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 Customer Service On Hold.
A few weeks ago, I received a phone call from Bell Atlantic. Despite 15 years of almost daily contact with telco personnel, I was astounded. My installation of service in Baltimore was being held up (no surprises so far) by a ‘lack of facilities’. The explanation(s) followed a winding trail. First, the ‘facilities’ were described as insufficient lines to the building. Later, they were described as lack of distribution facilities for lines already delivered to the building. And finally, the telco admitted they needed me to install a piece of plywood, in
their phone room, before they would cross connect to my pre-wired house pair. An article in the Wall Street Journal the next day (WSJ, 7/6/00, p.B1) confirmed that I am not alone. Complaints related to local phone service installations rose 82% in the first half of 1999, and the nation’s four regional phone companies face fines totaling almost $300 million, primarily for foot dragging.
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