QWEST Still Sucks

[Bob La Londe]

Yesterday I did a move for a client from one suite in a complex to another.
They ordered a new phone line for the new suite. (not sure why) Anyway, I
could not find the prerun wire from their new suite in the phone room were
the demarc is. The new phone line was there clearly marked on a new block.

It bothered me until I got out my ladder and a flashlight to look up in the
ceiling. The feed wire to that suite went into a conduit which I could see
went down a wall into a nearby utility room. I had building management come
out to open the utility room for me. I expected to find a cross connect
board, but nope. There was a whole-nuther demarc. Coming down the wall was
the feed wire from the clients suite. Says telco property on the demarc,
more than a dozen lines are connected there, and its obviously fed by a
telco provided underground cable.

No problem I thought. Call Q-Worst and explain that they had installed to
the wrong demarc. The first CS rep decided I was high, that it was
installed correctly, and that it was the customer's fault for not hiring
Q-Worst to install wire and jacks. (Wire and jacks that already existed in
perfect working order.) After going back and forth on the phone for nearly
30 minutes arguing with the first genius I got switched to another.

It took nearly 30 minutes for the second genius to decide to send somebody
out, but he still argued that Q-Worst had installed it to the correct demarc
inspite of the fact that a previous business in that suite had Q-Worst
service from that demarc. I even looked them up in a directory and found
their old listed number marked on the block covers in the demarc. Q-Worst
will have a field tech out sometime today between 9 and 5, and they still
may not do anything according to genius number 2.

Sigh.

Any Q-Worst reps reading this take offense? Good. Maybe you will fix the
problem of blaming all your mistakes on other people, and just start fixing
your mistakes. Maybe train your techs to understand that those of us who
are personally responsible for our performance actually know what we are
talking about. I doubt it, but we can hope.

--
Sincerely,
Robert (Bob) J La Londe III

The Security Consultant
P.O. Box 5720
Yuma, Az 85366

Licensed Communications Contractor
Serving Yuma Since 1994
Commercial & Residential
ROC103044 & ROC103047

(928) 782-9765 Voice
(928) 782-7873 Fax
[email protected]
^ underscore

 

[G. Morgan]

No problem I thought. Call Q-Worst and explain that they had installed to
the wrong demarc.

Why bother? Why didn't you tie in there and just tell the Cx to report it?

I rarely get involved with the Telco Corp. unless they are preventing me from
doing the job (port blocking mainly).

 

[Bob La Londe]

Why bother? Why didn't you tie in there and just tell the Cx to report
it?

I rarely get involved with the Telco Corp. unless they are preventing me
from
doing the job (port blocking mainly).

Well, there would have been the small matter of installing 75 Yards of wire
across 7 business suites, through 2 buildings, and multiple brick firewalls.
Or Qworst could just do it right the first time.

 

[G. Morgan]

Well, there would have been the small matter of installing 75 Yards of wire
across 7 business suites, through 2 buildings, and multiple brick firewalls.
Or Qworst could just do it right the first time.

Ah ha! Yup, that's a good reason to call!

 

[JoeRaisin]

Yesterday I did a move for a client from one suite in a complex to
another. They ordered a new phone line for the new suite. (not sure why)
Anyway, I could not find the prerun wire from their new suite in the
phone room were the demarc is. The new phone line was there clearly
marked on a new block.

It bothered me until I got out my ladder and a flashlight to look up in
the ceiling. The feed wire to that suite went into a conduit which I
could see went down a wall into a nearby utility room. I had building
management come out to open the utility room for me. I expected to find
a cross connect board, but nope. There was a whole-nuther demarc. Coming
down the wall was the feed wire from the clients suite. Says telco
property on the demarc, more than a dozen lines are connected there, and
its obviously fed by a telco provided underground cable.

No problem I thought. Call Q-Worst and explain that they had installed
to the wrong demarc. The first CS rep decided I was high, that it was
installed correctly, and that it was the customer's fault for not hiring
Q-Worst to install wire and jacks. (Wire and jacks that already existed
in perfect working order.) After going back and forth on the phone for
nearly 30 minutes arguing with the first genius I got switched to another.

It took nearly 30 minutes for the second genius to decide to send
somebody out, but he still argued that Q-Worst had installed it to the
correct demarc inspite of the fact that a previous business in that
suite had Q-Worst service from that demarc. I even looked them up in a
directory and found their old listed number marked on the block covers
in the demarc. Q-Worst will have a field tech out sometime today between
9 and 5, and they still may not do anything according to genius number 2.

Sigh.

Any Q-Worst reps reading this take offense? Good. Maybe you will fix the
problem of blaming all your mistakes on other people, and just start
fixing your mistakes. Maybe train your techs to understand that those of
us who are personally responsible for our performance actually know what
we are talking about. I doubt it, but we can hope.

Aw crap - ya done got me started on telco bastids.

Doing a fire system for a major department store in Flint, MI. It's a
sub from ADT. Anyway, supposed to meet the telco sub-contractor and
show him where the fire panel will be so he can run the lines. I drove
up from Detroit and there are at least six weather related accidents
that make me half an hour late. I call ahead to let them know I will be
there.

I show the guy where the fire panel will be and he starts whining about
how he was told he was only going to have to verify lines, not run them
and how he hates drilling through concrete block. I show him the main
telephone room and he doesn't know the numbers he's supposed to use. I
even show him where the intrusion panels are, as they were noted on his
paperwork, but told him they are working fine and as far as I knew.

Last time I saw him he was calling his boss about the tire on his van
being flat.

About a week later I get a call from my boss who wants a blow by blow of
what happened when I met with him. The store called the telco about the
work not being done. Telco calls the sub who braces the tech and he
tells them I showed up late (which was true), didn't know where anything
was and just told him he was on his own before leaving after only a few
minutes.

Well, I've only been with these guys since December but my boss and the
install mgr from ADT we work with felt they knew me well enough that
they backed me up even before getting my story - that was nice, but I'd
still like to throttle that jerk...

 

[JoeRaisin]

It's just a suggestion but maybe you can make up some kind of little
letter or form just in case this might happen again. Just something
that the other guy can sign to say that you were there and ......
etc ... etc.

Yeah, that's a good idea. In hindsight, I also could have checked out
with the construction foreman - with the other tech in tow.