Staying Connected: Phones, Email & Cable TV

 I remember when phone numbers increased from 5 numbers to 7 and there weren't any area codes.  All long distance calls had to go through the operator.  Everyone had an egg timer next to the phone so they didn't go over 3 minutes and they shouted their message.  The cost of long distance was high and quality wasn't too good.  Now it is a necessity to have two phone numbers (one cell, the other the land line).  We have to have a broadband connection and of course our television has to be connected to cable.  We want better prices and we expect a better connection.  Better customer service?  Are you kidding - we don't dare dream to expect that.

20 to 40 years ago you called, a human answered.  They wrote your problem down on a piece of paper and told you what the solution would be and when it would happen.  Call over.  After you were off the phone they passed the paper onto the person who had the power to fix the problem.

Now you spend 10-15 minutes going through the numbers until you reach a human.  To this human you then repeat all the numbers you previously had to enter to get this far.  They in turn have to enter all the information into the computer.  You explain the problem.  They enter it into the computer.  They wait to see if the other department received it.  They tell you when you will get a solution.  Call over?  No way!  "Please stay on the line while a supervisor verifies that you actually asked for our help."  Huh?  "Anything else we can do for you today?"  Yeah, let me off the line and get back to my life.  The life I've been away from for almost an hour.  The life I was away from last week when I called for this service the first time.

You might gather from this entry that I've recently had some dealings with one or more of the firms that keep us connected to the outside world.  You are right.  And I don't understand why getting service has gotten so complicated.