Vacation next week! I cannot wait. Every year we go camping with my parents for a week in the most beautiful place on the face of the planet, and every year I have such a great time. I come home relaxed, happy, and refreshed; ready for another year of grueling work and school and all the stress that comes with both.
For the first time since I left Dimple I'm actually looking forward to time away from my job. I guess I've finally become burned out with what I do, and although I know it was bound to happen eventually, I am sad that the time has finally come. I can't complain that much, however, since I still very much respect my bosses, which for any job can make or break the experience. I think I'm just comfortable in what I do: the "honeymoon" phase has definitely ended.
On a different note, I'm either excited and optimistic or petrified in fear and depressed about my transfer to Davis that is all-too-quickly approaching. Depending on the day (and sometimes the hour) my anxiety level changes regarding this life changing alteration. I still cannot believe that I'm going to such a huge school, or that I'm finally working on classes for my B.A. Incredible. I had an appointment with a program at Davis that you have to apply for. It's an undergraduate program to help students with research, but also give them the opportunity to have a faculty mentor in a subject they are interested/majoring in, and to write a paper based on the research they do. It's also an opportunity for units and financial aid money, so all around seems like a good program. It was great, though, because at the end of the appointment the woman was practically begging me to apply--which made me feel really good. I wish I could interview for jobs the way I interview for academics!
I really want to do so much when I'm there. I told Jason the other day that I don't want to graduate just to get "a job." My goal is to graduate and be so qualified, so educated, so that I get my pick of the jobs. I want to be the applicant that employers feel fortunate to even get a chance to look at my resume. When the hiring committee is through interviewing me, I want them to say "Wow, I really hope she accepts our offer." For me, it's not about the money. Sure, I want to have a good paying job, but more than that, I want to have my choice of jobs, not just take the first one that's offered to me. Maybe I'm just setting the bar too high, but I think I can do this.
School starts September 22. I'm probably going to take that whole week off, just for the adjustment. I don't know where to park, or if I have to pay for my classes, or anything. I feel so clueless--so out of touch. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually, but it's such a huge adjustment. I'm sure I'll cope...
As always thanks for reading. I'll try and write again before we leave on vacation, but only if I have something interesting to say.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Entry 17--AKA: "An Open Letter to Comcast Cable/Internet."
Dear Comcast (cable & internet divisions),
I know you're reading this, or at least someone from your corporation will read this, so I'm going to RANT about you, since I have no other way of complaining. Apparently your company has paid off every government agency, ever consumer advocate agency, and ever single lawyer from here to eternity, so I'm taking this to the blog-reading public. Sure, in my case, this may be no body, but at least it's out there, and maybe someone will read it and avoid you, like I should have done years ago.
We started out sometime in 2003, when I had a little money to blow and some schmuck came to my apartment door selling your services for a low-low price of $50 a month for cable and internet. I had just recieved a raise and had cut back on drinking and, in doing so, was surfing the internet a helluvalot more.
Then, I moved, then hell broke loose. I think I opened Pandora's box. I only moved 2 apartments over and up to the second floor. I didn't think it would be that hard. I had to take the day off work because my given appointment time was "between 10-2 pm." I didn't mind, it's a day off work. I waited. I waited. I was so afraid I would miss the technician that I didn't even leave to do laundry or buy a soda next to the swimming pool. I sat in my house watching DVD's (since, y'know, my cable and my internet weren't working...). I even went to the bathroom with the door open so I could hear the knock. 2 pm came, and I called and what did you tell me? That the "technician came by, knocked, and no one was home." BULLSHIT! What did you have me do? I had to set up YET ANOTHER appointment a few days later. Take YET ANOTHER day off of work. I should have known this was only the beginning.
Things are good for awhile. I begin to think that my bad moving experience was just a one-time deal. Maybe the tech was having a bad day; maybe your company is short-handed. My boyfriend moves in with me and we decide to move in 2004. I grit my teeth, call, and set up an appointment for installation (and upgrade!) in our new apartment. Things go okay. The guy was almost two hours late, but he called in advance. It was okay. Not great: okay. I'm moved in, we're happy, so what if it's a little bumpy? Moving always has it's hassles.
