Day 172 Qwest---The EVIL EMPIRE!!!

One of the primary reasons I came to Denver this trip was we had a service tech coming to our house to "fix" our internet connection.  Since August, our connection was spotty at best.  Some times good, fast and reliable.  Sometimes bad, slow and nonexistent.  It had taken everything our house sitter had to convince Qwest to come to the house(they saw no problems on the line).  I had tried to get them to come out and they had flatly refused no matter how I had tried.  Money was no object to them(I had offered to pay for the service)!! 

I waited at the house for the tech to arrive--scheduled for 1 to 4pm.  I got a call about 1:30 that he was up the street at the local junction box checking our connection.  I was advised that our current line went all the way to the main station and to "fix" it, he just had to switch us over to the new "local" box.  Then he saw that our ISP was the lowly Peak to Peak!!!  A simple local ISP that has been my ISP for more years than I can remember.  Our son, Matt, set us up with them many years ago when the internet(Al Gore's invention) was new.  They are one of the many local ISPs that dot the country.  Not one of the big overpowering ones that so many people use.  

Well, once he found that out, the situation changed.  He couldn't do anything to help us.  We weren't really customers of Qwest, we were customers of Peak to Peak and he couldn't switch us to the new equipment as Qwest wasn't compatible with Peak to Peak and visa versa.  TO BAD!!  Of course, if I was to drop Peak to Peak as my ISP I could have my connection(1.5 megs) restored back to its full power.  In internet terms, that's called "Slamming".  That's when one company hijacks you from the company you are with to theirs.  IT"S ILLEGAL!!!  They had "slammed" me several years ago.  I had to fight to get back to Peak to Peak and had lost internet service for over ten days during that "slamming" since taking me away from Peak to Peak had taken less than a minute, getting me hooked back up with them was much harder.  YEAH--RIGHT!!

I was advised that Qwest, in order to serve it's customers, had "upgraded" it hardware to make it's connection stronger and faster.  Since I wasn't with Qwest as my ISP, well, it worked just the opposite!!!  The rant goes on!  They could no longer guarantee my connection at the speed I had had for the past many years, I would have to downgrade to a speed of 264.  That's 1/5th the speed I had had.  Nice upgrade!!!  BUT--if I wanted to have my full speed back, just switch over to Qwest and all would be forgiven and I could be renewed!  Praise Qwest in all its glory!!!! 

The tech had called me several times to try and tell me that that was just the way it had to be.  I urged him to talk to Peak to Peak.  He said that they probably wouldn't talk to him.  I assured him that they were waiting for his call as they had been actively trying to get my situation resolved.  I provided him with the phone number and extension on my ISP tech--Kathy.  He hung up and made the call.  I called Qwest and after many button pushes ended up with "Bill" in India.  I explained the situation and he agreed, that shouldn't be happening.  It shouldn't matter who my ISP was and who I got my email from, I should have the same service I had had restored.  On to "hold" I went.  He came back and asked questions several times during that conversation.  He consulted with "senior" techs and asked for the local techs phone number.  

Jeff, the local tech, called back while I was still on hold with "Bill".  He'd had his conversation with Peak to Peak(I'm now juggling two phones to keep in contact with everyone(one cell, one land line).  He told me that the person he had spoken to at Peak to Peak wasn't a "nice person".  He held his ground that my only solution if I wanted good reliable service was to dump Peak to Peak and go to Qwest as my ISP.  Since I was refusing, there was nothing more he could do for me and hung up.  

After a while, "Bill" came back on the line.  Apparently, the senior Qwest people had wised "Bill" up and He was suddenly agreeing with Jeff, the local tech, that my only solution was to dump Peak to Peak and become a loyal Qwest customer and he need an answer NOW!!!  Wa I ready to switch? 

For those of you who know me,  I don't like being told what to do by people on the phone.  It gets my back up and I will dig in my heels like you wouldn't believe.  I can be more stubborn than a mule.  Just ask Tracy(she hates it).  Plus it pisses me off greatly!!!  I advised "Bill" in India that that was not satisfactory and I wanted to speak to someone in Qwest management.  Back on to hold again. I'd been on the phone over an hour with"Bill".  He came back after a while and said I was being put through to Diane at the "Business office".  I could talk to her about the situation.  You can guess what happens next right??  Diane comes on the line and BOOM, I get disconnected!!!  I'm left with "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again" recording!!!!   OH MY GOD!!!  I was ready to explode!!! I get back on my cell phone and try and get back with Qwest.  Don't even ask me what my blood pressure was.  Again, after much button pushing, I got back with what must have been "Bill's" cousin.  Had the same accent strangely!

