Just need to rant a bit

okay - just need to let off a bit of steam ... but first let me kiss butt here and say I really like my cable, and this isn't an issue with the company.

Last time I had issues with my cable, the operator suggested using the Live Help online so that I wouldn't have to wait so long for an answer to my issue ... so tonight when things didn't work right I took the advise...

and instead of having to wait 20 minutes for the operator, I wound up waiting over that - well over that (was able to watch an entire episode of Cool Tools while waiting and its an 1/2 hour program)....

then when I did get the 'tech' I was asked for my acct. number -- who has that when reporting a problem? they already had my address and the rest of that info ... we worked around it.

so then the 'tech' wanted me to lift my cable box and give her the serial number --- WHAT???? Lift my box? What if I was some 80 yr old great-grandma? I couldn't believe it. We have a stacked system, no way was I going to unstack it all to get a bleeping serial number.

She said she needed to reset the box and that she needed to get the correct one since we had two ... I told her how to distinguish between them without my having to lift that boat-anchor ...

which is why I keep putting 'tech' in quote marks .... I'm sure she has a set procedure that she needs to follow, but it was just ridiculous. I got the feeling really fast that they may be putting people on the line who aren't really techs ... but you never know.

But the thing that has really miffed me? when the box acted up, it gave me an error code ... a specific error code ... all I could get from the operator is that it wasn't a code that belonged on that system.

Okay - so what exactly does it mean I asked, out of curiosity and sometimes I can connect the dots as to why these things happen ... and was told the code has no meaning ... WHAT??

So why give an error number then? Why not just say "there's been an error call your operator" ... that is the thing that got to me ... its like standing in line at the DMV because you got a letter in the mail saying to see them to find out it was really nothing after all.

Oh the issue -- static build up that was solved buy cutting power to the box for a while ...

its the first thing I think of when the internet network system acts up but not the cable box.

Hopefully lesson learned.

and next time - I'm phoning it in.