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Tuesday, September 28, 2004
SBC : The Reason This Blog Exists
Still haven't answered my question. Answer the question. ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!

And how much confidence am I supposed to have in an internet provider that can't even set up a simple fucking spam filter for its own techs?

This case is NOT closed.

We continue to experience problems with our DSL service. Sometimes the problem is in connecting. More often, the problem is very slow internet service. Pages stall or won't load. If I am streaming music on LaunchCAST, the connection breaks. It is extremely aggravating.

I have phoned your technical support several times in the last few weeks. Either the problem solves itself while I am on hold (I suddenly can connect) or I end up speaking to someone in India who tells me to try this and that. This may solve the problem temporarily. But none of the techs can address the larger problem: persistently slow and inconsistent internet service.

We've had SBC/Yahoo! DSL now for 6 months. I can see no reason to continue if we get such slow and lousy service. Our download time often seems slower than a dialup connection! Unless you can offer some assurance of better service in the future, I will switch to cable or satellite broadband.

Thank you,

Tomohiro Idokoro
tidokoro@gmail.com
Dear Tomohiro Idokoro:

We have identified a resolution for your Case 92255047 created on 09/27/2004 8:34AM . Please review the resolution below for your case to confirm that the issue is resolved. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that this case can be closed.

Case ID: 92255047

Problem Summary: dsl_connect

Problem Description: Member ID: idokoro; Domain: sbcglobal.net

Connection Type: DSL

Case Status: Closed

{Solution Details:

We understand that you are experiencing issue following concerns:

1. You are receiving slow SBC Yahoo! DSL speed.
2. You are also experiencing issue with LaunchCast.

We share your concerns and apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

Tomo, in regard to your first concern, please note that DSL is very sensitive to Electromagnetic Interference, or EMI. It is important to make sure that the DSL modem and telephone lines are placed in such a way as to minimize this interference, as well as placing them to provide adequate cooling. The following are a few of the possible causes of Electromagnetic Interference on a DSL line.

1. Halogen desk lamps near the DSL modem or telephone line, especially those with dimmers.
2. Any electrical dimmer switch.
3. Electronic devices, such as stereo speakers, PC speakers, televisions, monitors, microwave ovens, etc.
4. Routing the telephone line parallel to an AC power cord for more than a few inches.
5. Electronic insect electrocution devices (bug zappers).
6. Low quality 900MHz cordless telephones.
7. Any other emitter of high frequency electromagnetic radiation.

Please, therefore, ensure that your DSL line is away from such sources of interference. Secondly, also ensure that the filters are properly installed before all your telephones, faxes etc. Visit the link http://help.sbcglobal.net/article.php?item=13 for detailed information on checking your filters.

If filter are rightly install then please know that the speed of your DSL connection involves many different factors. Not only does it depend on the server you are connected to, but also on the speed of any computer from which you are receiving data. This may also be impacted by number of factors like line problems, external interference and Internet congestion or traffic outside of our network. The first step you should try to resolve this issue is to reboot your computer and power cycle your DSL modem and/or router.

1. Turn off the modem if it has an on/off switch. Once the modem has been turned off, the modem lights will be unlit.
2. Unplug the modem from its power source.
3. If you are using a router, hub or other networking devices, turn off those devices and unplug them.
4. Turn off the computer connected to the DSL Internet modem. Go through the standard shutdown sequence first, then completely turn off the machine. Do not immediately restart.
5. Leave all devices un-powered and off for at least two full minutes.
6. Turn the computer back on. The computer will go through the standard boot-up process. Wait until these have been completed.
7. Plug the modem and any other networking devices back in and turn them on. The modem lights will flash through yellow and green as the modem established the DSL connection.

Please note that steps 1-3 are for external DSL modems, routers and external networking devices. Skip to Step 4 if you have an internal DSL modem and no router/external networking devices.

