Cable Internet tech support

[Karen G. Schneider]

Warning: meandering vent ahead...

Today, m staff called me at home (as I have requested to do so) to let me
know that Time Warner's technicians had flown in and out of the library,
replacing the cable modem (and as they too often do, leaving the scene
without checking first with staff to see if everything is working as it
should), and now they were unable to telnet to the catalog.

I decided to call TW myself with several questions about telnet and cable
Internet.  After 20 minutes, a young man got on the phone with me.  "Like,
you know," he emphasized, "it's better if you're in front of the computer
that isn't working."  Right, I said, but I had some questions about telnet
and their equipment setup.  Back I went on hold for five minutes, and then
he was on the phone with me again.  "Ma'am, like, we can't tell you
anything, because telnet is a Windows program."  I felt my throat tighten,
and I advised him that a) telnet is one of the basic Internet protocols and
b) I wanted to speak to another technician.

I'm still on hold... perhaps for the rest of my life... wondering, if this
young man is a "technician," how much he earns for his "expertise..."


_________________________________________________________________
Karen G. Schneider |  kgs at bluehighways.com http://www.bluehighways.com
Author: A Practical Guide to Internet Filters, Neal Schuman, 1997 
Director, Garfield Library of Brunswick, NY... 
Soon: Brunswick Community Library!
Garfield on the Web: http://www.crisny.org/not-for-profit/garfield/