Tags: Telefonica, Internet, ADSL, Wireless Router, Router, Broadband, Customer Service, Bad Customer Service, Tech Support, Think Globally, Act Locally, Globalisation
You may have noticed how over the last few days I haven’t been able to post anything into this particular weblog. Yes, it has not been very pretty, on the contrary. I have been suffering from what some would call customer service, or rather, the lack of customer service, specially from my Internet provider. Last Sunday afternoon my Internet connection went down and ever since I have been knocked out from the network. Four days and counting (Till earlier on this afternoon, that is)!
No, it hasn’t been a fun experience, I tell you. I am sure there would be plenty of folks out there who may have suffered from similar experiences, specially with this particular provider, and if there is something that I have learned throughout all of this time that I have been down is, like usual, things shouldn’t be that difficult. I mean, how long does it take to get you a new wireless router delivered to your front door (Mine apparently fried after three years of good service!)?
Well, apparently with these folks up to seven days! Yes, you are reading it right, seven days!!! And I am already on Day 4 and waiting, although I have been told I will get it today. We shall see how that goes. Fingers crossed. (Update: I, indeed, got it earlier on this afternoon, after all that wait! Read on…)
After a number of different phone calls, day in day out, getting a completely different answer every time, I thought about perhaps going my own way and purchasing a wireless router right here, in one of the computer shops in the place where I live, but once again, I was advised by those same folks that I could certainly go ahead and do that, but then they would no longer be supporting me if I encounter any problems with it.
Hummm, really? Do I want to have support from a group of folks who keep telling me different stories every time I call and who are telling me that my new wireless router might take up to 7 days to get over here? Do I want to be supported by a group of folks who have knocked me down for 4 days and a half, and counting, (That is right, haven’t been doing lots of online work this week since I started having the problems with my previous router since Sunday late afternoon), just because they haven’t put their act together into providing some good quality service? Again, how long does it take to get a new wireless router? 7 days? 4 days? I don’t think so. Not in today’s world.
Yes, that is right. I am not sure I would want to have such kind of tech support any longer. At least, not unless I would want to be unproductive for days! In a world where things happen more and more in a distributed fashion and rather fast (That is where the "Think globally" kicks in), examples like this one always make you think whether it is better to actually "act locally". Do I want to have such global tech support or would I rather go down the street, to the local computer shop, purchase one of those wireless routers, set it up and off I go?
I know, I will no longer be supported by them whenever I would have new problems, but then again, if every time I would want to have their support I would need to be knocked down 4 days and still going, I am not so sure I would want that kind of customer service any longer. I guess I will take the risk and go solo. Get myself sorted out locally, make that purchase and then get their local support if something goes wrong. Oh, yes, that is right, the folks where I have purchased this wireless router from do also offer support if in trouble, so why didn’t I think about it last Monday morning when my ordeal got started?
I guess I have been working on too many global projects lately and kept thinking globally, when all that was needed was down the street, purchase the router, set it up and up and running again. On the same day. Last Monday morning. That will teach me for the next time. Like I said, it is always good to keep on thinking globally, but some other times it is way way better, and certainly much more productive, to act locally. And act now!
(Now I am finding out that I have got two different wireless routers, both of them fully supported. One of them globally and the other one locally. Thus either way I am fully covered and hope to get along several years with both of them! YAY!)
(Regular weblogging will resume shortly as I get everything set up and running and do the catch up of the last four days I have been knocked down thus far. If you have tried to contact me offline through e-mail or whatever else I will get back to you as soon as I can. Just bear with me for a bit, as things will start to settle in once again very shortly)
Hola Luis!
Don’t start me on the subject of the ISP we have in common!
I have lost internet and phone access at home too this week, no idea when it’ll get sorted.
In the meantime I found this article on the BBC recently, interesting reading, not that we need reminding that here in Spain we continue to be overcharged for inferior products and service.
Rant over! 😉
¡Hola Simon!
Thanks a bunch for dropping by and for sharing the pain with me / us. I am not sure what to say, whether I would be happy I am not the only one suffering from the same kind of service, or the lack of, rather or be rather upset that time and time again we keep having these serious issues and we are never taken seriously. There are a whole bunch of us doing work remotely from whatever the location and this particular Internet provider needs to figure out where they would want to be: with professionals behaving in a professional manner or elsewhere.
Just this morning I was having some more problems with the connection, including with the brand new router and got again that lovely message of we will get back to you within 24 to 48 hours, sending a technician over! There you go. A complete week wasted trying to fix something that should have been fixed in the first place last Monday, if anything.
Funny enough, I went for lunch, came back and everything *miraculously* is back. Up and running. How long? Don’t know for sure, but, at least, I managed to get everything I needed from the Net just in case.
Oh, and thanks for the link! Check this other link as well from a good friend of mine over here in the Canaries where he provides a very good and comprehensive overview of where broadband connectivity is in Spain, or, rather, where it is not!
Either way, good luck with the connection and hope to see you back up soon again! Thanks again for the feedback!