A few months later you offer DVR service. I am jumping for joy. I go to school full-time and I daydream of being able to watch my favorite shows anytime of the day and not have to put off homework. It's a slice of heaven for someone who works full time and goes to school full time. I talk my boyfriend into it, set up the appointment and take the time off work.
I wait....
and wait....
and no one shows up. Again.
I call and you tell me that I don't have an appointment today. I never called to set one up. But, (you say), I am paying for DVR service. I ask you "how can I be paying for something I don't have?" You tell me "I don't know." I get upset, and tell you to get someone out to my place with a DVR. You tell me that you can set up an appointment "at the earliest" in three weeks. I get angry. You accuse me of lying to you about the first appointment. I say some things I don't mean, you hang up on me. I call back. It gets ugly. You hang up again. We end up having to drive across town to pick up a DVR that should have been delivered. I'm angry, but my boyfriend is willing to continue the service, so I play along. Frankly, I wanted to rip all the cable wiring out of our apartment walls and throw your equipment through the glass window of your useless "service station," but my boyfriend tells me that it's okay--hopefully we won't have anymore problems.
And things are good for awhile. Then we move. Early 2007. I beg my boyfriend and new room mate to switch to another service. BEG THEM. Our new room mate worked for comcast, though, as a technician, so my boyfriend assures me that we can install our own equipment: no appointment, no hassles. We can just call and tell them we've moved. So we do, but you insist that we MUST have a qualified, current comcast "technician" install our equipment, so again, we grit our teeth, take time off work, and set the appointment. (This time, btw, I took three days). This time, the guy comes out promptly on time. I've NEVER seen a comcast tech on time. It blew my mind. He was in and out in record time--unbelievable. He leaves, and I'm swimming in my good fortune; perhaps, comcast, you've cleaned up your act. I hook up my computer--internet's not working. I wait for my boyfriend or my room mate, because I'm sure it must be me or my computer, and not our internet service. My boyfriend comes home, and sure enough, he can't get it working either. Our room mate gets home (remember, comcast, he used to install your crap), takes one look at the install job of the internet line--THE TECHNICIAN PUT STAPLES THROUGH THE ENTIRE LINE ACROSS THE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE!!!!
The line--ruined. Our internet--out.
So we call, and what do you say? It cannot possibly be the line. On your end, everything looks fine. It must be our equipment, and there's NOTHING you can do. We ask you to send out someone to look at the line, and you say that we can probably get someone out "at the end of the month." IT'S THE FIRST WEEK IN NOVEMBER, and you don't think you can get someone out here until December. However, you want us to continue PAYING, since, "on your end" we're getting a "perfect signal." We try to get through to someone who will listen (since we can't ever seem to talk to someone who knows ANYTHING about how your service works), and we get put on hold for 20 minutes. Finally, we hang up.
You know what we did? We had to go buy our own line, and install it ourselves, all because your "certified technician" put about 100 staples through the line down the side of our house and you say it was "working fine."
Have we reached our limit, yet? Nope, obviously not.
My boyfriend calls--about someone totally mundane, neither of us can remember what now--and you ask for our account number. He's at work; he doesn't have the account number at his finger tips. He offers just about any information you need to find the account number. He is put through 5 different people, at five different offices and no one can seem to locate our account number. Finally, he is put on the phone with one of your representatives who barely speaks English (obviously, in India) and the guy keeps just telling my boyfriend "need account." My boyfriend asks to speak to his boss, he refuses, and hangs up.
Real professional, comcast, really.
Today, however. Today was it. We are done.
