An Open Letter From DS-Hell
Editor’s Note: Times staff writer P.J. Huffstutter knows about computer stuff. But she recently met her match trying to get her Verizon DSL connection to work.
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To: Charles R. Lee and Ivan G. Seidenberg, co-chief executives, Verizon Communications
From: P.J. Huffstutter
Re: DSL Service
I am your perfect customer. I’m a technophile. I think technology improves my life. I spend gobs of money on computers and gadgets and digital services.
But after my recent interaction with your company and a migraine-inducing, teeth-gnashing, ulcer-causing, must-go-brew-some-herbal-tea-before-I-lose-my-mind experience of trying to get my DSL service to work, I’m tempted to join the Luddites of the world.
You see, I live in Long Beach and have been dying to get a high-speed Internet connection into my home for months, both for personal and professional use. I knew that my only option in the short term was a digital subscriber line, or DSL, because my local cable company doesn’t yet offer data service.
Unfortunately, it took nearly one month for my modem to work--even though your company billed me as if it was working all along.
For months, your company sent me ads tantalizing me with the promise that my neighborhood would go broadband. For a mere $32.50 a month--and a one-year contract--I’d be able to surf the Web at roaring fast speeds, listen to music online and enjoy movies instead of seeing them in jagged slow motion.
Finally, this fall, that glorious day arrived. I called Verizon and signed up for DSL service. The very cheery salesperson told me my account would be switched on Nov. 22. Fabulous.
The software kit and DSL modem arrived a couple of weeks after I placed my order. I’ve got to hand it to you: The installation was very easy, thanks to an instruction sheet filled with little pictures and arrows telling me which cables connect to what device. It was like assembling a chair from Ikea, only the instructions were in English.
The 22nd, a Wednesday, came. It went. No lightning-fast Internet connection.
I called Verizon.
“Oh, everyone left early for Thanksgiving. They’re really backed up right now. I’ll make a note and it’ll work on Friday, the 24th. I promise.”
On Friday night, the modem still wasn’t giving me the trio of lights that mean the DSL connection is working. I called Verizon, again.
I was placed on hold for more than 20 minutes. Finally, the support staff walked me through several questions. Had I installed the software? Had I connected the cables to the modem?
“Ma’am, have you plugged in the modem?”
Stay calm, I silently told myself. They have to ask these dumb questions.
“Yes, I’ve done all those things.”
The service person finally told me the account would be activated by Sunday, Nov. 26.
Nope. I called back again. And again. And again.
Each time, Verizon employees asked me the same questions, about the software and the cables and the modem. The problem, they told me, must be on my end. Either my computer or my Ethernet card must not be working properly.
“Ma’am, have you plugged in the modem?”
That’s it. “Listen to me very carefully. I write about computers for a living. I understand them, OK? I know how they work.”
There was a moment of silence.
“Ma’am, I’m sure you think you do.”
At that point, I asked to speak to a manager, who said they have had some modem problems and promised to send a technician out to my house on Saturday.
A Verizon service guy came to check out the situation. Sure enough, he said, I had fallen into Dante’s seventh circle of DSL Hell. The problem appeared to be my modem, he said.
It turns out that Verizon uses modems built by Fujitsu. The service guy patiently explained that earlier in the year, the devices worked for anyone who lived within the company’s DSL service area.
But earlier this year, Verizon began receiving modems that have been a bit crankier, he said, especially for customers, like me, who live at the fringes of the company’s service area.
(I later called Larry Plumb, a corporate spokesman, who told me the problem had been happening for several weeks and affected only a small fraction of the company’s customers, “maybe one in 10.” I feel so lucky.)
Verizon plans to roll out a software upgrade, so my modem will work. Someday.
The upgrade was slated to be finished by the end of November. As of today, that deadline has been pushed back to Dec. 24, or possibly later.
“I’m so sorry,” the service guy said.
I love my service guy. Really. If I ever start up my own company, I’m going to hire him to run my tech support department and pay him loads of money. You want to know why? It’s because he was honest with me.
“Don’t worry, though. You won’t be billed for this,” he said.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. I called customer service again, and the person said she’d look into my case. She also suggested that if I didn’t want to pay until the DSL account was active, I could write a letter to the company and explain my situation. Considering what has happened over the last month, I thought that was an excellent idea.
I’m going to try to call Verizon back and see if I can clear this billing thing up, just because I’m stubborn.
I’ve heard from quite a few friends, neighbors and outright strangers that they have suffered through similar--or worse!--DSL problems.
Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.
P.J.
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Times staff writer P.J. Huffstutter (p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com) covers technology.
