[BC] Kissing and IP Provider Goodbye...

[Burt I. Weiner]

I went through a year or more of issues with earthlink.  I was paying 
for 5 megs download and it typically ran at 750K to 1 Meg.  I made 
many calls and went through all of the stuff they suggested.  My 
laptop also had the same problem.  I put it on a clients FIOS system 
and it ran at about 17 Megs download and almost 2 Megs up.  Here I 
was paying for 5 Megs and not getting it.  After about a year of BS 
from earthlink I ordered a new DSL service from AT&T, which serves my 
home and consistently runs at 5+Megs down and about 750 k up.  I then 
called  earthlink to cancel my old service and they tried everything 
to keep me.  They offered 1 year free service, they offered to send 
someone out to get the problem resolved - anything to keep me.  I 
told them, "NO!, you had plenty of chances".  I have not had the 
problems and grief with AT&T that I had with earthink.  My only 
complaint about AT&T is that they use Yahoo for their e-mail 
service.  The AT&T internet connection has been pretty reliable and 
consistent.

I figure that if a company is only willing to try and solve a problem 
when you threaten to leave, they are not worth staying with.  But, 
that's the way I am.

Burt

>From: Sid Schweiger <sid at wrko.com>
>
>Chip opines: "I get nowhere getting something done, and then ask to
>cancel.  I get the specialist that is a retention specialist.  I
>explain why I am canceling, and I get what I want.  I have two free HD
>boxes from Comcast because I told them I was going to cancel.  I was
>just billed $30 for a service call, and I assure you I won't have to
>pay it because I will cancel, and they will credit me the $30 to get
>me back."
>
>This is what customer service in all too many companies has come 
>down to.  They let the customer get so angry and annoyed that they 
>want to cancel the service, and THEN do what they should have done 
>before to retain the business.
>
>What's that clich? about closing the barn door after the horses have 
>already left?
>
>Sid Schweiger
>IT Manager, Entercom New England
>20 Guest St / 3d Floor
>Brighton MA  02135-2040