We have an appointment for "sometime between 2-4 pm." I don't hold my breath. The guy shows up at 3:50. At least he shows up. We are just turning off the television, not the internet (yet). He goes in, does his thing, and is out. (Of course, as he pulls up, another representative calls me and tells me he'll be late, even though the tech is standing in my backyard. Tut-tut, comcast.) We are just going to have internet, but we have TWO IP addresses, not one. We have been paying extra every single month for a second IP address, so my room mate has one of his own. My room mate realizes that he no longer has his own IP connection. My boyfriend calls tech support, and says "we are supposed to have two IP addresses, can you tell me if the IP address is still on our account?" Your ever knowledgeable (and barely English-speaking) tech support says "you don't need two IP addresses."
My boyfriend calmly says "Yes, I know, we want two, and have been paying for two; can you tell me if it's still on the account?"
Tech support: "you don't need two."
BF: "I know, can you tell me if we are paying for two?"
TS: "You don't need two."
This goes on for about 15 minutes.
Finally, after this madness, my boyfriend says: "Can you put me on the phone with someone who will tell me if it's on the account?"
Tech support finally says "let me check your account to see if it's on the account."
IDIOCY!!!
Tech support genius tells my boyfriend that it's not on the account, and tells my boyfriend that he'll have to transfer him to "billing." He transfers him--not to billing--and the people at this extension tell him that there's nothing that they can do for us; we need to talk to tech support. We get someone else at tech support who goes into another circle about not needing two IP addresses; so my boyfriend says:
"Please, please, please--I am begging you, please transfer me to someone in billing. PLEASE. I'm begging. Billing. Someone in billing. Begging. Please."
And what do you do, comcast?
Hang up, of course.
Our only course of action at this point is to call sales (since sales seems to have the only people who can speak English, and who will do what you ask) and ask them to add a second IP address to the account. Of course, you'll do it, you say, but only if we pay the "additional line" fee. A fee for something that YOUR TECHNICIAN disconnected, that worked perfectly before he was here. Now you want us to pay more.
I get it now. Really, I get it. Not only do you charge people for EVERYTHING, but every time your technicians come out they destroy something so you can get even MORE money from your customers.
Why am I telling you this? Because I have written countless emails, letters, and online forums posts and you continue to do this. You have not government or public oversight. You are not controlled by the Better Business Bureau (because I've tried to go that route, too). You, obviously, have no internal customer care control or regard, and frankly, I'm tired of doing it.
What I'm going to say now I say in complete truth:
Someday comcast--someday soon--I am going to graduate college, then I'm going to get a great job. Not crazy money, buy-my-own-jet great, but great. And you know what is the very, very first thing I'm going to do?
I am going to cancel comcast and buy ANYTHING else other (Dish, perhaps?) than comcast for cable, internet, telephone and whatever else they sell me on!!!
Because I'll have the money to do it, and I can. Just think--that's money YOU could have (since that's all you care about) and you won't. So, for now, the best I can do is cancel everything I can live without (television) and know that my money is just less money you'll have. As soon as I can go without internet, that's going too.
I honestly don't know how you get away with, or how you've gotten away with it for so long. But, someday it will end, and if you had a grave, comcast, I would dance on it. And spit on it.
To conclude, comcast, I hate you. I will tell everyone how much I hate you. I will do everything I can to let people know that, if they can afford it, they should go with someone else. Because I hate you.
Screw you,
Jolene
I know you're reading this, or at least someone from your corporation will read this, so I'm going to RANT about you, since I have no other way of complaining. Apparently your company has paid off every government agency, ever consumer advocate agency, and ever single lawyer from here to eternity, so I'm taking this to the blog-reading public. Sure, in my case, this may be no body, but at least it's out there, and maybe someone will read it and avoid you, like I should have done years ago.
We started out sometime in 2003, when I had a little money to blow and some schmuck came to my apartment door selling your services for a low-low price of $50 a month for cable and internet. I had just recieved a raise and had cut back on drinking and, in doing so, was surfing the internet a helluvalot more.
