My parents have a pretty snazzy new Windows Media Center PC. They also have DSL service from Verizon, who is also our local telephone service provider. As you probably know, this involves a little box that sits next to your computer called a DSL modem. Well, one night last month, the damn thing quit working. It wouldn't give up the old IP address and take a new one (via DHCP). Endless restarts, resettings, and general kickboxing didn't make it work again. Time to hit the phone for technical support. Normally, I would do this, but I had to jet off to the tropics for a month, so my parents had to solve their own tech problems.
I don't know the specifics, but I guess those Verizon whores tried to convince my parents that they needed a new computer. A NEW COMPUTER!!!!!!!! I guess tech support thought that the network controller had exploded or something, taking the entire motherboard with it. After calling some other PC experts, and the Compaq support hotline, my parents realized that getting a new computer probably wouldn't solve shit. So they began a 2-week argument with Verizon that their computer was not at fault. This involved faxing specifications to Verizon, Verizon calling Compaq to verify that the network card was installed correctly, etc, etc.
Finally, Verizon sent a tech out to the house. He plugged in a brand new DSL modem, and it worked like a charm. 45 seconds, and he was out the door.
Thank god my parents are tight with their money - otherwise, they would have been swindled out of multiple thousands of dollars. There's probably some poor schmucks out there who weren't wise to this scam and got burned by Verizon's incompetent bullshit. If there's a signal coming into the house and the computer can't get it, and everythin is connected, the modem is broken - that's basically axiomatic. Why would Verizon not check this at first? Do they have some sort of scam going with Best Buy?
I always knew Verizon were useless pigs. And now I have capital evidence.