Suddenly, my land line phone rings.  It's Kathy from Peak to Peak.  I'd been speaking with her as the afternoon went on between calls from Jeff the local tech, and while on hold with "Bill" in India so she knew what was happening.  She was going to set up a three way call with Qwest's Business Office so we could get it resolved.  This is why I want to stay with Peak to Peak.  They don't take this lying down.  They come out fighting for their customers.  I would not want Kathy on my bad side.  I was about to see her rip the person at Qwest a new one.  

Once we had the Qwest rep on the line, she agreed that what we were asking seemed very reasonable and that none of what had happened should have.  There had been a "special group" created at Qwest to handle just such a situation and she was going to get a work order put in to have them contact me that night.  She went on the hem and haw about Qwest, not being sure whether or not I could continue with my current service and stay with Peak to Peak.  OH MY GOD!!! Kathy latched on to that and went at her for clarification.  "Was Qwest really going to make me drop Peak to Peak to stay connected".  Mrs. Lewis, at Qwest couldn't comment on that as she knew very little of how the system worked but she didn't think so.  Kathy could have bitten through steel at that moment. If this was the attitude that Qwest was taking, it would put small ISPs like Peak to Peak out of business.  I can see the lawyers lining up now with smiles on their faces for the fun and games that would come from this.  Since I will be heading back to Portland on Monday, I took down the telephone number of the Qwest office so I could get back with them on Monday.  Kathy gave me her personal phone number so I could follow up with her once I heard back from the "special group" at Qwest.  How's that for service!!!

Yeah, I know, I talk to much but the story is almost over.

Qwest called me back about 6pm.  Hey, guess what the "special group" can do for me?  NOTHING!!!  IF I want to keep my connection, I have to drop Peak to Peak!!!  "Would that be alright?"   Care to guess what my answer was???????  Back on hold and off to the "Business Office" again.  A nice young lady came on line trying to get me connected to a person but no one was answering.  GEE what a surprise--it's Friday night after 6pm!!!  Oh well, they will try and get back with me on Monday!!!  Ah, the joys of being a multinational big behemoth of a company.  They up grade their hardware but downgrade your service!!  I called Kathy and left her a message.    Let the games begin!!!!

Ok, that rant is now over!!!  Oh, if you have Qwest, watch your back.  They may try and "improve" your service too.

The morning was great.  I found a company just North of Denver that had the stainless steel pipe I needed for Zephyr.  BECK Metals in Loveland.  Since I needed such a small piece--1 foot, if I wanted to drive up, they would give it to me.  They also gave me  the phone number of another company here in Aurora to try.  This new company  had the pipe but they had a minimum order of 20 feet at $7.00 per foot.  Hey, nothing wrong with a road trip.  Off to Loveland and problem solved.  The folks at Beck could not have been nicer.  Even gave me a bottle of water when I got there.  The stainless steel pipe will be perfect.  I'm off to the Post Office to mail it to Zephyr as I don't think the TSA will allow me on the plane with a 14 inch piece of pipe.

I drove down and had a nice conversation with Jeff Keith, our old "landlord" if you could call him that.  Over the 7+ years we were in Littleton, he became more of a friend than a landlord. Hey Jeff, it was great seeing you yesterday.  Unlike most of your typical "landlords" Jeff was always there to help us with any problems and get them solved as soon as possible.  The owners of the building are lucky to have him(and I've told them so when they came to visit over the years).  Stay well buddy!

I had a great dinner with Pat Roberts and her husband Tom at one of the local barbecue places.  It's been a while since I'd had barbecue.  Sure went down easily.

Other than that, my afternoon was spent on the phone at the house with the "evil empire" of Qwest and the lowly underdogs of Peak to Peak.  Stay tuned for the continuing sage of Bill/Peak to Peak versus the dastardly Qwest.

OK, the rant is over, let's get back to life.