Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs in Earthlink DSL http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r18607426 en Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:59:31 EDT Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:59:31 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19766457 Archivis : But the stocks don't go up.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19766457 Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:55:44 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19765262 fivebyfive :
said by Archivis See Profile :

I was laid off in March of 04. At that time, the stock price was around $10. Everyone was told that the company would feel the costs from outsourcing, severence packages, etc for the next two years, and after that, the stock price would go back up. Where is it at today? Look at Earthlink continuing to lay people off.
Companies that get into a cyclical layoff mode can be likened to bulimics. Every time they have a layoff, the financial talking heads tell the public that the company is improving profitability, and, indeed, their ledger looks better and the stock price goes up. It feels so good that they want to do it again and again. However, it's just a matter of time before the company is hollowed out and simply collapses. If, at the time of death, the company is in the $1 billion-plus annual sales range, the corpse can keep quivering for 10 years or so, giving the illusion that it is still alive.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19765262 Tue, 08 Jan 2008 22:58:04 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19669062 RogerADSL : I remember the Bagels every Wednesday! That was cool! I love bagels! ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19669062 Sat, 22 Dec 2007 09:10:53 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19660207 AtlGuy :
said by Archivis See Profile :

I do miss my 25 cent sodas. I remember when they used to hand awards out. They actually managed to make a community out of that company and its employees before this outsourcing mess.

There was no other ISP in the country that could provide the level of support that Mindspring/Earthlink did. Everyone knew their shit.
Man I had forgotten about the 25 cent sodas. I remember stacking up on those before heading to the house many a night.

You are so right about that company being a community. A community of freaks and geeks, with a few "normal" people sprinkled in. :p

Mindspring was my first tech job, and I'm so grateful for all of the things I learned there. The techs there really did know their shit.

I'll always have fond memories of the people there and Mindspring itself, and hate what Earthlink turned it into. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19660207 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:42:05 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653576 fatness : It's something ( a sense of community) that lasts in very few companies. Right now Teksavvy is like that; I hope they stay that way both for their customers' sake and for their own sense of satisfaction.
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653576 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:40:12 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653544 Splitpair :

said by fatness See Profile :

Back then, the feeling of community was shared by customers as well.
Unfortunately that is a measurement that is all too often never considered by the MBA’s who advise those above them.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653544 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:34:24 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653521 Archivis :
said by Splitpair See Profile :

said by hrobins See Profile :


Archivis, I use to talk to you all the time when you were in TRON.
TRON. What was that?

Wayne
Ticketing Response blah blah blah. I did just about everything from Livechat to E-Support to Webhosting to Help Desk to Customer Service to supporting every product EL ever had (lol ISDN)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653521 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:29:42 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653516 fatness :
said by Archivis See Profile :

They actually managed to make a community out of that company and its employees before this outsourcing mess.

There was no other ISP in the country that could provide the level of support that Mindspring/Earthlink did. Everyone knew their shit.
Back then, the feeling of community was shared by customers as well. Alas, the good old days are gone (I feel like my grandfather saying that).
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653516 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 19:29:24 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653015 Splitpair :
said by questionable See Profile :

Glad to see this company continue die after what they did to Mindspring
It’s a shame you feel that way as the only result of EL failing will be options and severance for the few responsible while those who made it work and gave a crap get their asses kicked upon the streets with nothing.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19653015 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:06:46 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652802 Splitpair :
said by hrobins See Profile :


Archivis, I use to talk to you all the time when you were in TRON.
TRON. What was that?

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652802 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 17:31:51 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652594 Archivis : mmm bagels

We used to smuggle in "other" alcohol when they brought in the kegs.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652594 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 16:53:33 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652211 hrobins : I miss the kegs of beer they use to give out and bagel Tuesdays! I have two of those awards laying around somewhere. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652211 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:51:11 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652033 Archivis : That meeting in the tiki room was the beginning of the end of Earthlink. From that time onward, our time was limited.

I do miss my 25 cent sodas. I remember when they used to hand awards out. They actually managed to make a community out of that company and its employees before this outsourcing mess.

There was no other ISP in the country that could provide the level of support that Mindspring/Earthlink did. Everyone knew their shit.

I'm sure I have my old awards sitting around somewhere. I had six or seven myself.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19652033 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:24:17 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19651684 hrobins : Man, lot of old names coming up in here when I was a tech at Earthlink. I am really glad I got out when I did. I remember when we had a meeting in the Tiki room as Archivis did, and when we started to talk about how the outsourcing was not as good as it was in-house, I was told in a very nasty tone by the VP to never bad mouth the outsourcers. We were also told that our jobs were not going to be taken away. Mindspring was a great place to work for, till Earthlink ate it and totally destroyed what Charles put together.
Archivis, I use to talk to you all the time when you were in TRON. Hope you remember me.
Howard Robinson
*This post is just my two cents worth and in no way reflects my current employers viewpoints. Please forgive the bad grammer, as I am at work and will fix this later when I am at home.*]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19651684 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:30:01 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19649984 questionable : Glad to see this company continue die after what they did to Mindspring]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19649984 Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:50:52 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647624 fatmanskinny : Jon Kerner, CTO, is gone as is Eric Alfaro, VP. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647624 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:11:06 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647605 skj : The Executive Vice President who is leaving is Mike Lunsford.

Mike Lunsford is leaving EarthLink Inc. at the end of the year due to a company restructuring that has eliminated his position, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Lunsford became Atlanta-based EarthLink's interim CEO in November 2006, when former President and CEO Garry Betty took a leave of absence to battle cancer. Betty died in January 2007.

»www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stor···ly2.html
--


The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example, laid day by day.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647605 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:07:18 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647564 fatmanskinny : Per inside source, some high level execs (including an Executive Vice President down to a Vice President) left the company this past week.

Also, EarthLink is letting go of the following services: VOIP and Muni-Wifi. In addition to all of the support employees being let go, marketing will be completely gone and Operations will take a significant hit.

The above firings layoffs were not apart of the original 900+ ELNK laid off a few months back. This is a whole new batch of victims.
--
The only place where Success comes before Work is in the dictionary. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19647564 Tue, 18 Dec 2007 21:01:40 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625186 skj : Hey, I remember you. ;-) I appreciate all the help you gave the Earthlink forum members, including myself. Glad you have been able to start making a living again.

Sadly, we are pretty much on our own in terms of any tech support here. Thankfully, we still have some knowledgeable and helpful people who post here that can help us avoid the dreaded call to Earthlink "tech support".
--


The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example, laid day by day.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625186 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:34:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625187 Archivis : At the time, I did live in Steelton.

York's a crapper. I don't work for PennDoT, but I work in the same building in Harrisburg.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625187 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:34:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625140 fatness : That's what I remembered --- Steelton came to mind. I grew up in York.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625140 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:24:16 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625092 Archivis : Thanks for the kind words fatness, but to answer Splitpair's question, after they laid off a ton of us, our markets got flooded with qualified IT guys. It didn't help that a local healthcare provider laid off their IT guys off as well at the same time.

I dabbled into some small business stuff for a while but I eventually decided that job stability is what I needed. I'm just now finally making what I used to make at Earthlink (and it's really nothing fantastic), but I work for law enforcement now doing something completely unrelated.

I may get into the IT field in the state. If there's job security anywhere, it's there.

(P.S. Fatness, I live in Harrisburg, PA)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625092 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:15:38 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625044 fatness : You were helping people in this forum long before I started modding it. I certainly remember that. That was back when mballard See Profile was the mod here, I think. And if I remember correctly we talked one time about location; I grew up maybe 20 miles south of where you were living or working at the time.

It's sad to see what has happened to EL tech support. They used to be the best, no stones unturned in helping people. I hope you, and all the other good people they've let go, have been able to use your talents to make a good living elsewhere.
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19625044 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:06:54 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19624504 Splitpair :
said by Archivis See Profile :

For some of us, it is and was our way of life and our means of providing for our families.
For some of us telephony is a multi-generational thing. ;-)

BTW what are you doing now?