Then, I moved, then hell broke loose. I think I opened Pandora's box. I only moved 2 apartments over and up to the second floor. I didn't think it would be that hard. I had to take the day off work because my given appointment time was "between 10-2 pm." I didn't mind, it's a day off work. I waited. I waited. I was so afraid I would miss the technician that I didn't even leave to do laundry or buy a soda next to the swimming pool. I sat in my house watching DVD's (since, y'know, my cable and my internet weren't working...). I even went to the bathroom with the door open so I could hear the knock. 2 pm came, and I called and what did you tell me? That the "technician came by, knocked, and no one was home." BULLSHIT! What did you have me do? I had to set up YET ANOTHER appointment a few days later. Take YET ANOTHER day off of work. I should have known this was only the beginning.
Things are good for awhile. I begin to think that my bad moving experience was just a one-time deal. Maybe the tech was having a bad day; maybe your company is short-handed. My boyfriend moves in with me and we decide to move in 2004. I grit my teeth, call, and set up an appointment for installation (and upgrade!) in our new apartment. Things go okay. The guy was almost two hours late, but he called in advance. It was okay. Not great: okay. I'm moved in, we're happy, so what if it's a little bumpy? Moving always has it's hassles.
A few months later you offer DVR service. I am jumping for joy. I go to school full-time and I daydream of being able to watch my favorite shows anytime of the day and not have to put off homework. It's a slice of heaven for someone who works full time and goes to school full time. I talk my boyfriend into it, set up the appointment and take the time off work.
I wait....
and wait....
and no one shows up. Again.
I call and you tell me that I don't have an appointment today. I never called to set one up. But, (you say), I am paying for DVR service. I ask you "how can I be paying for something I don't have?" You tell me "I don't know." I get upset, and tell you to get someone out to my place with a DVR. You tell me that you can set up an appointment "at the earliest" in three weeks. I get angry. You accuse me of lying to you about the first appointment. I say some things I don't mean, you hang up on me. I call back. It gets ugly. You hang up again. We end up having to drive across town to pick up a DVR that should have been delivered. I'm angry, but my boyfriend is willing to continue the service, so I play along. Frankly, I wanted to rip all the cable wiring out of our apartment walls and throw your equipment through the glass window of your useless "service station," but my boyfriend tells me that it's okay--hopefully we won't have anymore problems.
And things are good for awhile. Then we move. Early 2007. I beg my boyfriend and new room mate to switch to another service. BEG THEM. Our new room mate worked for comcast, though, as a technician, so my boyfriend assures me that we can install our own equipment: no appointment, no hassles. We can just call and tell them we've moved. So we do, but you insist that we MUST have a qualified, current comcast "technician" install our equipment, so again, we grit our teeth, take time off work, and set the appointment. (This time, btw, I took three days). This time, the guy comes out promptly on time. I've NEVER seen a comcast tech on time. It blew my mind. He was in and out in record time--unbelievable. He leaves, and I'm swimming in my good fortune; perhaps, comcast, you've cleaned up your act. I hook up my computer--internet's not working. I wait for my boyfriend or my room mate, because I'm sure it must be me or my computer, and not our internet service. My boyfriend comes home, and sure enough, he can't get it working either. Our room mate gets home (remember, comcast, he used to install your crap), takes one look at the install job of the internet line--THE TECHNICIAN PUT STAPLES THROUGH THE ENTIRE LINE ACROSS THE SIDE OF OUR HOUSE!!!!
The line--ruined. Our internet--out.
So we call, and what do you say? It cannot possibly be the line. On your end, everything looks fine. It must be our equipment, and there's NOTHING you can do. We ask you to send out someone to look at the line, and you say that we can probably get someone out "at the end of the month." IT'S THE FIRST WEEK IN NOVEMBER, and you don't think you can get someone out here until December. However, you want us to continue PAYING, since, "on your end" we're getting a "perfect signal." We try to get through to someone who will listen (since we can't ever seem to talk to someone who knows ANYTHING about how your service works), and we get put on hold for 20 minutes. Finally, we hang up.
You know what we did? We had to go buy our own line, and install it ourselves, all because your "certified technician" put about 100 staples through the line down the side of our house and you say it was "working fine."
