Almost every time I’ve called with a connection problem to my past DSL provider (Earthlink) or current cable internet provider (Comcast), they have tried to tell me that my modem was the problem. The modem has never, not even once, turned out to be the actual problem. When I left Earthlink earlier this year, my original modem was almost 10 years old and still working.

In all cases but one, the problem was somewhere on their network, well before my house. In the other case, the problem was in the NID box (the phone company network interface device) mounted on the outside of my house.

Today I called Comcast twice as our high-speed internet connection went out this morning. The first rep I spoke to told me that they aren’t always able to see network outages on their screens and that it must be my modem anyway because she was unable to reset it from her end. I pointed out to her that the last two times I called, I had been told the same thing and both times it turned out to be something on the network. She offered to set up a service call and said the first spot available was on Monday. Since neither Dan or I would be able to be home for any Monday slot, I said I’d call back.

When I called back, I got a different rep, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to tell the whole story yet again, including the part about the modem not being a problem in the past. Much different response. He tried to reset my modem from his end and could not. But, unlike the first rep, he heard and comprehended what I said about suspecting a network problem, and actually made the effort to check to see if there was in fact a problem on the network. And there was. There was a problem in a junction box somewhere in my area, and it was affecting a few other customers as well. He said he would have a truck sent out to the junction box, and also set up a service call for me in case the junction box was not the only problem. He was able to find a Sunday slot open for us (so there was a cancellation in the 10 minutes it took for Dan and me to discuss which Tuesday time slot would work for us? Possible, I guess, but I bet the first rep never even checked weekend slots) as well.

About twenty minutes later, our connection was back up. I called to cancel the service call a couple of hours ago as it’s obviously not needed.

I just wonder why the first rep made no effort to even check for a network problem. Was her statement correct about not being able to see network outage information? If so, why not? Why was the second rep able to check and see a whole lot of information that led to a correct solution to the problem? The second rep sounded quite a bit older and infinitely techier than the first rep, but shouldn’t everyone answering calls for high-speed internet connection problems either have access to the same information, or be smart enough to pass the call to someone who does have the correct information?

My problem is solved for now, but I hate to think that I’ll always have to keep calling until the smart person answers, rather than be able to expect a smart person on the other end no matter when I call. I guess I should just be glad that they’re not outsourced.

(NaBloPoMo | August ’09: 22 of 31 | 75% Challenge: 210 of 274)