[PvK]

You think that's bad? I could regale you with sagas about QWORST customer dis-service.

Their ad phase is "That's our SPIRIT of service in action." Spirit, as in, because it died long ago and only the spirit is left?

One trick is to keep calling back (get in through the sales number) until you randomly get someone competant and helpful. There are some of those, but they aren't allowed to give out their numbers (they can give email though). Unfortunately, getting QWORST to do much of anything involves several departments and many people to all do the right thing - odds are low, considering random employees are picked for each task - at least one will goof up, and do something wrong.

Actual examples:

* Move your phone service FROM your new appartment, TO your OLD appartment.

* Having done that, tell you it's working because it's ringing (at your OLD appartment).

* Tell you to go find a pay phone at 8:30 the next morning, in the rain and/or snow, to call Billing to find out when their tech will probably arrive later that day, so you can then try to tell your landlord who has the only key to the telco room in your building.

* Then, at 8:30am in the snow, Billing says they have no idea when a tech might show up, but they suggest cancelling the tech, because it's ringing already (in... your OLD appartment).

* Hook up your DSL service just like you used to have it three blocks away in your old appartment, in your new appartment! ... uh, except with an ISP who is not your ISP, and who only serves Bainbridge Island, when you live in Seattle on the mainland.

* Hook up your DSL... to use another customer's circuit that they are aleaady using.

* Send you back to your ISP to tell them the above issues are THEIR problem, five times in one day. Then admit it is QWORST's fault again, but that they can't do anything, because another department will be needed, who happen to be closed that day.

* Tell you you can keep using your old DSL modem, and then switch you to a different type of DSL service.

* Switch you back to your old type of DSL service, but on a switch that doesn't work with your old DSL modem.

* Tell you you can probably use the specific model of another DSL modem you have on hand, and let you try and figure out that no, it could never possibly work with your ISP, because it is hard-wired to only work with MSN.

* Sign you up for MSN even though you told them repeatedly you hate and don't want MSN and will use another ISP.

* Tell you you don't need a new DSL modem, but mail you one anyway... to your OLD address.

* End up selling you a DSL modem, and charge you a fee to mail it to you extra fast... when they are already taking a over a month longer than they originally said, to get your service moved to your new address.

* After saying your fixed IP address would not change, change your fixed IP address, so that you have to go through hell with Network Solutions, whom you couldn't have warned in advance of the change since they said it wouldn't change, and Network Solutions wants to verify using your old IP address, which QWORST already changed.

And other stuff... bleh.

PvK