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19624504 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:34:55 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19624126 Kindguy98 :
said by Archivis See Profile :

To those of you purchasing your services through Earthlink, best of luck to you all.
Not everyone is eligible for FiOS :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19624126 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:39:02 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19623096 Archivis : I almost never read this place anymore, but I thought I'd pop in on this thread. I worked for Earthlink for four years. I was one of the first Earthlink techs to ever post here and was assisting people on the forums for years. Some of the assistance I did had to be done in PM's to get people hooked up, because I would bypass the ticketing system (and before there was a ticketing system or TRON, it was direct access to a few members of the Help Desk who had NOC access to take care of people's line) and do it in PM's as to not get discovered for circumventing the "efficient" ticketing process.

I was the first to put a bug in the ear of the Electronic Support manager in Atlanta, back when he used to ask us what we thought. I told him that other techs make an appearance on other forums and that we should do the same. That's when you started seeing ELNK techs from e-mail support pop on here and offer official solutions.

I was laid off in March of 04. At that time, the stock price was around $10. Everyone was told that the company would feel the costs from outsourcing, severence packages, etc for the next two years, and after that, the stock price would go back up. Where is it at today? Look at Earthlink continuing to lay people off.

I remember in 2003, sitting in the "Tiki room" listening to the manager tell us that the out-sourcers weren't going to take our jobs... that they were simply handling our overflow in E-Support and Livechat. During the late hours of the day (I worked 4pm to 3am), I was the one who oversaw the outsourcing group when the managers went home.

To say I am terribly surprised would only be half accurate. It's only terrible as to what happened. Earthlink will not come back. They will not rebound and it's only a matter of time until they bankrupt themselves.

For those of you about to be laid off, look for a job now. Don't enjoy your time off with the unemployment... you'll get more time off than you wanted. Jump ship now, do what's best for you. Earthlink cares not one cent about its employees and I mean this with the utmost sincerity. You are very much disposable and you will be kicked to the curb.

To those of you purchasing your services through Earthlink, best of luck to you all. To you, it's just the Internet. For some of us, it is and was our way of life and our means of providing for our families.
--
I melt faces.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19623096 Fri, 14 Dec 2007 13:42:00 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19421045 bmaasjr320 : I just notice the other day. That the Earthlink signup kiosk at my local Fry's store is now gone.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19421045 Sat, 10 Nov 2007 22:01:16 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19381819 skj : We currently do not have any remaining offical EL techs helping/posting here. It is also unknown whether we will ever have any again in the future. We are fortunate, however, to have a number of members here who are very knowledgeable about Earthlink and have been able to help others with their Earthlink issues.
--


The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example, laid day by day.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19381819 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 14:40:26 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19381388 dbldbl : I just had a pleasant exchange with the live chat option, regarding billing. Of course, it was the witching hour before we reverted back to standard time (1am-ish).

Back on topic, with the reduction of US based techs, does that mean less to none official EL reps on these boards? That's going to be a strong point for me to consider continuing with EL or jump ship to another.

edited: I think I answered my question by looking around... the last tech hasn't been on here since Aug 07. 3 Cheers for Doc Olds for helping on his own time... am going to start the migration this month.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19381388 Sun, 04 Nov 2007 12:49:01 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19149559 vinnie97 :
said by TheHelpful1 See Profile :

said by vinnie97 See Profile :

said by TheHelpful1 See Profile :

the darkside (VZ Fios) is calling - somebody talk me out of it.
*beckons you on to join the darkside* :D *watches from below with his lowly but solid cable modem*
Not to go off topic, but if you are on a cable modem, how are you beckoning (calling) me to the darkside? Shouldn't you be "pushing" me to the darkside since FIOS doesnt = cable or did i miss something?
Ah, incorrect term usage on my part..."pushing" would be appropriate, just less grandiose-sounding. :D]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19149559 Wed, 26 Sep 2007 18:38:15 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19132980 Windsun : The Computer > Vista > DSL is working. Vista is apparently smart enough to figure it out.

The problem is that none of the setup or tests that are supposed to use the "http://172.16.0.254/***" diagnostics work in IE7. They mostly work in FireFox, except it shows PPOE as failing.

quote:
Test your connection to EarthLink

Test PPPoE server connection : FAIL FIX
Test PPPoE server session : N/A INFO
Test authentication with EarthLink : N/A INFO
Test the assigned IP address : N/A INFO
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19132980 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 03:16:38 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130637 Doctor Olds : That is good, but it doesn't remove the fact of it being your responsibility to make/take notes so that any/all Windows Vista system changes can be undone if the results are not beneficial or do not perform as expected.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130637 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 17:44:18 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130279 Windsun : Yes I did, numerous times. In exactly those and similar words, something like "my dsl connection keeps dropping and I am getting sync errors"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130279 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 16:19:11 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130144 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

No, *I* was not guessing at the problem, EL was.

I called them. They instructed me to make those changes.
Based on what you were telling them. Did you ever state that the DSL sync signal was dropping out?
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130144 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:52:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130017 Windsun : No, *I* was not guessing at the problem, EL was.

I called them. They instructed me to make those changes.

It sounds to me like you are telling me that I should not have done what EL support told me do to.

I guess my biggest mistake was thinking that EL support knew what they were doing.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130017 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:16:31 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130001 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

Sigh...

I have been calling EL for MONTHS now on the line dropping problem.

2-3 months ago when I called *they told me* to make those changes.
Vista configuration changes have nothing to do with DSL dropping sync which happens even when no PCs are connected. It sounds like you were guessing at the problem instead of diagnosing the problem. Plus it is your PC, and that includes the responsibility to make/take notes so that any changes can be undone if the results are not beneficial or do not perform as expected.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19130001 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:12:32 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129970 Windsun : Sigh...

I have been calling EL for MONTHS now on the line dropping problem.

2-3 months ago when I called *they told me* to make those changes.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129970 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 15:04:13 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129950 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

Then why did it work before I made the changes I was told to make by EL Support?
If "it was working" why were you calling EL and making changes to a "working" system?
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129950 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:59:26 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129819 Windsun : Then why did it work before I made the changes I was told to make by EL Support?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19129819 Sun, 23 Sep 2007 14:29:12 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19123192 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

In searching the KB, I come up with a link »kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?s=st%3···cle=3645 to fix it.
Does not apply to you as you are getting an IP from the Modem. You are then getting a 400 Browser error.

The 400 error is from your Browser.

»www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc···c10.html
quote:
10.4.1 400 Bad Request

The request could not be understood by the server due to malformed syntax. The client SHOULD NOT repeat the request without modifications.
You are unrealistically expecting EL to have a fix for a Vista issue that MS has not even released a fix for yet. Blame MS, not EL.

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19123192 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 04:54:00 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19122828 Windsun : Ok, find a link for this problem:

Many of the EL instructions start with this:

quote:
In the Address or URL field of your browser, type »172.16.0.254/setup and press the Enter key on your keyboard.


That does not work in my Vista/IE7. I have to use FireFox.

It used to come up, but a while back I called EL support and they walked me through a bunch of changes. However, you stated in another thread that it was setup wrong. Now I am trying to fix it.

In searching the KB, I come up with a link »kb.earthlink.net/case.asp?s=st%3···cle=3645 to fix it. None of those KB articles address Vista/IE7 that I can find.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19122828 Sat, 22 Sep 2007 01:29:56 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19120550 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

However, I would point out that there they are well hidden, and not in the same section as 95/ME/XP/Mac
I don't know how any of it could be well hidden unless you are looking at the wrong place/wrong page. First of all, we have been talking about the KB (Knowledge Base) and that starting page is located at this address »kb.earthlink.net You will notice that only one (1) Operating System is shown at the KB main page and that is seen in my image capture below.

[att=1]

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?
Click for full size
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19120550 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:49:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19119462 RogerADSL : I still have a few friends over there..the ones that haven't left yet. The training group is 3 people now. The KB group was as large as 18 at one point. But they are all gone. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19119462 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:55:08 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19118807 Windsun :
quote:
.. Are you using the new Microsoft Vista operating system? Click here for help setting up your EarthLink service....


OK, as of this week there is. I lied, so shoot me!

However, I would point out that there they are well hidden, and not in the same section as 95/ME/XP/Mac

I blame the tourists.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19118807 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 13:01:41 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19117554 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

That is probably why none of their FAQ's have ever been updated for Vista.
You sure?

