Does it seem sometimes when you start having an episode/event, that you can't help but think, "I'm such a drama queen?" I have a lot of difficulty dealing with bureaucracy and those organizations that add extra bull as if they didn't already dish out enough.
I've been fighting with my computer retailer regarding my laptop for about 2-3 years now. I originally purchased it under the misbelief that it was a powerhouse that could do anything. Well it's pretty powerful, but the mobo would overheat and then kill itself about every couple of months. They finally replaced the laptop with a newer model, but now this one can't keep a wireless connection up for more than five minutes for the life of it. I've had tech support hack into my computer on 3 different occasions each one of them claiming to have fixed the problem, only for it to resume before the phone was hung up. Now they're sending me some more hardware to troubleshoot the problem, which I'm not terribly happy about having to do, but it's better than the alternative... Which is mailing the computer to Kentucky or Tennessee where a bunch of imported Indian/Bangladesh/Nepalese have been imported to fix computers under the guise of being American. (I'm generally not racist, but am very easily frustrated with the language barriers and inability to communicate simple technical ideas between the different cultures.) To share some experiences regarding my frustrations....
I had sent my computer in for the 3/4th time for yet another mobo overheating issue. It had been there for about a week before anyone even looked at it and then they put it on hold for 2 weeks while they waited for a special order mobo from China. They told me that they had a new one being made just for me. (woot woot, that's special right?) Well, 3 weeks after it was received I receive a call from the tech center from a girl whose name I couldn't pronounce, she told me that my hard drive was incompatible with my mobo, and I would need to buy a new one so that she could finish fixing the laptop. She further explained that the reason my computer was overheating and subsequently my mobo being damaged, was because my hard drive which was the same brand as my laptop, was incompatible with my laptop. (pause for effect) Are you freakin' kidding me? (I actually asked her that) The hdd worked fine when we troubleshot the laptop to find that the mobo was damaged yet again, and I explained that had she put the same model mobo with the same bios into the laptop that there should be absolutely no difference from before I sent it in. She replied, no sir, it is very common that if you use the wrong hard drive in a laptop that it can overheat the system. Now, I've only been building systems since around the early 90's when I first earned money and parts were readily sold, but I have never in my life heard of an hdd causing so much heat that it was disproportionate to the cpu and not maintainable by the cooling units (fans/heat sinks/etc.), furthermore, the hdd worked with the old mobo, just the graphics and wifi were screwy, so I couldn't figure out why she was having problems. I tried to get to speak to someone else, but communication broke down by my pride and her inability to perform basic technical skills. When I called back to tell them to send me my system back so that I could fix it myself, I was told that they had no record of them calling me (was only 30 min later) and that the mobo they had received actually had water damage and several broken pins on it. Now how is it that she could identify that my hdd was the problem, when the mobo couldn't even pass quality control?!? I had waited 3 weeks for the board to be special ordered from China, and it apparently never went through any QC along the whole manufacturing or shipping, receiving or handling by the techie that actually installed it. That's impressive.
The next time I sent my laptop in (about 2-3 weeks later) was because the backlight in the LCD stopped functioning. Should be a quick easy fix. Well, It kind of was I received my laptop back in less than a week, with a letter attached from the techie named fanifarnifer (or something similar the handwriting as per all techie's international and local was poor) saying that he had to remove my RAM to get the computer to boot up, because the computer won't work with 3rd party ram and the RAM is probably what caused my computer screen to malfunction. Never mind his? ignorance on the fact that the RAM doesn't control the GPU or the screen or the light behind it, but the third party thing??? Again R U FREEKING Kidding ME? The RAM is Corsair and I don't know of any computer manufacturer that makes their own RAM. (It's mostly made by one of 3 or 4 larger companies). Well, I put my RAM back in, and sure enough it booted up, but just like he said, the screen kept glitching and within a week the screen was out again!
Well, miracle of miracles after convincing the support center that the fact my computer had been in the shop for about 1/3 of the time that I had owned it, and the fact that the screen when out again as well as the mobo overheated again..... They decided to upgrade me to the new system.
