ten billion butterfly sneezes

tbbs-land was sans internet and land-line phones last week, starting on Wednesday, as our usually reliable Verizon FiOS service went dark. Our cellphones and Sprint Wireless Broadband card got a workout, so it wasn’t like we were totally off the grid.

Preferring to consult a proctologist named Dr. Hook than talk on the phone to Verizon Customer Service, I opened a repair request via the Verizon support website. MLB, not being averse to calling support lines, followed up with a phone call. On Thursday, someone from Verizon called, and walked me through some troubleshooting steps; take the battery out of the inside box, reset the power, and then he performed a line test. As eager as the Verizon tech was to help, the line test wasn’t successful, and he scheduled a technician for a house call last Saturday afternoon. After checking the system, he determined a cable between the house and the pedestal had been cut, replaced same, and we were back on the air.

I told him that there had been gardeners landscapers out back on Wednesday, and they could have severed the cable. I also mentioned that I’d never thought the cable had been buried deeply enough. His response was that it’s more economical for Verizon to replace cables when needed than to bury them deeper. Anyhow, we were dialing the phone, surfing the internets at FiOS speed, even though the cable is now above ground. Someone is supposed to be out here in a week or so, to commit it to another shallow grave. MLB will ride herd on them to make sure that happens.

After he left, I thought about Dominion Power, who provides our electrical service, on an all we care to pay for plan. When the power is out, Dominion is Johnny on the Spot to get us back and powered. This is because when the meter isn’t spinning, they aren’t getting any money from us. Contrast that with Verizon, with whom we have an all you can eat plan for phone and internet. When we’re off their grid, they’re still getting paid, and we have no service. The thought of that almost prompted me to call Verizon and ask for a credit for the days we had no service, but talking to Verizon billing is 10X the agony of calling support. Dr. Rusty Hook, if you will. So I let it go.

Tonight, there was a voice mail from Verizon. It said that my service had been restored, they were profoundly sorry that we’d been without service for such a long time, and that our next bill would reflect a credit for the days we were out of service. Right on! I’m sure that Verizon’s perception of how long we were out will be shorter than mine, but that’s OK. Remember Dr. Rusty Hook.

Sometimes, things just work out, and I’ll take whatever credit they provide.

-k-

verizon