Once you have power cycled your DSL modem, please visit the link given below to test the throughput of the connection from your computer to our network location.

http://help.sbcglobal.net/dsl/speedtest/

Tomo, regarding your second concern, please know that the issue you are experiencing is only due to slow DSL speed. We are sure after you will be able to access your LaunchCast properly after following the steps provided above.

In case, you are still receiving slow DSL speed after following all these steps, then the issue would require a live interaction with you for a deeper investigation. Hence, we request that you please contact our Technical Support Representatives at the number 1-877-SBC-DSL5 as they have the necessary tools and expertise to troubleshoot the issue effectively and would be able to assist you in a better way. We can realize that it could be frustrating for you to contact us again by phone for the same issue. However, please be assured that we value you as a customer and our prime concern is to ensure you are satisfied with our service. We will do our best to resolve the issue that you are experiencing.

If you have further inquiries, please don't hesitate to review our online support pages at http://www.sbcis.com. Here you may find answers to many of the most common questions asked by our members. You may also contact our Live Chat Support at http://help.sbcglobal.net/ by clicking at "Online Chat" under the "Contact us" section which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sincerely,

Nancy Paul
SBCIS Customer Support}
I've already described the problem and received the message below. I'm annoyed by this message for several reasons:

1. "*** PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE ***
All messages sent to this address are automatically deleted." This statement suggests you aren't really interested in seeing the issue resolved at all. If you were, you would provide an email address that I could reply to directly.

2. You suggest calling the phone line. I have done that several times. It is aggravating to have to negotiate the phone tree for several minutes each time only to end up speaking with someone halfway around the world who is fishing for solutions.

3. It doesn't address my main question. Let me rephrase it:

Is the slowness of my connection due to the fact that you do not have the infrastructure in place to handle all the users in my area?

If you can assure me that it is, I will proceed with the other steps you suggest. If this is the problem, then you're only wasting my time further. Please let me know whether this is the case and provide some evidence or metrics to back up your response.

I appreciate it.

Tomo
Dear Tomohiro Idokoro,

We have identified a resolution for your Case 92308397 created on 09/28/2004 2:23PM . Please review the resolution below for your case to confirm that the issue is resolved. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that this case can be closed.

Case ID: 92308397

Problem Summary: dsl_connect

Problem Description: Member ID: idokoro; Domain: sbcglobal.net

Connection Type: DSL

Case Status: Closed

{Solution Details: We understand from your communication that you have few questions to ask us:
i. ) You want a link to reply us instead of providing all information again,
ii. ) You are not at all happy with our voice support team,
iii. ) You wish to know the exact reason of slow DSL speed. We understand your concern and apologize for the inconvenience caused.

Regarding your first concern for link to reply, please understand that we have done it in order to keep spammers away from us. However, we want to thank you for sharing your concerns with us as it really helps to improve the services, which we provide to our members. We have taken you feed back and forwarded it to the appropriate department for future updates.

Regarding your second concern related to voice support team, please understand that our voice support team too has its limitations. They are unable to provide you support after certain point. If they are unable to troubleshoot your issue, they will escalate your issue for further investigation to another department.

Regarding your third issue, please know that you may experience the issue of slow DSL connectivity due to a number of factors like line problems, external interference and Internet congestion or traffic outside of our network. There is no single reason to which we can blame to. Therefore, we suggest you to go through the steps that we have provided in our last communication. If the issue persists, we request you to contact our Technical Support Department at 1-877-SBC-DSL5, as they have the expertise and necessary tools available to assist you effectively in resolving the matter. We assure you that they will be able to resolve your issue at the earliest and guide you in the best possible way.

If you have further inquiries, please don't hesitate to review our online support pages at http://www.sbcis.com. Here you may find answers to many of the most common questions asked by our members. You may also contact our Live Chat Support at http://help.sbcglobal.net/ by clicking at Online Chat under the Contact us section which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.}

Sincerely,

Michelle
SBCIS Customer Support

*** PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS MESSAGE ***
All messages sent to this address are automatically deleted.