[att=1][att=2]
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?
Click for full size
Click for full size
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19117554 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:16:37 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19117275 Windsun : That is probably why none of their FAQ's have ever been updated for Vista.

Unfortunately we won't have FIOS here for about 16 months, so I may have to live with it for now (Cox cable here is rated one of the worst.. my only alternative in this area).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19117275 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 08:05:59 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19098819 Catman51 : I switched. Left Elink on for a month, contacted everyone, then dropped them.
After all the lousy support, I did not want to pay them another penny for more of a bad experience.
--
SteveM]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19098819 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 14:46:24 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19090992 RogerADSL : I found out today the Knowledge base team is gone too! That was a heck of a department back in the day. I guess you'll have to guess what to do about an issue for any new departments, or the marketing team will cobble together an FAQ! hehe Remember the 13 Deadly sin (or how to be like everyone else)? They pulled that off their internal site 2 years ago, I suppose so they could violate all of them!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19090992 Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:02:48 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19086698 TheHelpful1 :
said by vinnie97 See Profile :

said by TheHelpful1 See Profile :

the darkside (VZ Fios) is calling - somebody talk me out of it.
*beckons you on to join the darkside* :D *watches from below with his lowly but solid cable modem*
Not to go off topic, but if you are on a cable modem, how are you beckoning (calling) me to the darkside? Shouldn't you be "pushing" me to the darkside since FIOS doesnt = cable or did i miss something?
--
"My weakness is that I care too much"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19086698 Sun, 16 Sep 2007 19:19:36 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19080786 sashwa : The Earthlink Experience is $9.95 and is different than the $3.95 service. Doc posted that link further up in the thread:

»EarthLink DSL FAQ »Can I keep my email address after I drop Earthlink?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19080786 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:07:34 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19080758 mdreher4 : When I click on the Earthlink Experience link, it shows $9.95/month? ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19080758 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 16:01:06 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078840 vinnie97 :
said by TheHelpful1 See Profile :

the darkside (VZ Fios) is calling - somebody talk me out of it.
*beckons you on to join the darkside* :D *watches from below with his lowly but solid cable modem*]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078840 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 08:27:35 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078453 Windsun : EL has really been falling apart here lately it seems. They have a bunch of DSL FAQ's etc posted on the EL support pages, but many are out of date, and there is nothing about Winddows Vista, and some of the downloads they recommend won't work.

But to be honest, some other corps are not much better - Verizon's "check availability" pages don't work, AT&T's site has tons of broken links.

I am starting to think that things are going out of control.

But overall it is getting pretty frustrating trying to find any IT company that does NOT outsource. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078453 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 03:09:06 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078162 TheHelpful1 :
said by Windsun See Profile :

I am kind of stuck, because the cable in this area is just as bad or worse. Verizon is supposed to get FIOS here next year, but I might be stuck until then.

CS is getting so bad that when I called yesterday about dropping connection, the guy told me to delete my cookies...
Delete the cookie, I admit I laughed out loud on that one. As far as cable vs fios, I *think* cable is in my area and I'm positive FIOS is (for those who remember my other post). Since I just finished laying cat5e wiring to all the rooms in my house in prep for a 24port switch and with all the rumblings and ups and down at earthlink, the darkside (VZ Fios) is calling - somebody talk me out of it.

With my penchant for having things go bad in the worse possible way in regards to internet connection, an outsourced tech a world away is not all that comforting when the proverbial stink hits the fan.
--
"My weakness is that I care too much"]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19078162 Sat, 15 Sep 2007 01:28:51 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19074262 Doctor Olds :
said by Windsun See Profile :

about a year ago we started having problems with our connection dropping (and still do - trouble ticket #40 or so open with them now).
[snip]
CS is getting so bad that when I called yesterday about dropping connection, the guy told me to delete my cookies...
Start a new topic and post the Brand/Model of your DSL Modem and the DSL Stats if you know how to get them. We may be able to help.

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19074262 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:45:36 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19074133 Windsun : I have had EL since 2000. But they have gone downhill so much in the past year that I am now looking for alternatives. They were great up until a couple years ago, but then they started outsourcing support, and then about a year ago we started having problems with our connection dropping (and still do - trouble ticket #40 or so open with them now).

I am kind of stuck, because the cable in this area is just as bad or worse. Verizon is supposed to get FIOS here next year, but I might be stuck until then.

CS is getting so bad that when I called yesterday about dropping connection, the guy told me to delete my cookies...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19074133 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:26:11 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067399 skj :
said by JerryC23 See Profile :

Sure - I'll pay the $3.95 per month to suffer thru any help that I need on their Web Mail Site, etc.

Actually - Thanks - I CAN do that until I get the word out at my leazure
If you pay for a year you can keep the email addresses for $19.92. That's only $1.66 per month. :-)
--


The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example, laid day by day.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067399 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 13:01:47 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067330 Doctor Olds :
said by JerryC23 See Profile :

Sure - I'll pay the $3.95 per month to suffer thru any help that I need on their Web Mail Site, etc.

Actually - Thanks - I CAN do that until I get the word out at my leazure
That includes standard POP3 access also if you dislike Web Mail Interfaces as much as I do. ;)

I'd rather keep my own email on my PC using a standard POP3 client (Eudora, Outlook, Thunderbird, Netscape Communicator, SeaMonkey Communicator, etc.) versus dealing with a remote server that could not be there when I need it. :[ Did I mention I loathe Web Mail Interfaces? :p

You can also get to keep 8 email addresses by choosing the EarthLink Experience which comes with 10 hours of dial-up access per month for use if you also have to travel regularly.

Then there is the free EarthLink MailBox with ScamBlocker that works with any email account that uses POP3. ;)

Good luck to you.

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067330 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:50:21 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067216 JerryC23 : Sure - I'll pay the $3.95 per month to suffer thru any help that I need on their Web Mail Site, etc.

Actually - Thanks - I CAN do that until I get the word out at my leazure
--
~~ "Don't mis-underestimate me, too" :)~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067216 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:32:56 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067144 Doctor Olds :
said by JerryC23 See Profile :

Oh damn - I'll have to notify every one and their family and all my creditors and all th .... about the addr change -- !! arrgh !!!!
Nope. There is a solution to that if you are interested.

»EarthLink DSL FAQ »Can I keep my email address after I drop Earthlink?

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19067144 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 12:19:06 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19066919 JerryC23 :
said by ldyryslin See Profile :

Wow..
Salute to the Mindspring mentality.. Elnk killed it well.

Deserves to be said again
I Was always a happy and loyal Mindspring user
I gave Elnk a chance and for a while it was ok
but then stayed with them for the past .. 8 (?) 10(?) years just from inertia. After spending an hour wasted this morning (for the "umptenth" time ) I've had it. ...

Oh damn - I'll have to notify every one and their family and all my creditors and all th .... about the addr change -- !! arrgh !!!!
--
~~ "Don't mis-underestimate me, too" :)~]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19066919 Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:43:13 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19008459 h0m3rS1mpS0n : I feel sorry for the people that lost their jobs. I'm still very bitter towards EL for closing the Dallas call center back in 03. It was a company that had a lot of potential but was ultimately screwed by its higher-ups. And not just on one occasion, but on several.

I was on QA and having listened to the overseas calls, the only thing they did right was be nice all the time. Other than that, their support methods themselves were bad at best. This info was given to EL back in 03 but they decided it would be better to close 4 US call centers and keep the cheap labor.

Most of the techs in Dallas did a great job at helping the customer and shot for a 1st call resolution. But since this didn't meet the time requirements of the brass, Dallas and 3 other centers were shut down.

I can give specific examples of how bad the upper management were/are at Earthlink, however I think their current actions and financial statements speak for themselves.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,19008459 Tue, 04 Sep 2007 12:28:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18982977 AldousSky : Earthlink uses many different companies for outsourcing. I honestly don't know any of their names besides Mest... I'm not really even sure if they are using West at all now other than tier 3.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18982977 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 20:38:52 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18980583 jj987654321 : Fascinating first-hand account. I am still a little confused about how many offshore vendors EL is using. A company called PeopleSupport, which is Los Angeles based, but provides services exclusively out of the Philippines, lists EL as their second largest customer. Do yo know what type of service they provide to EL? I had a couple of quick questions for you since you are so close to West: 1) are all of the recent waves of outsourcing by EL going exclusively to West, and 2) do yo know if West is taking away PeopleSupport's contracts?

