to tell me when there were open times. “Well, when are you available?” I told him a date later in this week. Pause, pause, pause … as time passed. He said, “Well, we’re booked up all this week.” In a somewhat exasperated tone, I asked him when were they not booked up. He said I could make an appointment for the end of next week. I did.
Four people, half and hour, and all I wanted to do was to reschedule an installation appointment. Who knows what part three of this tale will bring?
What ensued was a half-hour of being shuttled from one person to another while, in between, listening to some lame music and a recording telling me periodically how important my call was to them and to keep on the line.
Upon dialing the 800 number, there is the usual set of choices given by a cheery digital voice including things like “Let me look up your account.” Sure. Right. So I hit the number button I thought nearest to what I wanted. The recording told me I had two outstanding service orders. The first one “it” read was the aborted installation from yesterday. The computer guy said it showed it had been completed. (Wrong.) I could respond with choices like “complete,” but nothing to reschedule other than “talk to a technician.” That’s what I said.
Person #1 was, indeed, a technician. I explained the background, the call today from AT&T saying it was all ready for installation, etc. He told me he was a technician and not in sales and he would switch me to sales who scheduled installations.
Person #2 was in sales. I went through my story again. He looked up my account. I asked for an appointment for installation. He told me that this was not his job (he just “sells” U-verse) and he would now shift me to a dispatcher who did the scheduling. He asked what state I was in and I gave him a geographical answer.
Person #3 was a dispatcher. She heard my story. Asked what state I was in. She then asked me what my U-verse account number was. I told her I didn’t have U-verse installed yet and wouldn’t my telephone number pull up what she needed? Nope. She needed my U-verse account number. Luckily, I had jotted it down on some scratch paper last week and could find it to read it to her. She put me on hold for five minutes while she looked up my account. She came back and said Missouri was not in her region for scheduling and she would have to forward me to a dispatcher who handled my state.
Person #4 now came on the line. He asked what state I was in (I resisted snarky answers, but told him I was getting really impatient with this whole process). Again, he put me on hold while he pulled up my records and read through them. He then asked whether a technician had called to say the outside wiring problem had been fixed. I told him (again) I had received a phone message saying I should reschedule my installation.
“When would you be available for us to come?” he asked. I told him to tell me when there were open times. “Well, when are you available?” I told him a date later in this week. Pause, pause, pause … as time passed. He said, “Well, we’re booked up all this week.” In a somewhat exasperated tone, I asked him when were they not booked up. He said I could make an appointment for the end of next week. I did.
Four people, half and hour, and all I wanted to do was to reschedule an installation appointment. Who knows what part three of this tale will bring?
posted by Bud Hirsch at 12:18 PM
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