My Phone Service Nightmare
Hi all, thought you'd enjoy this tale o' horror:
I am moving into my first home (new construction, actually) in less than two weeks. We chose our local carrier for phone service: Verizon.
But, at my current apartment, we have MCI for local service right now. We weren't happy with them at all (nothing to do with recent events), so that's why we decided to go back to Verizon when we move. So, my wife calls up about two weeks ago, and instructs MCI to end service on July 12th. The first time their computers were down, so they took the information by hand. Just to be sure, and because we believe strongly in Murphy's Law, she called back later to confirm. It turns out they didn't have the order to shut off service, so she gave the info again, that being to shut off service on July 12th.
Now, yesterday morning I go to a job interview (I have a position but I am still looking) which goes very well. I get the impression that I will be offered the job, and they tell me they will be in touch in one or two days (standard signals for "we are probably going to hire you" in education). I feel pretty good about, as it sounds like a great job. I ,of course, confirmed my PHONE NUMBER with them before I left the school.
Then I get home, eat lunch, screw around, etc. I pick up the phone around 3pm......NO DIAL TONE. About 15 minutes later I called MCI.
After about 10 minutes on hold on my cell phone (on which I have only 300 minutes per month between my wife and I), I get through and the guy tells me it turns out they turned off my phone service two weeks too soon. Needless to say, I was furious. But wait, there is still more!
The guys tells me he can't help me, as he is in a different department. He transfers me, I spend 10 minutes on hold again, then get cut off. So I call back. Another 10 minutes or longer on hold. My wife takes over on hold so I can use her phone to call my prospective new employer to tell them that my phone number will not, in fact, work. I take the phone back from my wife, and get through to person #2.
This one is helpful, and understands I am furious. She puts me on hold for 5 minutes after I tell her I want my service reconnected immediately. Now, person #3 picks up the phone, "the supervisor". She listens, and tells me she will try "department whatever" (who knows what she said). She says she will bring them on the line and then transfer me. She keeps coming back on the line every 3-5 minutes to tell me it will be another 3-5 minutes on hold. After, I shit you not, 30 more minutes on hold, I get through to a gentlemen (person #4) with a thick Indian accent, who is a little hard to understand. Now is where the fun starts:
He tells me, and get this, that when you call MCI local service to disconnect, it could actually take effect ANYTIME in the next two weeks, regardless of what date you give them. He tells me the person we spoke to initially should have told us to call back later or delayed the order. I assure you we were NOT told this. I have never seen ANY company in ANY industry that cuts off service BEFORE you ask them to. At this point I pretty much went "ape shit" on the guy.
Now, here is the kicker. He tells me, with the other freak still on the line (person #3), that he can recconnect service, but first he will have to wait until the disconnect order (which was faulty, keep in mind) clears the system, which could take another 72 hours. The two of them then explain that after this 72 hours (perhaps only 48), I can CALL BACK to issue the reconnect order, which COULD TAKE TWO WEEKS TO EXECUTE.
If you noticed I am moving before then, congratulations.
So, I call back my interview location and confirm via message on voicemail that they must use my cell phone to get me. (Of course this makes me look like a jack-ass, but I can't risk them not being able to call).
I told MCI to pretty much shove it.
So, there you have it. I have only a cell phone until July 10th when Verizon comes out to my new house. Though, I'm not actually moving until the 13th, so I have no real phone for almost two weeks. I have now decided that
1. MCI will not see another dime of my money. Not for the last bill, not ever.
2. If I lose this job because they have a problem reaching me, I honestly and truly am going to take legal action against MCI. Just for fun, perhaps.
Perhaps this contributes to their needing to pull accounting schemes to turn a profit. Hope you enjoyed this story.
[ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]
[ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]</p>
I am moving into my first home (new construction, actually) in less than two weeks. We chose our local carrier for phone service: Verizon.
But, at my current apartment, we have MCI for local service right now. We weren't happy with them at all (nothing to do with recent events), so that's why we decided to go back to Verizon when we move. So, my wife calls up about two weeks ago, and instructs MCI to end service on July 12th. The first time their computers were down, so they took the information by hand. Just to be sure, and because we believe strongly in Murphy's Law, she called back later to confirm. It turns out they didn't have the order to shut off service, so she gave the info again, that being to shut off service on July 12th.
Now, yesterday morning I go to a job interview (I have a position but I am still looking) which goes very well. I get the impression that I will be offered the job, and they tell me they will be in touch in one or two days (standard signals for "we are probably going to hire you" in education). I feel pretty good about, as it sounds like a great job. I ,of course, confirmed my PHONE NUMBER with them before I left the school.
Then I get home, eat lunch, screw around, etc. I pick up the phone around 3pm......NO DIAL TONE. About 15 minutes later I called MCI.
After about 10 minutes on hold on my cell phone (on which I have only 300 minutes per month between my wife and I), I get through and the guy tells me it turns out they turned off my phone service two weeks too soon. Needless to say, I was furious. But wait, there is still more!
The guys tells me he can't help me, as he is in a different department. He transfers me, I spend 10 minutes on hold again, then get cut off. So I call back. Another 10 minutes or longer on hold. My wife takes over on hold so I can use her phone to call my prospective new employer to tell them that my phone number will not, in fact, work. I take the phone back from my wife, and get through to person #2.
This one is helpful, and understands I am furious. She puts me on hold for 5 minutes after I tell her I want my service reconnected immediately. Now, person #3 picks up the phone, "the supervisor". She listens, and tells me she will try "department whatever" (who knows what she said). She says she will bring them on the line and then transfer me. She keeps coming back on the line every 3-5 minutes to tell me it will be another 3-5 minutes on hold. After, I shit you not, 30 more minutes on hold, I get through to a gentlemen (person #4) with a thick Indian accent, who is a little hard to understand. Now is where the fun starts:
He tells me, and get this, that when you call MCI local service to disconnect, it could actually take effect ANYTIME in the next two weeks, regardless of what date you give them. He tells me the person we spoke to initially should have told us to call back later or delayed the order. I assure you we were NOT told this. I have never seen ANY company in ANY industry that cuts off service BEFORE you ask them to. At this point I pretty much went "ape shit" on the guy.
Now, here is the kicker. He tells me, with the other freak still on the line (person #3), that he can recconnect service, but first he will have to wait until the disconnect order (which was faulty, keep in mind) clears the system, which could take another 72 hours. The two of them then explain that after this 72 hours (perhaps only 48), I can CALL BACK to issue the reconnect order, which COULD TAKE TWO WEEKS TO EXECUTE.
If you noticed I am moving before then, congratulations.
So, I call back my interview location and confirm via message on voicemail that they must use my cell phone to get me. (Of course this makes me look like a jack-ass, but I can't risk them not being able to call).
I told MCI to pretty much shove it.
So, there you have it. I have only a cell phone until July 10th when Verizon comes out to my new house. Though, I'm not actually moving until the 13th, so I have no real phone for almost two weeks. I have now decided that
1. MCI will not see another dime of my money. Not for the last bill, not ever.
2. If I lose this job because they have a problem reaching me, I honestly and truly am going to take legal action against MCI. Just for fun, perhaps.
Perhaps this contributes to their needing to pull accounting schemes to turn a profit. Hope you enjoyed this story.
[ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]
[ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: SDW2001 ]</p>
Comments
[ 07-02-2002: Message edited by: EmAn ]</p>