Thanks for your insights]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18980583 Thu, 30 Aug 2007 13:47:08 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18951530 anon : It's funny how when I used to warn about ELNK I was laughed at and insulted for trying to warn the customers here. *laughing* I'd make a terrible psychic since I said it would die long time ago and its finally happened.

But, I remember during the last meeting we had with our supervisor. "For all thats happened you will miss this job", was the one thing Ronald "tub oh fat" said to us. He was right it was a good time in Sacramento I was exposed to alot and hope that the others have found a new and stable job. I know Ronald went to work in a tiny rathole callcenter as a supervisor. The call center managers became -.-; realtors for remax.

For all the bad and how Betty took our income away it was a nice company.

So to all the former reps and people who used to post here pro-elnk. Hope you found new and better providers and careers.

FYI I posted back in the day as randomness or wanderer.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18951530 Sun, 26 Aug 2007 02:10:52 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18945857 Mast4u : hi i would feel calling would be better just coz the chat person will be handling 5 chats at a time so iam sure there would be a delay so to get the issue reolved calling can help ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18945857 Sat, 25 Aug 2007 00:18:56 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879831 AldousSky : Also... Hey Rob. How's it goin? You really snuck out there in your last days with us... what are you up to now? Naomi told me, but I forgot.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879831 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 14:04:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879459 AldousSky : Looks like you got the lucky end, there, buddy. When I was at Earthlink, I'm sure lots of people reading this can testify, upgrade issues were the worst. Going from 3.0 to 6.0 especially. I still have some customers telling me that their service has still not been upgrading. Good job, though, and good luck.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18879459 Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:09:33 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18875328 atstefaniak : Maybe their outsourcing the last of the homeland techs seems unreal but until I called 3 weeks ago to upgrade my 1.5 to 3.0 I was unsucessful in upgrading for the past 9 months. In one 5 min. web chat the guy on the other end had assured me the upgrade would take place in 5-7 working days. the next day I was up to 3.0 speeds. Not shure if this has anything to do with outsourcing but I have tried over a dozen times in the past 9 months and so far it is stable. Lets see for how long.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18875328 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 20:28:53 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18874432 ELNK_Rob : Makes me glad I got out while I did. Just a little over four years there. It sure was one heck of a roller coaster ride!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18874432 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:38:01 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855889 dbarber : Can someone amend the front earthlink DSL page to reflect the fact that there are NO official Earthlink techs helping here?
This is a sad day.
I wish all the former Earthlink techs the best of luck in their new endeavors
--
These opinions are strictly my own. However, if you really want them, we can negotiate.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855889 Sat, 11 Aug 2007 21:28:07 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855725 fatness : Tell her we all said "hi".]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855725 Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:50:17 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855701 AldousSky : Stacey is with us over at AT&T Uverse now. :-)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18855701 Sat, 11 Aug 2007 20:46:32 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18851783 anon : I work for a (relatively)newly purchased ELNK subsidiary. Our call support went to West, then Manilla. Our TAC went, our NOC is hanging by a thread.
Our sales department has been working hard at selling ELNK products, not our own.
It's sad really. I hope they sell us to a company that gives a damn, if there are any left. Our edge is certianly losing it's luster.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18851783 Sat, 11 Aug 2007 00:44:08 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18848881 Catman51 : Well, time to say goodbye. I've been reading this forum for quite a while.
Earthlink's tech support has cost them another customer, me.
Won't go into all the details, but after spending many hours with them on the phone, with promises of call backs from a supervisor that never took place, they accomplished nothing.
I don't work for them, I pay them, so now I fired them.
I know other companies are outsourcing too, but I'll deal with that without dealing with Earthlink anymore.
--
SteveM]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18848881 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 16:20:36 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18847938 skj : I am not sure about that since she does not post her much.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18847938 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:04:18 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18845991 dbarber : As ELNK_Stacey See Profile has not been heard from in a week, I guess that she's gone!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18845991 Fri, 10 Aug 2007 09:21:35 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18840530 AldousSky : Answer to joemamafoo- they were gonna make business tier 2 for the us... also, they were gonna keep tier 3, but now that everyone's quit, it's all going. Tier 3 is moving to atlanta, from what I've heard from Jesus Chris.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18840530 Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:06:48 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830839 anon : just an added knowledge to you guys out there- it may help to do research. You know, like the basic things. How dsl works, the process. I know that its a bit techy if you try to read about it on the net, on this site or even in books. I'm willing to answer questions if you have any- just post it here- and ill try to explain as best as i could- mind you- if i blabber and start talking about techy stuff tell- dont hesitate to tell me. I tend to do that- hehehe- especially if i get excited.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830839 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:40:53 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830790 anon : the problem is people- for people, its much easier chatting then calling. when you do call- 99.9 percent of the time- your immediate concern wont be addressed ---- well, not after 10 transfers. not to mention- misrouted calls- sigh!be]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830790 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:31:05 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830635 Doctor Olds :
said by beth_link :

scuse me- i have a question- you posted your questions about provisioning dsl service for your dad via chat? don't go on chat my friend, trust me- you should have opted to call them instead and then request to have your call routed to the installations department. Chatting won't get you anywhere- trust me.
I've been posting the exact same thing for Years and I only hope people will read it and heed it. ;)
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830635 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 22:09:29 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830542 anon : really? from what department are you anyway? don't really blame you for saying that. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830542 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:58:47 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830524 anon : yeah- we can actually do that and would have been ok to do so, thing is, we're not allowed. Its against company policy. Technical issues should be routed to tech support. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830524 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:55:15 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830500 anon : scuse me- i have a question- you posted your questions about provisioning dsl service for your dad via chat? don't go on chat my friend, trust me- you should have opted to call them instead and then request to have your call routed to the installations department. Chatting won't get you anywhere- trust me. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830500 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:51:33 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830270 Splitpair :
said by amigo_boy See Profile :

A free market would let you opt out of all these niceties. Use your gutter as a sewer, raise livestock in your back yard, operate a smelting plant in your front yard, and pimp your 14-year-old daughter to subsidize the family income.
That sounds like South Florida. Some call it a melting pot I call it a cesspool.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18830270 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:15:35 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18829554 amigo_boy :
said by coaster See Profile :

Very sorry to see Earthlink shipping out even more support overseas. Didn't find this forum until just now. They are going to lose many customers for only looking at the short term saving a buck route.
It doesn't seem to be short term. A lot of companies have outsourced technical support for almost a decade now. I felt the same way you do when I had my first experience with Linksys support back around 2002 (which was 10 times worse than anything I've encountered with Earthlink, which hasn't been bad). Linksys is still the product on every retailer's shelf, and (as far as I know) still using offshore support.

I think the real problem is that Americans are forced to pay for a standard of living (sewer, solid waste pickup, building codes, food and drug quality, socialized markets) and then told it's "just a free market" as they're forced to "compete" against those who don't. There's nothing free about that. A free market would let you opt out of all these niceties. Use your gutter as a sewer, raise livestock in your back yard, operate a smelting plant in your front yard, and pimp your 14-year-old daughter to subsidize the family income.

It's far more disturbing to me that American workers are displaced under such definitions of "free markets." Not that I might have to deal with someone on the phone who might not handle my problem as well as I'd like.

Mark]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18829554 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:24:54 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18824526 coaster : Very sorry to see Earthlink shipping out even more support overseas. Didn't find this forum until just now. They are going to lose many customers for only looking at the short term saving a buck route.

»Has anybody switched to Earthlink Truevoice or has experienc]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18824526 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 01:52:05 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18811392 skj : Thanks for the info. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18811392 Sat, 04 Aug 2007 21:09:00 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18811270 joemamafoo : what departments are they adding kevin? Muni? I think it's sad seeing as west has now moved most of the Earthlink guys on to other projects, oh I did here that they're trying to do what I thought they were going to do which is train what's left of t2 for T3, which as we both know was gained on the job not in the pathetic training that they gave. So their going to have a bunch of untrained green peas representing Tier 3 for the remainder of it's stay in UC, with the exception of the few vets that are still there, which is honestly only a few because I've already seen most working with us.

