November 14 – “What you need is …”

In the spirit of the upcoming season … “Oh what fun it is to talk on the phone with Comcast cable.  Hey!”

That was on my list yesterday.  We are trying to settle once and for all why we have so much trouble at the church getting wifi connection in our worship center.  The retreat center reception is perfect, but once you go downstairs into the worship center … the error messages abound.  Things like “You are connected to the internet, but you may not be able to get on the internet.”  Never has made sense to me.  If I’m connected, doesn’t that mean I AM on?  We have tried those extenders and even a cable between buildings.  Nothing has ever really worked for the long term.  So the phone call was to request a technician to come to our premises and tell us what is going on and how to fix it.  Sounded simple enough to me.

The first person I talked to was Mariah in Tech Services.  She was nice enough.  Understood the problem right away, and after consulting with her supervisor, determined that we might have to have two separate accounts.  The only way to determine that would be to have a technician come out and do a sight survey.  Fine.  Bring him on.  Well, that meant I would have to be transferred to that division. 

Step two.  New division.  Someone named Imeah, I think.  Again, very nice.  She, too, recognized the problem.  She, too, talked with a supervisor.  This time it sounded like what we needed was a technician come out and do a sight survey.  Wait.  That sounded vaguely familiar.  Fine.  Bring him on.  Well … the only department that can do that would be new accounts, so “I’ll transfer you over.”

Step three.  Now I had a talk with David in new accounts.  I explained the problem to him as well.  He wasn’t nearly as helpful as the ladies had been.  He kept insisting that he couldn’t do anything until we agreed to sign up for a two year contract of new service.  I finally got him to exit sales pitch mode and listen to me for a moment.  After my explanation he finally seemed to get what I was saying.  He replied, “It sounds like what you need is a technician to come out and do a sight survey.”  “Great idea,” I agreed with a sigh.  Bring him on.  “Oh, well, all we do here is new account set ups.  I’ll have to transfer you to that department.” 

Step four.  “Hello, this is Elizabeth from Tech Services.  How can I help you?”  Tech Services.  Really?  I asked if Mariah was around, but she wasn’t available.  Elizabeth, however, jumped right into tech mode.  She ran some tests to see if the modem was pinging.  I told her it was pinging just fine.  It just couldn’t find its way down the stairs.  She was able to determine that the issue was probably with our router, and that was something we would have to contact the router manufacturer about.  Of course it is.  And then she hesitantly continued, “It really sounds like what you need is a technician come to come out and do a sight survey.”  I knew it.  BRING HIM ON!  “Unless you want to just get one of our new and improved modems with the router built right in.  No charge for the modem itself.  Just a $69.95 service call.”  I asked if that would mean we could just deal with them and be done with it and they would see to it that we have wifi in both buildings.  “Yes, sir,” was the magic reply.  Bring him on. 

We set up a date for the installation for next Thursday.  I will meet the ever-elusive “technician who will come out and do a sight survey.”  Whew.  Thanks, Comcast. 

James 2:17 says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Father, bring peace to your world where there is no peace.  Amen.