tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post322049008820178422..comments2024-01-01T15:35:12.954-07:00Comments on Simple Utah Mormon Politics: My Latest Qwest DSL Horror StoryFrank Stahelihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01822334061980912687noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-84223089460430931792007-09-27T08:16:00.000-06:002007-09-27T08:16:00.000-06:00I remember the day when I was nearly yelling at th...I remember the day when I was nearly yelling at the top of my lungs when the 5th Qwest rep announced that he would have to transfer me to another rep to get my other question answered. My co-workers thought I was nuts.<BR/><BR/>It does seem now that more often Qwest have been empowered to take care of the whole problem by themselves, with the ironic exception that when I called to find out where my modem refund was, I was transferred to the accounts department.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully accounts is the last redoubt of a failed bureaucracy and will transform itself like most of the rest of Qwest appears to have.Frank Stahelihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01822334061980912687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-10330691391583412032007-09-27T08:08:00.000-06:002007-09-27T08:08:00.000-06:00Based on that story, I'm guessing that Qwest's com...Based on that story, I'm guessing that Qwest's compensation package includes a big free-for-all barrel of crack. No right-thinking person would act like those kinds of time frames are normal or acceptable.Jesse Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468928702710912142noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-14670683362363317012007-09-26T13:45:00.000-06:002007-09-26T13:45:00.000-06:00A long, long time ago, in the sleepy little compan...A long, long time ago, in the sleepy little company where I worked as the technology manager, we had two Qwest DSL lines: one was 640K, and the other was 256K. One day I called Qwest and told them I was now ready to upgrade the slower of the two lines to 640K. No problem, I was told, the work order has now been entered into the system. Great, I replied, what's the ETA for this upgrade? Four to six weeks is the average turnaround, was the answer. Oh, I responded, that's disappointing to hear...what kind of work does it take to upgrade this line? Well, came the reply, a technician has to swap out a card in the Central Office. But, I protested, that doesn't sound like so much work...why, even I could do that, and the CO is just around the corner...all I need is the card and a key to the lock! Oh no, I was told, the work has to be performed by one of our highly-trained professional technicians, and since we utilize a first-in, first-out workflow methodology, we estimate it will be four to six weeks before your work order comes due. But, I argued, doesn't the fact that I am UPGRADING my service which means MORE REVENUE for Qwest because I will be paying over twice as much for the upgraded line just as soon as it is installed suggest that my work order should receive some kind of priority over ones that don't mean MORE REVENUE like service cancellations and repairs of existing service? Nope, was the answer, it's strictly first-in, first-out. Oh well, I sighed, just make sure your technician contacts me just prior to swapping out the card so that I can notify my users, because this DSL line affects business-critical applications on my LAN. Sorry, came the rejoinder, we can't do that...when your work order comes due, your existing line will first be disabled by one technician, then your work order is passed to another technician who actually swaps out the card. Wait, I implored, how much time does it take between disabling the existing line and swapping out the card? It varies, was the response, it could be hours, it could be days, it could be weeks, there is no guarantee. STOP! I literally shouted at the top of my voice, YOU CAN'T DISABLE THAT LINE FOR DAYS OR WEEKS WHAT PART OF BUSINESS-CRITICAL APPLICATIONS DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND YOU DO REALIZE THIS IS A BUSINESS DON'T YOU? YOU CAN'T JUST DISABLE MY INTERNET ACCESS YOU KNUCKLE-HEADED IDIOT! CANCEL THE WORK ORDER!!<BR/><BR/>And thus Qwest and I parted ways. The end.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-89820727542781058592007-09-26T07:09:00.000-06:002007-09-26T07:09:00.000-06:00I'll be first in line though if Utopia ever makes ...I'll be first in line though if Utopia ever makes it up to Northern Davis County!Urban Kodahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01327437055164051853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-16039831435823623402007-09-26T07:07:00.000-06:002007-09-26T07:07:00.000-06:00I've been with Qwest for about 9 years now... Ini...I've been with Qwest for about 9 years now... Initially there were some billing problems, but I had nothing but good experiences when speaking with their reps (granted, this is about the same time I was dealing with AOL so everything would have seemed better.<BR/><BR/>I've had DSL for about 2 years now. I was with UtahWISP before, and so I'm not sure it is possible that Qwest could have worse service than them. My modem has gone out a couple of times, but generally pulling the power for a couple of minutes corrects any problems.<BR/><BR/>I have been using Comcast temporarily for the past few weeks, and my impression has been that it is far quicker with downloads, but painfully slow with uploads. I do a lot of freelance web development, so this is a big deal for me. <BR/><BR/>All in all though, I think when you factor in price, speed and the ability to speak to someone actually located in the US... Qwest aren't too bad. Of course that's not to say they wouldn't benefit from a little competition!Urban Kodahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01327437055164051853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-64754532898363381282007-09-25T10:46:00.000-06:002007-09-25T10:46:00.000-06:00oops typo'soops typo'spramahaphilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05852898493878493736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-53688232866429410142007-09-25T10:45:00.000-06:002007-09-25T10:45:00.000-06:00I have been a seven year boycott of Qwest.When I f...I have been a seven year boycott of Qwest.<BR/><BR/>When I first got married I called Qwest to set up one phone line and caller ID. The bills were extremely high for a couple of months until I finally noticed that I was being charged for 3 phone lines, caller ID, and call waiting. I called to complain and they said there was nothing they could do about the extra charges, and from that time on I have used cell phones only and cable internet.<BR/><BR/>A few years back Qwest was awful. I hear they have improved, but I'm can't bring myself to end the boycott.pramahaphilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05852898493878493736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25646979.post-77964213222625839782007-09-25T07:57:00.000-06:002007-09-25T07:57:00.000-06:00These kinds of stories are commonplace for Qwest, ...These kinds of stories are commonplace for Qwest, even in neighboring markets. Prior to moving here, I heard nothing but bad about Qwest and its messed-up billing practices. They're also the only large telco not building some kind of next-generation triple-play service. Being an incumbent has made them lazy and apathetic, the legacy of the botched-up 1984 AT&T break-up.Jesse Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11468928702710912142noreply@blogger.com