I really feel for everyone else though, especially the guys who really need T3 support. You guys are the ones who are going to really suffer, especially with the way the over-sees work ethic is, they'd rather roll a call than see it through to resolution all to make their stats look pretty. Those things were exactly why there was a tier 3, call time doesn't matter as long as you get resolution.

I guess I called it right when they outsourced the noc, I knew that it was only a matter of time before they axed us too. Anyway guys I'll still check in here from time to time, I know I never posted on here as an official Earthlink Tech (they only let so many people do it, believe me I wanted to) but I was in the same department as kevin and I'll chime in when I can. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18811270 Sat, 04 Aug 2007 20:41:46 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786695 Catman51 : I have finally had it up to here with Indian support reading text over and over from a book.
I'm done with Earthlink. They used to be good, but no more.
After hours on the phone being promised a call back from a supervisor, it never ocurred.
--
SteveM]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18786695 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 23:21:58 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784178 moto_drifter : I now from first hand knowledge this issue. My only question is if outsourcing is such a good think then why not acquire a ISP in India and migrate the customers. I'm confident that an Indian CEO could do the Job that is being done by ELNK's CEO.
This will not happen. This means that their argument is hollow about cost efficiency.
Outsourcing costs:
1. Employee Loyalty -
Company Employees loss incentive
Outsourced Employees don't even work for the company
2. Employee experience -
Many of the internal groups utilized the call center staff to scavenge personnel. CSR's would move up into development, QE and product groups. This allowed experienced people with systems knowledge to move out of the call center. This is no longer possible. So the cost of hiring of the street for these jobs is much higher than internal promotion. Not just for salary but also for the training.
3.Customer Churn
Everyone understands why this is the case.

Outsourcing will prove to be less cost effective, but I'm sure it will be discovered to late to save my job.

Hank]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18784178 Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:46:21 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18778458 AldousSky : So this just in. So Earthlink decided that they were going to make new departments for the poor cats at west that are losing their jobs. They neglected to actually mention this to all these poor cats that are losing their jobs, so what happens? Everyone quits! So they decided to take away these new positions. I wonder now what is really going on over there in atlanta...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18778458 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:34:40 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18777316 rollei35guy : That is bad, but not unexpected news. I had troubles getting Earthlink to terminate the DSL service (i just posed a rant of my own).

The outsourced support is poor to say the least and not terribly interested in actually helping you. There is an element of rudeness too but that might be due to the language/cultural differences. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18777316 Mon, 30 Jul 2007 17:26:46 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18770697 joemamafoo : I think what he meant was that quest offerred the pro install doc, It's been a couple days since I looked in on this thread and I noticed a few things that I thought I should offer a little insight on. The TRON department is NOT tier 3. They are only a vendor relations department basically an intermediarry between the customer and the companies Earthlink leases it's lines from. The people who post on here are from the Tier 3 department one of their duties is SWAT which is for voice service related issues (ETV and LPV), they can also handle things that the tron department handles although it's not truly supposed to be part of their job. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18770697 Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:36:08 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18770624 Doctor Olds :
said by Tobester See Profile :

An example of Earthlink's latest NEW and improved off-shore TECH support..........

Some background:

I have had Earthlink DSL, provisioned through Covad, via professional installation, since 2000. Over the years I have noticed the quality of my calls to Earthlink tech support steadily decline.

My parents live in Mesa, Arizona and finally decided to upgrade to DSL from Earthlink dialup. Using the Earthlink website, along with my parent's address, gave me their DSL options. Since my Dad is 78 years old (and DSL is way beyond his comprehension :) ) I needed to know was included with the listed "available" Professional DSL installation.

Earthlink CHAT is the ONLY way to have my questions answered regarding installation.

Attached is the actual transcript of the chat. I have edited out my dad's address and email for privacy.

BTW: Sprintmail.com is an older Earthlink email address, such as Mindspring.com, etc.

I ended up getting DSL for my Dad through their local telephone provider, Qwest. It was a complete pleasure dealing with their customer service center in Colorado, who understood the questions and correctly provided the answers.

Additionally, they offered professional installation for $69.00.

Dad's Qwest DSL is running smoothly and he has joined the 21st century! :)

It is a crying shame to witness the decline of a once top-notch company like Earthlink :(
Earthlink has not offered professional installs to Residential customers in over 5 Years. They were originally $199.00 with a $100.00 credit after 30 days, then they went to $99.00 finally being dropped keeping it only for the Business Side DSL offerings.

»www.earthlink.net/highspeed/faq/···finstall
quote:
Can I install EarthLink High Speed myself?
EarthLink DSL comes with a simple self-installation kit. EarthLink Wi-Fi is also easily self-installed. For our cable and satellite services, we will send a professional installer to your home.

BACK TO TOP

How does EarthLink DSL self-installation work?
EarthLink will provide you with the hardware, software, and technical support necessary to get online. You will need to verify that your computer is equipped with a Network Interface Card. Within 7 to 10 days after your activation date, we will send you an EarthLink Installation Kit, which contains the hardware you will need to self-install your EarthLink DSL. The Installation Kit is accompanied by a DSL Installation Guide which will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to: plug filters into your phone jack; install your modem; and operate/run your DSL software.

--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18770624 Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:19:56 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18769843 AldousSky : Here's what I'm wondering... I may have mentioned this earlier, but i'm too lazy to read through my old posts... haha... anyway... They aren't just switching companies for their outsourcing... they are moving everything overseas... My hypothesis is that this will save them more money right now so that they can make more money off of a sale. Maybe they are about to get bought out?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18769843 Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:23:37 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18767252 Tobester : An example of Earthlink's latest NEW and improved off-shore TECH support..........

Some background:

I have had Earthlink DSL, provisioned through Covad, via professional installation, since 2000. Over the years I have noticed the quality of my calls to Earthlink tech support steadily decline.

My parents live in Mesa, Arizona and finally decided to upgrade to DSL from Earthlink dialup. Using the Earthlink website, along with my parent's address, gave me their DSL options. Since my Dad is 78 years old (and DSL is way beyond his comprehension :) ) I needed to know was included with the listed "available" Professional DSL installation.

Earthlink CHAT is the ONLY way to have my questions answered regarding installation.

Attached is the actual transcript of the chat. I have edited out my dad's address and email for privacy.

BTW: Sprintmail.com is an older Earthlink email address, such as Mindspring.com, etc.

I ended up getting DSL for my Dad through their local telephone provider, Qwest. It was a complete pleasure dealing with their customer service center in Colorado, who understood the questions and correctly provided the answers.

Additionally, they offered professional installation for $69.00.

Dad's Qwest DSL is running smoothly and he has joined the 21st century! :)

It is a crying shame to witness the decline of a once top-notch company like Earthlink :(
Earthlink chat.txt 3,201 bytes
]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18767252 Sat, 28 Jul 2007 22:25:53 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18761999 Doctor Olds :
said by just_robert See Profile :

I don't find this too surprising as it was the goal all along.

Before they closed the Harrisburg building they were trying to figure out ways to get rid of TRON completely

I know they were trying really hard to outsource the NOC (maybe they did that already?)
Yes, TRON is gone over there (LOL) and in the last just finished round, the NOC is gone over there. :[

It is very good to see you around these parts again. :D

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18761999 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:49:14 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18761036 Bill_MI : Good to see you, Robert!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18761036 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 20:09:18 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18760490 fatness : Hi Robert, good to see you again. :) Hope things are well with you?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18760490 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:55:28 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18760227 skj : Thanks for stopping by again Robert! :) ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18760227 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 18:17:39 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18759615 sashwa : Hey, Robert, long time no see. :D Thanks for dropping in. Hope things are going good for you.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18759615 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:45:52 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18759410 just_robert : I don't find this too surprising as it was the goal all along.

Before they closed the Harrisburg building they were trying to figure out ways to get rid of TRON completely but IIRC there was something in their contracts with certain vendors that contact could only be made from US based tier 3 reps.

