Two Fixes in One

Now that I'm just waiting around for the new software patch due in January, I've finally found time to call Verizon about the other problems I've been having since I got FiOS installed: telephone interference and a wireless connection that keeps going out.

Turns out the two were connected.

I started with the wireless problem. My kids' computer, which uses a wireless connection to the router, kept losing its connection. It was fine before FiOS was installed and the computer and router are in the exact same place as before. Also, when the connection wasn't out, it was strong.

The woman at tech support said the problem may be another wireless device interfering with the wireless router. So we switched the channel the wireless router uses and that solved the problem.

It also solved the phone interference problem.

Looks like the wireless phones were interfering with the wireless router and vice-versa.

Now if I could just get the DVR to work...

Still No Word

As I said in my last post, a woman at Verizon said she wanted to look into my case further and get back to me.

That was on December 4.

It's December 13.

Now, They're Calling *Me*

I got a call this afternoon from Verizon.

It was the person who supervises the technicians in the field who found out that my problem had gone all the way to the president's office and she wanted to make sure everything was OK and to see what else she could do to help.

I told her that I was under the impression that my problems would continue until the new software patch is released (more than a month from now) and that I'm pretty much sitting around waiting at this point.

I also expressed my disappointment at the way my case has been handled thus far in that nobody really took ownership of the issue.

She says she wants to do a little more research and get back to me. I'm not sure what about.

Mystery Solved...I Think

I got a voicemail today from somebody at Verizon explaining that the problems I've been experiencing are "known issues" and that a software patch scheduled for January will solve my problems.

Apparently it wasn't "known" to all of the customer service reps, the supervisor, and the technician who came to the house twice. When somebody from Verizon called later in the day, I expressed my frustration about having this go on for a month while this was a supposedly "known" issue. She insisted that the customer service people had to go through procedures to rule out other problems, and that the problem I'm experiencing is rare. After going back and forth with her for a few minutes about how they really ought to let their own people know about "known" issues, I gave up and thanked her for calling.

I'm looking forward to more fat credits on my bill.

Finally Geting Somewhere...I Hope

After yesterday's box freeze-up, I traded voicemails with the "Customer Advocacy Office," who promised that somebody would call me by the end of the day today to help me with my problems.

And after dinner this evening, I got a call from a very nice guy who seemed to know what he was talking about. He asked thoughtful questions about my situation and puzzled over them a bit. He said he wanted time to review my situation and consult with some colleagues and was it OK for him to call me back.

I told him it was more than OK. Finally, it seems, somebody is taking ownership of this disaster.

He also gave me his full name and email address so I could contact him to follow up.

Image that.

Another Freeze-Up

Looks like the DVR "reset" didn't solve the problem. The box froze up again this afternoon. This time, I had to power cycle it twice to get a picture.

I grow weary of this...

Verizon = Keystone Kops

After I left a message with the "Customer Advocacy Office" this morning and got a call back within an hour. The woman passed me off to another woman who said that she couldn't help me, and she connected me to somebody else who could.

The person I spoke with "reset" my box.

That's it.

Doubtful that this is going to fix anything, I asked if I could call him back if this doesn't fix things. Just call back customer service, he said. I told him that this is what I had been doing and it hasn't worked. Sorry, he tells me, that's the best he can do.

So much for customer advocacy.