| If you would like to submit a poem, inspirational musing, or even a photograph you have written or taken to the Poetry Directory to be displayed in Earthly Comforts, l would love to hear from you. Please email me at Rory Matier – theautisticcomposter@gmail.com, with Poetic Art for Earthly Comforts in the title. |
| Music – Tech Showcase |
| Broken Communications I need some clarification. I have to concede with the final decision, From the service provider of instant communications, After days of discussing the problem with the various divisions, Concerning my Internet hiccup or technical abrasion! On the Sunday just passed, my router did so stop, A cable decided enough was enough, and it snapped, The connection was no longer stable, and it just went pop, And my accessibility to surf was instantly capped! A quick phone call remedied the situation, Or so they led me to believe, Replacements would be sent to fix the application, So my stay of absence would be reprieved! These new parts were to arrive at no cost, And would be with me by no later than tomorrow’s mid-morning, So no major surfing time would be lost, And l would not be thrust into mourning! Alas, the following day, mid-morning came and went, So did early and late afternoon a call for status, Revealed difficulties and the items not sent, But tomorrow would l so receive the apparatus! Tomorrow arrived, and all l had received, Was but a small envelope and two booklets, I cannot pretend that l did not feel deceived, And convinced that my needs had not been met! Upon calling yet again at my convenience, To enquire upon the dispatch status, was it revealed, Was that any spare parts would be at my expense, If they decided the problem was real? One call into technical was redirected to sales, And sales shifted me to billing, which sent me to dispatch, Who, in reality, did not exist and demanded to know details, Of the problem to see if they could try to latch, Me onto the correct department to resolve my issue, They then transferred me back into technical, Who said they knew not who l was and connected me to revenue, Themselves bewildered as to what l wanted and were somewhat sceptical, Transferred out yet again, and back l was with billing, Who again transferred me into sales and parts? And they did so enquire as to whether l wanted printing? But apologised all the same for all the false starts! By this time, l had explained the problem over and over, To seven such divisions of the service provider, Renowned for its reputation with the ‘telephone customer’, Yet unable to communicate with each other? Finally, a voice broke the silence and said they could assist, So once more did l so inform them of the actuality, For them to say ‘NO’, this took the piss! The problem was mine, and l should face reality! The black broadband cable with two grey ends, Was not their responsibility but mine, And sadly they were quite simply unable to make amends, Without imposing upon me a hefty fine! That l needed to buy myself a newer cable, In so doing, this would remedy the Internet, But they were pretty simply unable, To have my requirements met! They only provide the service and not the equipment, And the initial apparatus that was delivered, Was purely for me to grasp what was meant, So that l could stop from being bewildered? When l argued that it was, in fact, the clip at the end, That had broken, and not the bloody cable, Again they answered that they could not mend, They were service providers and not angels! I asked about the guarantee they so awarded to customers, For the equipment they provided to use their service, They responded that they were just conductors, And that l should consider a new purchase! ‘What about this Sunday just gone?’ ‘At which point l was informed it was at no cost?’ Their answers were simple, ‘they were wrong’, And all details of the conversation are lost! With that, l was more or less thrown into oblivion, For they said that unless there was more help required today, They had resolved the situation, And they wished me the best for the rest of the day! I cannot help but feel that l have been brutalised to the core, This so-called service provider in instant communications, It is nothing short of a money-grabbing, good-for-nothing what-for! Hell-bent on practising technical witchcraft and psychological frustrations! Rory Matier © 2009 |
Earthly Comforts 
The bane of multiple sellers and vendors.
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Yes very much so Sadje – back then l was living in a caravan on the Fens, l was right on the edge of the satellite coverage and dealing with British Telecom was one of the biggest nightmares going.
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Yes I noticed the date the poem was written. This is the system the British left here too. Red tape is blocking all progress
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I hope writing that impressive poem provided some therapy
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Hey Geoff, it helped at the time for sure 🙂
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Seems the victim never wins, Rory!
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Hey Eugenia, hardly ever. BT [the provider have changed a lot thank goodness in the last decade though].
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That’s good to know, Rory.
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We’ve all been there, especially with the internet.
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Hey Diana, l know right? It can be maddening at times, thankfully things are way easier these days than they used to be.
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👏👏👏
I laughed with the beginning – cause I remember those days
And then with customer service for any company now a days is piss poor 👎 companies forget who their audience is 🤷♀️ if you want to survive and continue to be a company – maybe pour some profits into customer service for larger fan base ✌️
I would use a company with good customer service over one with bad customer service
But you don’t find out until you need them lol 😉
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Thankfully things have improved in the last decade plus, but years ago it was the biggest frustration going with the internet and the service 🙂
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I dunno, has it improved? The service itself is better than it was with internet/phones/tv
But customer service can still be severely lacking
There is NOT the customer service like we had back in the day when a company was thankful for its customers
But having said that – we live in an opportunistic world … so people will take advantage sometimes
Or if you give an inch, people will want a mile?
Ahhh … but at least no getting kicked off internet by a phone call 😄😄
Just a side note… I keep having companies recently asking me if I want cable or satellite TV
Hahaha umm no… I do not even watch tv much, I don’t like most of the mindlessness tv…
I pretty much stick to documentaries, music, or comedy 🎭 and those I get all for free when and if I have time
Why I want to pay for a service I will never use and don’t want lol
And even if I did watch tv… I still wouldn’t want cable or satellite 📡… too much money when I can find for free
I remember people trying to steal cable back in the 80’s 😄😄
And currently – isn’t Netflix trying to stop people from sharing their accounts ?
Remember Napster? Lol songs for free?
Is new world – so companies are in weird position 🤷♀️
The services may offer more and work better …
But the customer service side could stand to be better – especially for long term customers!
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You are indeed spot on Madam Yoda 🙂
The customer service side still sucks and has become mostly automated and digital with very little human compassion – but the actual service line as in the functioning side is better 🙂
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