(originally posted February 26th, 2005)

Last night I decided it was time to add voice mail to my new digital cable phone service. I called the company up and I asked for it. The guy sets me up, and tells me it’ll be ready for access in 30 minutes. I ask him how I get into it and he says he’s not sure; no one’s ever asked him before. He searches, then gives me a phone number and says by calling it all questions will be answered.

This morning, I finally get around to trying to set it up. Course, the phone number was how to get into voice mail; there were no instructions. So I call customer service again and ask how I get into it. She doesn’t know either, but, after 5 minutes, she walks me through finding the instructions on their webpage. I download the instructions, follow them, and still can’t get into it.

I call back, and the person I get says she’s going to transfer me to a technician. In about 3 minutes someone picks up, ask me my problem, then tells me I’m going to be transferred to a technician; I tell her I’ve already been told that. She apologizes, and says she’s going to transfer me to a technician; lots of sympathy there. I get the technician, who checks and tells me that my service hasn’t started yet, and I probably wouldn’t have access until Monday. I tell him what the guy told me Friday night, and he says “I don’t know what to say about that, but it’s not active and probably won’t work until the beginning of the week.”

Well, guess I’ll have to wait until Monday, but that’s not really the point. One, the first guy should have known that; two, both the first and second person should know more on how their own service works. How can you sell something, or help anyone, if you don’t know your own product?

At least no one was rude.