I know they were trying really hard to outsource the NOC (maybe they did that already?)

I don't blame EarthLink for having to outsource as it's the only way they can survive. Also, the more that they outsource the better position they are in for a buyout (which is pretty unlikely these days but wasn't a few years ago.)

However, I do blame EarthLink for other things like adopt the model of "cheap is better" rather than their old model of charge more and be better; Speakeasy got this right.

What EarthLink also did to shoot themselves in the foot is the long hold times for their support queue which cost tons of money. At MindSpring they spent time educating the customer so they could help themselves and not have to call back. After the merger it was all about low call times but the end result was the customer had to call back. It's amazing how fast the EarthLink execs ran the company straight into the ground.

Anyways, back on subject, are the techs that post here outsourced these days? If so then they probably won't be going anywhere.

Back when I was posting here there was talk of having Indian support reps post here, which IMO would have been absolutely hilarious because I think you guys would have ate them alive. :-D I wouldn't be surprised to see them go that route if they haven't already.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18759410 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 16:14:06 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18756319 Splitpair :
said by DSL Oberst See Profile :

Just not to Earthlink - not that the stupid damn interface could tell the difference between a static IP assigned to ATT or to Earthlink.
I doubt any EL OSS could see any provisioning on the ATT side nor less a SIP.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18756319 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 06:38:23 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18756248 DSL Oberst :
said by wlpeavy See Profile :

:mad: I've been trying to add Static IP to my DSL account. I keep getting told that "it's not available on your line right now".
Hmph. Sounds like you first subscribed right after I joined the Provisioning & Repair in the Atlanta office in 2003. Assuming that they are still using Speedracer 2 as the interface system for the provisioning of their ADSL lines, it does not surprise me that they can't give you static IP. A common problem we encountered in Ameritech/SBC (now ATT) areas was the application of a static IP to the line. Earthlink was given a set number of them per area and had to parcel them out one by one. Should we reach the limit, no static IP was available for the client. However, the web page and such would still say it's available.

And sure, it's available! Just not to Earthlink - not that the stupid damn interface could tell the difference between a static IP assigned to ATT or to Earthlink. I had once heard it was 50 static IPs per cage, but I had no way to verify it.

If you truly need to get a static IP, drop the Earthlink. Go to ATT. You'll be assured of getting it from them; the provisioning will also be miraculously quicker than Earthlink's. Big surprise there.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18756248 Fri, 27 Jul 2007 05:52:17 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18755319 marozner : I dumped EL last Nov for exactly this reason. I documented truly poor broadband service and even worse tech support. They even agreed not to charge me the disconnect fee, but did so anyway (the credit card company reversed it).

My road runner just got changed to comcast. The slowest speed now is >6 mbits; I just saw 9.5. What a relief!

I never thought that I would say that the cable company rescued me from truly bad service elsewhere. Go figure!]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18755319 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:41:50 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18754138 jimbo48 : I don't want to hear the sentence."It's not really Earthlinks fault" Earthlink is most assuredly at fault. It was ELNK that made the decisions to gut their domestic staff. It was ELNK who turned their backs on poor customer service, border-line bait and switch ads rude, incompetent sales and 1st line Tech support. It wasn't the outsourcing companies that made the decision for ELNK. What I do say is that ELNK made these decisions for financial reasons as does every company. Right or wrong ELNK made decisions and will have to live or die by them. ELNK will most likely fall by the wayside as another company that put maximizing bottom line short term revenue over all else. Their products and offerings are great IF you receive what they promise, advertise market etc. If only I had the knowledge base of a Dr Olds I wouldn't be as fearful of this industry and the bald-faced lying that is rampant from all of the major ISP offerings. They rank up there with Cell Phone providers in my book of industries I wouldn't trust with my ex-wife. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18754138 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 20:51:30 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18752977 wlpeavy : :mad: I've been on the phone to EL "TS" (it doesn't stand for "Tech Support" anymore) almost every day for over two weeks now. I've been trying to add Static IP to my DSL account. I keep getting told that "it's not available on your line right now". I've also been told that I should check with AT&T to see if I could force them to make some more Static IPs available. I've also been told that I could have Static IPs if I would sign up for a "business account". But the web page says that this particular feature is available to "residential subscribers only". It's even been suggested to me that I MIGHT be able to get Static IP whenever somebody cancels theirs. I keep asking when EL is going to get more and nobody knows. And it's evident that nobody really gives a $hirt either. Quite apart from the "bait and switch" aspects of this situation, it occurs to me that if I went to Radio Shack to buy a part for a piece of equipment and they were sold out, I'd be able to initiate a back-order or something so I could know when it would be available. Not so with EL.

I've been a subscriber for several years. First, it was cable via TWC (who really couldn't keep their cable working in my neighborhood and wasn't at all bothered by that fact) and now DSL via AT&T.

I'm giving up and I'm going to try to find an ISP that delivers what they market. That may mean AT&T for me and I really am not excited about that but I may not have a choice. :mad:]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18752977 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:54:12 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18733328 alexland :
said by amigo_boy See Profile :

What I don't like about offshoring is that it is essentially unfair, unfree trade. You could work for $10k a year (and compete fairly) if you could opt out of society's forced standard of living (like trash pickup, sewage treatment, water quality, environmental protection, building codes, etc., etc.). If you were allowed to use your gutter as a sewer, your backyard as a smelting plant, and add 5 stories to your house to have rental income (regardless of building codes or zoning) you could work for a lot less money.

Something seems perverse about a society *forcing* someone to live with all this "overhead," and then shrugging its shoulders when you're forced to compete with those who don't, saying "it's just a free market." There's nothing free about that.

Mark
Scary thoughts come to mind...

As multinational corporations are no longer tied to any particular national interest, those who are diversified around the world may one day decide to stop doing business in the US (since it's too expensive, too regulated, etc.).
Just as we lost our manufacturing, we may lose essential other services as well. Even if they don't leave completely, but rather substantially reduce their investment into the ongoing maintenance and support (what is beginning to happen now), the widespread decline in quality of services will negatively affect the US economy, which will, in turn, cause them to further divest themselves from the US operations - a positive feedback with a disastrous outcome.

Is it time to move to China yet?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18733328 Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:46:28 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18723438 exBATS : Well, most of you seem to be surprised at this move of outsourcing with EL. Here's a little bit of cold hard truth. I started with West as a tech for EL when they first got the contract. THAT, my friends was the beginning of the end for U.S. based tech support from EL itself. When EL came to West to outsource their TS, that was a red flag in my book. Then West started sending trainers to Makati, Philippines to get them up to speed (they were to assist us with call volume... ya right!). It became very apparent that West was being used as a "middle man" if you will. Once Makati became trained, West started loosing lines of TS to them. We were even in chat with Makati to assist them when they had issues they could not resolve (which was most of the time). Then Makati started sending trainers to India (Bombay, Hyderabad, to start). We were also in chat with them. The cold hard truth has a way of numbing you and unfortunately, giving you a serious attitude. It is extremely unfortunate for EL's customers, that they are treated the way they are (still getting charged an arm, leg and first born) for the service they choose and then when they complain about the TS, it falls on EL's deaf ears as they obviously could not care less. Tier 3 TS will be gone soon as well. On the subject of demanding a U.S. agent, that was a joke from the start. Customer's in the beginning would actually be transfered to a U.S.(English speaking) agent. Then it was discovered that the agents in India, given language classes to help with removal of the Indian accent and changing their names to "U.S." sounding names, was an answer to the "I want to speak to a U.S. agent" problem.
I still get calls from time to time(to my cell phone) and emails from current EL customers that I have built a rapport with, having issues. Granted, I don't get paid for giving them assistance, but I have a huge problem with good, hard working people getting "taken" on something that they depend so much on and can't get help with.
Now let's address this CEO issue... Lundsford is just another puppet in EL's "Grand Scheme" of things, to get to the much sought after..."Bottom Line", to continue filling their coffers. Now the issue of West's contract coming to an end is true and that is falling right along the time line that EL had projected to get all the TS outsourced OUT of the country. It has nothing to do with EL not wanting to renew, as their is no need since the "Master Plan" has been fulfilled.
NOW..dealing with call times and resolution, jim bob is correct. EL has guidelines they want us to follow while West is after the almighty dollar even more so than EL. EL would give us training on what they wanted on call times and resolutions, then West came in behind them and basically said, "This what WE want". End result... EL's customers got the screws put to them and continue to get them. Example: during a TS call, if it was obvious to the agent that an issue existed that would take some time to fix (that go outside the AHT-Average Handle Time), the quick release of the call was to tell the cx (customer) after doing clearing cache and reseting security levels, was to power down the computer, wait 5 mins and power back up as this would clear the computers real time memory of errors and come back up with no prior knowledge of the errors and work fine. Unfortunately, the tech would say they could'nt stay on the phone with the cx during this time, but rest assured this will correct the issue, giving them a case number to reference, IF they needed to call back. Some TS huh... If you don't have a conscience, then you would be just fine with this line of bull.

