Dispatches from Computer Hell
It seems a few days a year, if not a full week, I spend in computer hell. Is this not the human condition, true of most of us?
A lightning storm knocked out my cable modem (provided by Time-Warner), wireless Internet (provided by a D-Link router), and digital telephone service (provided by Vonage), but I was determined to troubleshoot the problems myself.
I refuse to pay someone who is often less knowledgeable, who is on the clock and will take longer than I might to fix problems with software, hardware or Internet connections. First I try to fix the problems myself, though I curse the amount of time I sink into troubleshooting computers. I figure I can call a support line or read an F-A-Q just as easy as someone I hire can, and at least with me at home the meter isn't running to the tune of a dollar a minute.
Even so, after spending probably six hours on the phone with myriad customer service reps at Time Warner and D-Link, I am exasperated. I have only determined that the problem is not with the Time-Warner Motorola cable modem, but probably with the D-Link wireless router. I thought I was going to have to pay $30 for 30 minutes of technical support from D-Link, but was pleasantly surprised to learn that the D-Link router has a three-year warranty on it. So I spent probably three hours with D-Link on the phone for free.
If the router doesn't work after a good night's sleep, D-Link promises to ship me another one. Now THAT'S customer service, but I wish it didn't take three hours of troubleshooting -- six hours including my dealings with Time-Warner -- to get to this point.
The only good part of this story so far is that if I had paid someone to troubleshoot these problems, I'd probably have a bill for $200 or $300 for their time, and nothing to show for it.
Previous:
