 Review by signmeuptoo 
UPDATED: 361 days ago
member for 6.7 years, 3124 visits, last login: a few hours ago
 Ithaca,Tompkins,NY
 $49 per month (12 month contract)
 about 70 days
 Verizon (ex GTE)
 "People are still caring and pleasant and *some* are knowledgeable. The people who are good are VERY GOOD!"
 "Eathlink frittered away a fine reputation. Even the executives don't read these pages, shamefully! But they do care bottomline"
 "If you have incredible patience and major faith, maybe they be a good company again? Perhaps in time they will be a great opera"
| Pre Sales information:
Install Co-ordination:
Connection reliability:
Tech Support:
Services:
Value for money:
(ratings match consensus)
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So, some of you dare to actually *think* that yours is a horror story, BUT...
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NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE NOTE:
Please see my update 3/4ths down this post screen
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I have been with Earthlink (dialup) since they first started up. I have been just about their most loyal proponent. I have been behind nearly a dozen of their new dailup accounts in the past. I have been such a fan that it was, well, flakey. I just believed that Earthlink was one of the type of companies that those of us who are fans of Dr. W. Edwards Deming have yearned for. Read about him to catch the drift.
So, what, dear Lord of mine, have they done?
It almost seems flatly evil how they have become. Different customer service people (and their supervisors) claim numerous and very different "excuses" for my and so many other people's troubles.
There is just too much to tell and write in a post that would be readable...
B-u-t...
---->
It is now, let me see....
... Can it be true?!
62 DAYS!!!
No hardware. No delivery confirmation (only first email of any type, two days ago, saying that they just *got* the order for the hardware!!!). They only sent me that letter because of what I did as told below.
GD these people! I feel so offended! I have shown the patience of Job all of this time, but made certain to call every three days, without fail, to check in and see if there were any issues or questions for me.
After the fifth week (my line was enabled after about 17 days, supposedly), I started to get really concerned because I had recieved many strong assurances that my hardware would arrive NO LATER THAN 5-10 days after the line enablement.
And this was the same company that I did a talk about at collage a couple years ago in glowing words. I am so angry that I feel like cursing in foreign languages while running naked around my subdivision. Does anyone understand that type of anger?
I have been told numerous lies. I have talked to four different supervisors over a period of 5 weeks, and then one executive two days ago, and nothing, nothing, nothing.
If I am very very lucky, I just might be up and running, let's see, by 70 days, at best!
I reside in Upper New York State (where people are country and nice) but am from the SW. As much as Hillary makes me want to hurl, I am calling her office by Monday, no matter what Earthlink does at this point. How many of you here know that EL has nearly the poorest possible rating with the Better Business Bureau?
YUP!
OH, but they claim that they are different from AOL!!!
Truth is, they are the NEW EVIL provider, AOL does not look so bad to me today, and I am a techno-snob, mind you!
Now, get this little jewel:
I finally end up with this "Executive Relations Departent officer" named Quince, and do you know what?
Not only does he have now idea about DSL Reports (or the BBB ratings, or any other sites information, he said that he didn't read or check them, how is that of quality leadership) but...
... after all of the terrible reviews and complaints here (no matter that it is his "FRELLING" JOB to follow consumer relations, press, and online concerns), he couldn't be bothered at all.
B-u-t, get this one...
He promised and swore and swore that I would get the hardware the very next day.
Yes, his actual words. Tommorow.
Now, mind you...
I was soft spoken, firm, respectful with thim. (I did, however give him a gentle tongue lashing chewing him and all management, because management of these companies, and their willingness to bring American Enterprise down to Mexican Barrio standards, the b-tards, make America look like horse pilings.)
I did laugh when he ***insisted*** that could get me my hardware tommorow , and he got angry and indignant that I did not believe him.
&#!%
Guess what? Yes, he apparently was just telling me lies to get me off of his line so that he could just blow off the next customer.
Tuesday, early AM, I saw an email (a first, mind you) claiming that my order had been "committed". I called the next day, yesterday.
I ask, "gee, what does ordered comitted mean, and what was my next day FedEx tracking number" Rep is shocked...
The CSR was (hmmm, say, about the 20th that I have talked to) very "upset" and apologetic for me and insisted first that they had been having this or that problem, then, minutes later tried to insist that my type of experience just never happens.
What The...
She then told me that this Quince idiot was making an impossible (like, y-eah) promise, that there is the same wait for everyone. She had some critical things to say about what he had done with me. So?
OK, I am pretty certain that it will be at least 10 to 15 days more for the hardware, and then, what about if there are line/gateway/frame relay problems?
...Oh YEAH...
... and that is another thing! Different CSRs and Tech support workers have insisted that I was on Frame Relay, and others that I would be on ATM.
Now, skipping a long list of other foul and idiotic non-professionalism, here is the black cherry on the horse dirt cake:
They were billing me from the first date of order processing, just a couple days (literally) from when I placed my order, and this executive liar claimed that it was because "everyone" gets hooked up within the billing start date.
Not one apology or honest explanation or follow-up from this jerk-0%%
Folks, this seems like just plain corruption, plain and simple.
They know that they have your precious email address, your hard-gotten time, and a potential line-hold on you, and they *do* admit all that.
Just when I had finally gotten my blood pressure down to a safe level, and, crap.
Please, please, please, don't do this.
Go ahead and get Road Runner, they might be AOL and be a big dumb-goofy operation, but at least they aren't Earthlink, the new name in shameful GSP Services, it appears.
(notice my legal-ease)
I predict that Earthlink is about to be sold out to another outfit. That has GOT to be why this crap is happening.
But who? And what will happen to us poor people? Where are our rights? Yeah, some democracy, sure!
There ought to be regulations, and that is a dirty shame. My daddy raised me to earn my pay from honest work, we get in trouble for not paying them correctly, but what about our rights when they collect for no service?
I HATE EL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"We won't get fooled again, no no, we won't!"
Thank you for reading this angry and lengthy post, what else to do?
Update, 11/23/01
Would you believe that they still have not even shipped the hardware? I have requested for it again. Sigh.
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UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE: #1
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My hardware finally arrived!!! --It came after talking to an executive relations officer about 2 weeks after the last post.
The Story (worth reading for those of you having trouble or working @ EL):
After becoming very hot under the collar for the first time...
I got pro-active and resourceful and contacted the corporate telephone number and told them my "horror story" and that I was going to let important folks know and such. (I didn't want to say that as a threat, but as a call for help.) My list included BBB, FCC, Congress, State Attornies General, TechTV, PC Computing, and Scientifc American.
The operator was troubled for me after hearing the synapsis of my story. She directed me towards a department that she promised would solve the issue.
I was inevitably connected to an executive relations fellow. He was a little impatient, but tried to be, as I gave me as calm an account of Earthlink's bungled/miss-managed servicing (of my order) as I could manage.
I explained that I was really angry but that only once did I lose my temper, and that it was just the previous day. I pleaded to him that I had kept calm as long as I could, and that no company should leave a customer in the lurch without the following things: No update of the order status, in fact, no order status where it was supposed to be. No promises kept by the CSRs to call me back. No firm reason given as to why my order had not been filled (that, with each call, a different story was given to me). No recourse available to me but unending so-called "kit fixes" that weren't addressing some obviouse other problem.
I begged him to consider that some breakdown in the system existed that they were failing to identify because the CSRs (customer support representatives) were not enabled to talk directly to the order fullfillment people. It was obvious that the current setup of interdepartemental communication had proven a huge bungle, and was unquestionably all the leadership's fault.
I "regaled" him with my insights about what I percieved might be the problem, the Dr. W. Edwards Deming management model (worthy reading for anyone who works for a living), and the huge volume of terrible stories being reported here @ DSL Reports.
I even asked him if he was aware of the bad reports, and, well... He admitted that he did not follow this site and the reports, so I chided him for that failure to his responisbility.
Even so...
He was caring and frustrated (but did not like hearing my little (admittedly) diatribe) and told me that the 15 minutes of my talk took him away from helping other people. I responded by insisting that the information and insight that I was sharing with him was worth months of solution to the root cause of the whole problem. That softening of my invective struck home with him!
At that point I knew that this was a really good guy.
The end result:
I now have EL DSL broadband via Verizon (teliphone line carrier)/Genuity (Verizon DSL to backbone interface carrier, the ILEC). My speeds do drop a little, about as much as 150 or so at times, but I seem to be getting the full 768K Down and 128K up. The uplink speed is ALWAYS very good.
But, continued...
This executive relations fellow solved my problems by placing his own order in for me (my impression was that it was some type of force order). In our initial talk he had assured me that I would have the "kit" (DSL Gateway/Modem and various hardware) within two days.
It did not happen, but guess what?
A miracle happened. He ***actually called me back*** a week later to see how I was doing. When I told him that my kit never arrived and that I had given up, he scolded ME for not calling him about that. The guy really cared. He discovered that they were claiming some sort of charge card number problem.
He forced the order through again, even so... I want to post his name here because I know that he is a good guy, but I am sure that he would not want me to, for obvious reasons.
The very next day, even thought the previous day had been in the late afternoon, I had my kit in the A.M. But do you know that they had my address still wrong as well. I only got the kit because I had UPS on high alert for its possible arrival, and told them of my unusual address, and that EL might have it messed up.
Sure enough, they had printed my address incorrectly, on the package, as well.
At the same time my telephone line, on the poles between me and the central office, was being repaired for complete failure. My line ended up getting conditioned! No bridge taps!
What a difference a day makes.
Now, this is what I have learned: The order fullfillment house will still have the wrong address and charge information, even if the customer and the CSRs recheck it and re-verify it over and over. There is a huge issue with how their data moves. AND, MORE IMPORTANT! The company has failed to accept that they should have set up the order and service process differently. Only one CSR & Order handler should coordinate the order (and only one tech support manager) and they should have direct contact with each other.
If only EL top brass would admit this truth to themselves, and educate themselves on Deming and other real world leadership concepts, then none of this would have happened and tons of money would have been saved. Many more customers would have more readily accepted an honest and accurate answer (shortage of kits due to vendor problems, data snaffoos, explained accurately, etc.), than the delay tatics that they were clearly using.
EL must choose their only path: to be the gladiator provider who fights for the consumer against the goliaths, even if the battle is more uphill and costly short term. Better an ounce of gold than a pound of silver when needed precious metal, so to speak.
I hope that EL management is following this! It might be a LOOONG post, but a complicated problems imbues complicated discussions. Better simple and honest management taking responsibility for failure, and short posts, no?
Anyway...
Since then I have found that many in Customer Support (still) do lack real insightful knowledge and wherewithall, *but* there *are* many who are VERY bright, pleasant, and capable, yet still. This also applies to Tech support.
Supposedly my line is to be uncapped, but I ain't holding my breath. That is yet another EL style story, similar to by above account. And so it goes...
They are a good provider, in my opinion, even so. They just need to start learning lessons (top brass, that is). If the executives would only come down from their leather seats and have lunch with frustrated front line workers, one on one, they might actually solve these problems quickly and become heros.
Earthlink might have some management and infrastructure (how the organization interacts) issues, but they are still a decent bunch. My only other alternatives would have been worse, just awful: Verizon OR Verizon/DirectTV DSL.
Earthlink does deserve some credit. Perhaps they are growing too big too fast, misshandling orders, and not enabling their front line workers to fix their good long suffering customer problems, B*U*T... Earthlink IS growing in an obvious effort to compete and survive against the real bad guys, the "goliaths" (who could care the less about the consumer).
Microsoft (MSN), AOL (AWOL), DirectTV (DSL Division), Verizon (and some of the other Brat Bells), and Time-Warner Cable (Road -Kill- Runner) are the goliaths who really don't care. Of them only RoadRunner has proven truly decent, even good. AOL/Time Warner/RoadRunner has become much too big a horizontal and vertical monopoly. Like Microsoft, if we all use them, we can end up with a really bad and expensive product. Should we trust that?
I want to stand by to EL and help as a customer to inspire them to once again become an operation renowned for excellent operations, leadership, and customer support.
Please join me by firmly telling them the things that I have. Good can conquer over evil, in the corporate world, really, for real, honest, yes it can! (I hope.)
I am going to *hang in there* with my paltry 768K (less less) and watch as the industry and technology grow. I trust that EL will learn how to be a better company, and future super broadband will be great from them.
I hope to once again exclain that Earthlink RULES! (ARE YOU LISTENING, SKY DAYTON?)
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UPDATE #2 UPDATE #2 UPDATE #2 UPDATE #2 UPDATE #2 UPDATE #2
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Not long after the above post, the update #1, I was contacted by Earthlink customer service by mail. The mail explained that I was losing my DSL connection, as were the other Verizon customers (although many are still using it).
It said that I would be moved to cable Broadband automatically, and if I wanted that, I needed to do nothing, unless I didn't want it, then it said that I had to contact the company to cancel my relationship or move to dial up.
I underwent three more errors in order fulfillment by Earthlink and never got the cable order, not after three seperate contacts (yes, I didn't trust what they said about not needing to contact them, and I was right!)
Finally, I went directly to my local cable office, told them of my ordeals, and about a quirk in my address that Earthlink kept also screwing up with so as to prevent them from the same headache (I lived on a drive nevertheless called a street by all but the post office, a real mess).
10 days later, thanks only to the cable company, I was up and running and then found out that I had to move!
Now I am moved, have Earthlink cable, and I am loving it. I am lowering my ratings for Earthlink DSL for two reasons:
1: I now have something to compare ELNK DSL to, my ELNK/T-W cable service
and
2: I see how huge numbers of people, many new subscribers, and still experiencing the same crap, inexcusable crap, that I had to.
Earthlink's management, command structure, inter-group communication, customer fact-data basing is all as big a mess as what we are hearing about with many of the other companies failing nationwide.
America has become a nation of mismanaged corporations who are (not) lead by (non) leaders who (don't) lead by the management by default method. Too many young, irresponsible men who don't understand what it is really like to have to work. Too many punks who don't love their country at all, so don't mind making America look like a shameful nation of larcenists and poachers run or own our companies.
Americans are working at a huge increase in hours, getting less, and not having time with their children or each other. Greed at the top is increased and we are controlled by pirates and bootleggers who falsify company value or seek to get rich from investments, rather than from productive, honest work.
I am worried that, in the lasst 2 years, Earthlink has fallen into such a vortex. I hope not, because I like Earthlink, the old Earthlink, and I love my country with a passion of willingness to die to defend it.
We must all put due pressure on top management of Earthlink, not by going through lower management, for THEY fear for their jobs but by letters to the top corporate officers. If we deluge them with mail it will at least get their attention!
The pen is not always mightier that the sword, but it usually producing more lasting results, when operated wisely.
--Bucky
UPDATE:
Years since I have used EL DSL: Only one word needs to be said, it says it all:
EARTHSTINK.
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