NOW... that is my rant for now as I'm out of coffee.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18723438 Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:44:00 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18687422 ldyryslin : Good to see ya'll too.
Best thing that could have happened was for my health to make me stop and think things over.

Much thanks for the good wishes to all!

Tra]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18687422 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 09:42:07 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684168 Doctor Olds :
said by ldyryslin See Profile :

Wow..
I contacted some of the few of what was there not to long ago, I used to post here to help yall. I got Doc'Old's up and running at one point when he had tore this forum a new one looking for aid (original closing of the in house support, when all call support went to outsource cept for TRON)
Yes, you did indeed. :D I still have your old corp address. :) All your previous hard work was greatly appreciated.
said by ldyryslin See Profile :

I moved on to QA for a bit before my health took a nosedive.
I don't get how one can outsource NOC or Biz support, but I watched them do it.

Salute to the Mindspring mentality.. Elnk killed it well.

-wave-
old elnktra
Hope you are on a better track health-wise. Nose dives are no fun, None at all. I will keep you in my thoughts and ask that big guy in the sky to keep you in good health. You have been missed very much here and I wish you nothing but the best of health and finances.

Take care lady and drop by whenever you feel like popping in to say hi!!

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684168 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:31:00 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684130 fatness : Both. Lower cost help usually means worse service in any business. And going overseas introduces language difficulties in addition to worse support capabilities.

Really, if the tech support isn't closely tuned to what the rest of the provider is doing (sales offerings, outages, congestion, network difficulties), it's basically working blind. EL has fragmented their tech support and does not let the various levels see what they need to see to provide help.
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684130 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:25:59 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684113 Splitpair :
said by fatness See Profile :

While going local doesn't guarantee good support, there is no arguing with the empirical evidence in this forum that EL tech support has declined overall, on all levels, as they've oursourced more of it overseas.
I agree but do you think that is the result of going overseas or going for the lowest cost outsourcing of tech support?

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684113 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:23:29 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684042 fatness : While going local doesn't guarantee good support, there is no arguing with the empirical evidence in this forum that EL tech support has declined overall, on all levels, as they've oursourced more of it overseas.
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18684042 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 20:13:35 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683720 Splitpair :
said by ldyryslin See Profile :

I don't get how one can outsource NOC or Biz support, but I watched them do it.
old elnktra
The theory is if you look at a screen it matters not where that screen is located.

Truthfully it comes down to what a company is willing to plow into tech support as it is generally seen as a profit killer not a center.

Going local is no promise of good support does anyone remember Client Logic?

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683720 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:32:33 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683693 skj : There you are! :-)

Good to see you back. Hope everything is ok with you. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683693 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:28:40 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683631 sashwa : Hi Tra! It's great to see you again. But I'm sorry to hear about your health. Hope you are doing better these days.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683631 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:19:47 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683618 fatness : Hi Tra, nice to see you again. :)]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18683618 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 19:18:17 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18682587 dbarber : I think that ELNK_Stacey See Profile is gone. She last logged in here 4 days ago. I have repeatedly PMed her, to no avail. With all the screwups with my current problem, I'm about to go elsewhere. The problem is that the rest of them are as bad or worse.
--
These opinions are strictly my own. However, if you really want them, we can negotiate.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18682587 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:52:31 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18681880 ldyryslin : Wow..
I contacted some of the few of what was there not to long ago, I used to post here to help yall. I got Doc'Old's up and running at one point when he had tore this forum a new one looking for aid (original closing of the in house support, when all call support went to outsource cept for TRON)

I moved on to QA for a bit before my health took a nosedive.
I don't get how one can outsource NOC or Biz support, but I watched them do it.

Salute to the Mindspring mentality.. Elnk killed it well.

-wave-
old elnktra]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18681880 Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:20:45 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18676324 anon : Congrats on getting out of there Kevin. I know what you went through. I was there for many years along with others that post on this forum.

»[General] Earthlink Tech Support

Were you there back when the omaha center was still in operation?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18676324 Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:25:34 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18674531 Splitpair :
said by chitownvet See Profile :

One must speak to them like one is talking to a child.
That will not work one can speak to them like a machine and that will work but not as a child.

There are weeks that it seems I do nothing but work with Covad’s India based tech/test support people and I have learned as you have don’t get off the subject and don’t jump ahead of their questions. I also learned early on I was causing some of the problems by speaking a bit too fast and using industry acronyms. Other than that I have had no problems communicating with or understanding them. I also understand the issue from the other side as I also provide tech support to technicians. There has been more than one time while on the phone trying to answer a question I have thought to myself “what the heck is he talking about”?

At least an American from any corner of our nation can understand you, even with a thick Chicago accent...
I don’t know how it is nowadays but I was up that way in 86 for switch training and I had no trouble understanding people though they where somewhat puzzled by my accent.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18674531 Sun, 15 Jul 2007 08:43:32 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18674081 bmaasjr320 : AldousSky, that's exactly what I did one year ago. I was already out of contract. So I took my DSL service to a local ISP. I simply left because I was having a sync issue after being upgraded to 6.0/768 speed.

I was trying to explain to the offshore techs about my line problems. But no, they said everything looked fine from there end. Yeah right what about my end. I found out a few weeks later from my local Telco. The problem I was having turned out to be a ground fault in my drop line.

FWIW, There is an Earthlink company here in my hometown call New Edge Networks. A few months ago our local paper did a story. On Earthlink's new found acquisition serving business to business customers.

In the picture Earthlink had sent out one of there corporate types from Atlanta. To give a big pep talk to local sales staff. Once I saw this picture I knew right away. It would only be a matter of time before Earthlink would go downhill.

BTW does anyone know where Blinky went.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18674081 Sun, 15 Jul 2007 03:12:26 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672609 amigo_boy : If the tables were turned, and a huge number of jobs paying $80k (instead of the average $30k) were available in one field, Americans would do the same thing Indians and Chinese are doing. Everyone would go where the employment is regardless of how suited they are to it. Consumers of those services would be just as dissatisfied.

I just think it's important to realize Indians are no different than us. It's not even the language issue. If you deal with an Indian who has an intuitive aptitude/passion for her work there wouldn't be much to talk about. If you deal with an American who lacks that "fit" for their work, it wouldn't matter that she speaks English. (We just don't have that many bad fits because we don't have the huge influx of jobs like India or China does, attracting everyone and their grandmother.).

It's also not really Earthlink's fault. Everyone's doing it. It's been going on a very long time, and it's become a matter of survival. If it's wrong (for the reasons I mentioned earlier), it's a political issue which should be fixed with legislation.

I don't know if it can be fixed politically. I wouldn't rule it out as "tampering with free markets." We do that all day long, from social creation of corporate charters (a fictional entity who serves as the "fall guy" shielding officers and investors from their own personal liability). Or, the SEC and banking regulation which interferes with willing buyers and sellers in the name of moderating raw market forces. Or, even food quality laws which prevent me from selling unsanitary food even if I can find willing buyers.

Maybe it can't be fixed. In which case it would serve as another validation of our progressive tax system. That those who benefit the most from the kind of unfair, unfree market conditions like offshoring owe progressively more than those who are destructively impacted by it.

There's something perverse about dismissing it as just "normal free market conditions." If that were true, then let's take down all the other social moderations to raw, free markets so that everyone gets to enjoy it like tech workers have for the past decade.

