Things we hold dear

Okay, first world problems.  I guess I could also classify it as problems that in the grand scheme of things, really, this is meaningless.  But, let's be honest, when they come for our high speed internet there will be an even bigger revolt.

I just spent an hour and a half dealing with tech support because my Internet has been spotty. The past week I've had to restart my modem/router a couple of times during the day.  Or I've given up on the issue and used my data.  Yesterday I got sick of it and used my mobile hotspot.  That was causing me frustrations and of course, draining my battery.

So today I bit the bullet and called tech support.  Well, no, let's back up.  I used the live chat.  I don't know why I thought that would be easier.  But I hauled myself, my phone and my laptop down to the basement (where my setup is) and started the process.  We got connected and the Internet went out.  Dumbly, I had my wifi on my phone turned on, so when the internet went out, my live chat was disconnected as it was trying to switch back to 4G.

I chalked this up to a me-problem and the lack of foresight to not be connected to an unreliable internet when you are using the internet to troubleshoot your issue.  Back again I went to the chat, waited several minutes, connected to a new service rep, waited several more minutes.  She was brought up to speed by my previous service rep and then she started running tests.  And then I was disconnected from the chat.  Again.  This time, I blame the service provider.  My 4G was working fine, there was no reason for that disconnection on my end.  There was no means to call them back and continue the service call without going back into the loop of waiting customers.  They didn't attempt to reconnect or call back either.

Try number three - I called.  I should have done that 45 minutes ago.  Now I'm on hold.  I went back upstairs to grab my coffee and kindle.  Ten minutes pass and I go for more coffee and to go to the bathroom.  Another 10 minutes, my internet connection is back, so I start working on what I had wanted to be working on all along. Standing by a workbench in the basement.  The music on the line is a little disconcerting.  There's no mention that you're on hold or that someone will be available to help you or that they even acknowledge your existence.  It also vaguely sounds like the Lion King soundtrack.

I'm starting to get nervous, because my phone battery is getting low since I've been using it to live chat, and have been running on 4G the whole morning.  I run back upstairs and get a charger.  Then, finally, I'm connected to a person and the tech support is getting underway.  The support is top-notch.  I've been with this company for 8 years, and I've only had to call in maybe three times to get help. Whenever I've done that, they have been able to solve my problem quickly.

So all's well that ends well.  It just was a comedy of errors getting to this point.