Enter my current problem! I received it about a month later and it's a nice system has a 1gb dedicated video card, can't complain there. However, within 5 days I noticed it's Achilles heel.... The wifi card. I've been dealing with tech support on how to fix it ever since. Now I'm waiting for a hdd to be sent to me, but after waiting for 2 weeks I thought I'd call and find out where it is. Of course they never sent it, they thought that I was just kidding about my wifi card still not working after 3 months of troubleshooting. So hopefully I'll get it in the next 2-3 business days to restore the software to it's original drivers and retest the connectivity. Of course, if it's not a software issue, the system will have to go back to 'Little India' in Kentucky or wherever it was for them to screw around with it. (Kind of reminds me of a Beastie Boys skit about some construction workers on a roof top screwing around... Think they eventually got thrown off the roof :p ). But who knows how long that will take to resolve. I'd get into the billing fiasco regarding my laptop replacement, but it's just too much for one day... (They charged me for a new warranty, but they told me and my credit card it was for my free laptop replacement. It took 3 months to figure that one out too.)
I've also had a great time with my phone service. There is a certain region in my state, that my phone will not let me connect to. It is where my family lives. Joy of joys. For about a month I've had intermittent problems with connecting, so I'll try to call 2-3 times before I can connect. Well, for the last 2 weeks, I can't connect at all (I have made it through twice actually, but can't repeat it twice in a row). I've called the phone tech support and we troubleshot all the phones on my account (we have multiple phones and none of them can get thru) After wiping several phones and starting them from their default configurations and updating others to the latest software, I finally convinced the tech, that it wasn't on my end and that their must be a network problem. He took some info and said he submitted a network ticket, also to contact back in 72 hours if no change in connectivity. So I called back to let them know that I still had the problem and that we were able to find that when we would call people that the number came up as the British Virgin Islands. That kind of sounded odd, so the next tech I spoke to took my info and informed me that there were no network tickets attached to my account, but that she would create one. (Now I'm annoyed, but o.k.) I called back in 3 days later to find out the status, and of course there were no network tickets attached to my account. I then spoke with a supervisor regarding their techs inability to attach a simple ticket to an account, he apologized and said he would do it himself to ensure it was done, he also was going to call me back within 30 min to update me on the initial status. (He never called back). So, yesterday I called to find out the status, after all, between 2 techs and a supervisor there had to exist a ticket somewhere, but alas, the company is incapable of creating such a thing. The third tech tried to convince me that SHE was capable of creating the ticket for me and that it would be done correctly, but I'm not so stupid as to believe the same line of crap 4 times in a row. (apparently 3 is my limit) Her supervisor said he would send out an email to an escalation group to ensure the ticket was looked into, and that they would call within 24hours. I informed him I needed to file a complaint as well, and he referred me to their website, as their tech's can't transfer to the complaint dept. and there exists no number to call to complain.... (fishy). Well, apparently I am so stupid as to fall for a 4th lie. I never received the call from anyone. I sent an email to the complaint group, and received an email back saying that they couldn't find anything wrong with their service, but recommend that I buy a VoIP router to improve my cell phones connectivity. (Maybe I'm an idiot, but doesn't a VOIP router need internet connection? If my cell phone is to be used while being mobile I won't have an internet connection for the VOIP to improve my connection! Furthermore, why do I have to buy extra equipment for each phone just to get the basic services I'm already paying for?!?) I called her number to discuss with her the stupidity of the recommendation and ensure she understood my frustrations. I also told her I would speak with a local distributor/repair shop. I showed the tech at the repair shop the problem, and he found it both amusing and very frustrating too. (He couldn't figure out what the problem was) He took my phone for 2-3 hours, decided to switch it with a new one (yippee new problems) and the problem persisted. He then used his Almost a God phone number to contact the network people and challenge their statement that it's not a network issue. He had them monitor the phone while he attempted calling 16 different phone numbers in the same region and not one of them would go thru. However, his phone and the network guys phones would. They are claiming to be looking into it now, and will get back to me in 72 hours... (should I really hold my breath?)
I've been told that my PTSD manifests itself with strong anger and frustration. I feel like a walking time bomb most of the time, but when stuff like this continually happens.... I just feel like going nuclear. I can't seem to find a way to calm myself. I of course do see tons of humor in this whole mess, but I still get really furious. I feel like a drama queen though. I mean, if it's not one thing it's constantly another. I know it's all part of life, but, it seems I can't catch a break for longer than a week at a time. lol. If my problems don't get resolved soon I will drop names so everyone can keep away from these businesses though. I'd just like to try to give them the benefit of the doubt. (Not that they aren't mostly incompetent, but the benefit that they can eventually fix things.... hopefully).
