Another service saga

(A different one than I wrote about for #MicroblogMondays this week...! -- or the ongoing saga of my scammed/suspended Amazon account....!) 

You know, sometimes I wonder why I ever try to do something different or buy something new and improved... supposedly the result is going to be something better -- but so often, it just creates a whole new set of cascading problems that needs to be resolved...!  

To set the scene:  If you're Canadian/Ontarian, there really are just two main players in the telecommunications services field -- let's call them "Big Blue" and "Big Red."  We have only ever had our home phone, then internet and (later) cellphones with Big Blue, right from day one (i.e., going back 38+ years). Big Red was our cable TV service provider at the house, but when we moved, Big Blue offered us a great package deal that included their fibre-optic TV service, and we took them up on it. Both companies have their pros & cons (many will tell you that both suck equally, lol) and both are horribly expensive (Canadians pay more for cellphone and other telecomm services than just about any country on earth), but we had a couple of really dumb run-ins with Big Red (including a sales rep who called the house once and was so rude to me that I wound up filing a complaint!).  To their credit, I've always found the people I've dealt with at Big Blue, on the phone and in person, to be unfailingly helpful and polite. 

Our building, completed in late 2014/early 2015, I think, was built with the very latest in fibre optic technology (so we were told).  A technician visited the day we moved in (7+ years ago, in April 2016) to hook up our new services -- dh & I were out, but BIL let him in and when we returned, everything was up and running, including the TV. There's a panel in our front closet with a whole bunch of wires, etc. He hooked them up to the modem we brought with us from the house -- how old THAT was, I'm not sure -- and provided a receiver box for the TV (which was a relatively new -- i.e., November 2015 -- 48-inch Samsung TV). 

We've been happy with the service we've received, for the most part, but lately I've had issues with some Zoom calls I've been on -- my screen freezes up, or the connection drops altogether, etc.  Then, earlier this month, I received an offer from Big Blue to upgrade our internet (which also runs the home phone & TV) to a faster speed (1 GB -- double what we already had) -- at no additional charge. 

The offer was only good until Oct. 31st -- so on Monday, I called to enquire and decided to take it. I was told they would send me a new modem/hub;  we'd get it in 3-5 business days and we could install it ourselves (directions included) and just return the old modem to any of Big Blue's retail outlets. 

Early this morning, we heard a "clunk!" outside our door -- the new modem/hub had arrived!  The instructions outlined how to switch from the old modem to the new one. Unfortunately, the "old" modem in the brochure was NOT the old modem we HAD -- it was a much newer model -- and it was not at all clear how the setup pictured translated to the equipment we had. I called Big Blue's help line, and after trying a few things suggested by the rep I spoke with, I wound up begging him to send someone to our condo. Surprisingly, they agreed -- and even more surprisingly, they said someone would come between 12 noon and 5 p.m.!  

A nice young man arrived at our door around 3 p.m. He immediately clued in to the fact that Big Blue mistakenly thought we had a later version of our modem, and also that the wiring in our panel was not set up to allow easy installation of our new modem/hub. (He walked away with a bundle of obsolete/now-unnecessary wires and plastic boxes, as well as our outdated modem.)  

Moreover, he immediately realized that the receiver box for our TV was not compatible with the new modem/hub he was installing.  (For one thing, it's not wireless.)  Bottom line:  No TV until we get a new receiver.  : (  He told us we could call and order one -- told us exactly what to ask for (because, he assured us, the newest model they would try to sell us on is "crap"). 

I called Big Blue as soon as he'd left and once they figured out what we needed, they agreed to send it out -- within 3 to 5 business days -- i.e., Monday at the very earliest -- but I was told it likely won't arrive until NEXT FRIDAY (i.e., Nov. 3rd!). (Which is obviously more than 5 business days, but by then I was too tired to argue.)  We actually got the bright idea to drive, after supper, to the closest Big Blue retail outlet that was open, at a mall in the area, but were told when we got there that the stores don't stock the necessary equipment. Well, we tried. 

So now we're without a TV for at least the next several days, and possibly a full week-plus.  The young technician who visited us assured us that we could watch TV on our phones or laptop in the meantime. I know younger people do it all the time -- but when you're a Boomer/early GenXer like dh & me (and having trouble reading the small type, lol -- yes, I admit it..!), it's just not something we're used to doing.  I did manage to figure out the TV app for the phone -- and then how to tune in from my laptop -- and 15 inches of laptop is definitely better than 6 inches of phone screen, I guess...! -- but it's still a far cry from the 48 inches we've been watching for the past 8 years...! or the 32" before that...! Plus, I'm used to working on my laptop and having the TV on in the background, and glancing from one to the other. Right now, I can look at one or another, but I can't easily keep an eye on both (although I can listen in). (What, no multi-tasking??) 

I got a customer service survey after the young technician left. I gave him high marks for his expertise and pleasant service, but added in the comments section that we're not happy that the story isn't over and that we're now without TV service. (I did add that it was clearly not his fault.)  I'm planning to send a letter/email when this is all finally resolved. I don't expect anything will come of it, but I feel like someone should know the hoops they're making their customers jump through. (Couldn't they have confirmed the equipment we had, and ensure the newer stuff is compatible, before sending out upgrades?)  Not everyone is comfortable navigating switches to new/different technology -- and not all of us have teenagers around to do this kind of stuff for us...! 

To be continued...!  :p  (Rant over! -- for now...)(lol)