Have we reached our limit, yet? Nope, obviously not.
My boyfriend calls--about someone totally mundane, neither of us can remember what now--and you ask for our account number. He's at work; he doesn't have the account number at his finger tips. He offers just about any information you need to find the account number. He is put through 5 different people, at five different offices and no one can seem to locate our account number. Finally, he is put on the phone with one of your representatives who barely speaks English (obviously, in India) and the guy keeps just telling my boyfriend "need account." My boyfriend asks to speak to his boss, he refuses, and hangs up.
Real professional, comcast, really.
Today, however. Today was it. We are done.
We have an appointment for "sometime between 2-4 pm." I don't hold my breath. The guy shows up at 3:50. At least he shows up. We are just turning off the television, not the internet (yet). He goes in, does his thing, and is out. (Of course, as he pulls up, another representative calls me and tells me he'll be late, even though the tech is standing in my backyard. Tut-tut, comcast.) We are just going to have internet, but we have TWO IP addresses, not one. We have been paying extra every single month for a second IP address, so my room mate has one of his own. My room mate realizes that he no longer has his own IP connection. My boyfriend calls tech support, and says "we are supposed to have two IP addresses, can you tell me if the IP address is still on our account?" Your ever knowledgeable (and barely English-speaking) tech support says "you don't need two IP addresses."
My boyfriend calmly says "Yes, I know, we want two, and have been paying for two; can you tell me if it's still on the account?"
Tech support: "you don't need two."
BF: "I know, can you tell me if we are paying for two?"
TS: "You don't need two."
This goes on for about 15 minutes.
Finally, after this madness, my boyfriend says: "Can you put me on the phone with someone who will tell me if it's on the account?"
Tech support finally says "let me check your account to see if it's on the account."
IDIOCY!!!
Tech support genius tells my boyfriend that it's not on the account, and tells my boyfriend that he'll have to transfer him to "billing." He transfers him--not to billing--and the people at this extension tell him that there's nothing that they can do for us; we need to talk to tech support. We get someone else at tech support who goes into another circle about not needing two IP addresses; so my boyfriend says:
"Please, please, please--I am begging you, please transfer me to someone in billing. PLEASE. I'm begging. Billing. Someone in billing. Begging. Please."
And what do you do, comcast?
Hang up, of course.
Our only course of action at this point is to call sales (since sales seems to have the only people who can speak English, and who will do what you ask) and ask them to add a second IP address to the account. Of course, you'll do it, you say, but only if we pay the "additional line" fee. A fee for something that YOUR TECHNICIAN disconnected, that worked perfectly before he was here. Now you want us to pay more.
I get it now. Really, I get it. Not only do you charge people for EVERYTHING, but every time your technicians come out they destroy something so you can get even MORE money from your customers.
Why am I telling you this? Because I have written countless emails, letters, and online forums posts and you continue to do this. You have not government or public oversight. You are not controlled by the Better Business Bureau (because I've tried to go that route, too). You, obviously, have no internal customer care control or regard, and frankly, I'm tired of doing it.
What I'm going to say now I say in complete truth:
Someday comcast--someday soon--I am going to graduate college, then I'm going to get a great job. Not crazy money, buy-my-own-jet great, but great. And you know what is the very, very first thing I'm going to do?
I am going to cancel comcast and buy ANYTHING else other (Dish, perhaps?) than comcast for cable, internet, telephone and whatever else they sell me on!!!
Because I'll have the money to do it, and I can. Just think--that's money YOU could have (since that's all you care about) and you won't. So, for now, the best I can do is cancel everything I can live without (television) and know that my money is just less money you'll have. As soon as I can go without internet, that's going too.
I honestly don't know how you get away with, or how you've gotten away with it for so long. But, someday it will end, and if you had a grave, comcast, I would dance on it. And spit on it.
To conclude, comcast, I hate you. I will tell everyone how much I hate you. I will do everything I can to let people know that, if they can afford it, they should go with someone else. Because I hate you.
Screw you,
Jolene
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