Mark]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672609 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 20:30:14 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672447 chitownvet : Wonderfully said. Rampant capitalism is inherently evil. The world of Charles Dickens is quite like our world of today.

I have had my share of spats with the "offshore" so-called English speakers. I've found that it's the intricacies and the nuances of our language that they cannot fathom. One must speak to them like one is talking to a child. At least an American from any corner of our nation can understand you, even with a thick Chicago accent...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672447 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:52:58 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672291 amigo_boy :
said by AldousSky See Profile :

end your service with Earthlink and get service with a real isp... One that will treat a customer right and not make it's customers... talk to someone they can't understand and who has difficulties understanding them.
A few comments:

1. As you said in a subsequent post: Almost everyone of any size is going offshore. I doubt I could move to anyone different who isn't doing the same thing.

2. I've not had any problem with EL's offshore support. In fact, I've always been satisfied.

3. I've had no trouble understanding them, or being understood.

4. I've had far worse experiences with domestic support staff. Recently I considered moving to Kite Networks (municipal wifi). I was less satisfied dealing with their support (who speak 'Merican) than all my experiences with EL's offshore support.

That's just me. Maybe I've not had one of the big hairy problems others have had.

What I don't like about offshoring is that it is essentially unfair, unfree trade. You could work for $10k a year (and compete fairly) if you could opt out of society's forced standard of living (like trash pickup, sewage treatment, water quality, environmental protection, building codes, etc., etc.). If you were allowed to use your gutter as a sewer, your backyard as a smelting plant, and add 5 stories to your house to have rental income (regardless of building codes or zoning) you could work for a lot less money.

Something seems perverse about a society *forcing* someone to live with all this "overhead," and then shrugging its shoulders when you're forced to compete with those who don't, saying "it's just a free market." There's nothing free about that.

Mark]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672291 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 19:13:31 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672136 AldousSky : And by the way... to those wondering... most isp's, as well as most large name corporations... outsource at least part of their tech support. West alone had Comcast, Earthlink, and Cingular.
Also... on the Earthlink side, west was not the only company that they outsourced to. The one we worked at in Universal City, Tx, just happened to be a west call center. There are other, more than likely equally as bad, call centers out there. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672136 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:39:21 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672083 AldousSky : Hey guys. This is Kevin... i used to post as elnk_kevin back when i worked for earthlink. I just wanted to let you know that this is most definately not a rumor. It is completely true... every word. Thanks for saying it, Jimbo... i was about to do it if no one else did. The only recommendation that I have, is, if you are out of your contract and can, end your service with Earthlink and get service with a real isp... One that will treat a customer right and not make it's customers... some of which paying hundreds per month... talk to someone they can't understand and who has difficulties understanding them. And Jimbo... a personal note... thanks again. It's been good to see your face again. It'll be cool working with you at 2wire. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18672083 Sat, 14 Jul 2007 18:29:43 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18661812 amigo_boy : I suspect the motivation is similar to Sprint's dismissal of customers who require too much effort. Onshore support staff probably handle the nastiest of the nasty problems. I could see EL making a purely business decision that they're going to go for the low-hanging fruit (the easy installations, etc.). Let the problem children (with bad home wiring, too far from the CO, etc.) go elsewhere.

Mark]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18661812 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:36:50 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18647607 fatness :
said by AtlGuy See Profile :

Good luck to all the employees losing their job.
Yes, that needs to be said again.
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18647607 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:28:42 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18647563 nort_enidan : the TRON department for aDSL w/c is the tier 3 tech support was given to the Earthlink counterparts in the Philippines, May of 2005. It was passed on to India sometime between March-April of 2006 when Phils. totally took charge of LPV. The only techs left in Atlanta back then was NOC [network operations center] and the SWAT [i dunno what that means hehehe] team w/c i believe was the team where Naomi and the rest of the guys in this forums belong to. Before i left Earthlink a few weeks back, part of NOC was already handled by Indian techs. I personally disagree with that decision - the Atlanta NOC techs can fix network problems no matter how hard they were unlike their indian counterparts who would just tell us "i'm sorry i don't know how to do that and there are no available Atlanta techs at the moment.."]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18647563 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:20:53 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18646270 anon : Wow looks like the same thing is going on again. When will the losing of the jobs stop?
»[General] Earthlink Tech Support]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18646270 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:03:35 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18645845 AtlGuy :
said by fatness See Profile :

What is an appropriate number of rocks to throw at Earthlink?
How many ya got? :p

I feel sorry for Earthlink's customers having to deal with the horrible, horrible tech support they now provide and have provided for a while.

I remember calling their "support" for several transcriptionists who worked for one of my company's clients having an issue connecting to our servers. All of their traceroutes crapped out at the same point, so I asked the rep for an email address for me to send all the traceroutes to, showing them the problem. Of course I kept getting the clear your cookies, etc. crap. After about 30 minutes of getting nowhere I finally just hung up. Luckily a coworker of mine had a contact that still worked in their NOC, so I asked her to provide him with my information and he confirmed it was an issue with one of Sprint's routers. That took all of 3 minutes.

I will never ever ever use that company or recommend that company to anyone...ever.

Good luck to all the employees losing their job. Look at this way, it can only get better after working at a hell hole like Earthlink. I know because I used to work there (around the time of the Mindspring/EL merger). The fun place that I knew and loved is long dead.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18645845 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:58:15 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18637755 fatness : Please listen to the following options.
• For help with elephant urine, press 1.
;)
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18637755 Mon, 09 Jul 2007 07:56:32 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18637278 public :
said by Jim Bob Jr :

I don't really know what their thinking is behind this, maybe they think that muni-wifi is the wave of the future for them, maybe they're counting on BPL, there are a lot of things they have in the pipeline but I do know that for now they won't have any us tech support for dsl.
It is the bettie legacy. Hollow out the company to make it look more profitable, and dump the remains onto a gullible buyer.
Unfortunately bettie could not even get that part right.
So in the meantime wrap you modem in tinfoil, soak in elephant urine and call back in two days.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18637278 Mon, 09 Jul 2007 02:09:27 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18624812 anon : As far as I know by the end of next week the US end of tier 2 is gone, so that priority callback number kevin gave out will no longer get you a US tech. I do know that tier 3 will be staying a bit longer so those of you that have their number and pin will still be able to get in touch with them but as we all know they only handle the really seriously messed up issues (as it should be with a department so high up). And I'm not sure how much longer they're going to stay.

As far as I'm concerned throw as many rocks as you can they have it coming. I don't really know what their thinking is behind this, maybe they think that muni-wifi is the wave of the future for them, maybe they're counting on BPL, there are a lot of things they have in the pipeline but I do know that for now they won't have any us tech support for dsl.

If you guys have anymore questions feel free to ask I'm not always on here but I try to check in when I can, I wish you all the best of luck and hope that none of you need to call tech support in the near future. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18624812 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 14:41:26 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623525 skj : Thanks for the info. That is indeed sad news in terms of what Earthlink is doing. Much of overseas outsourced tech support is really only good for the most simplest of issues. Unfortunately, you have to jump through so many hoops to get to someone who knows more than the basics. The fact that they are now getting rid of the more knowledgeable support personnel is very disappointing and will only serve to increase subscribers' frustrations with the quality of tech support that is offered by Earthlink.
--


The foundations of character are built not by lecture, but by bricks of good example, laid day by day.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623525 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 10:08:45 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623069 fatness : How many people will get canned?
When will the transition to non-US support be complete?
What is an appropriate number of rocks to throw at Earthlink?
--
Sure, that'll work..]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18623069 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:14:20 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622958 anon : I guess nobody has anymore questions, oh well like I said feel free, if you can't tell I do have a bit of inside info. I guess it's all pretty self explanitory but I do know quite a bit about the situation. Anyway best of luck to everyone, You're gonna need it.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18622958 Fri, 06 Jul 2007 07:28:29 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18614514 anon : Corporation, communications, you get my drift. Truthfully on the checks it says telemarketing. So anyway I'm still checkin in if anyone has any questions feel free to ask, I'm not sure if I can answer all of them but I'll sure try.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18614514 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 18:30:07 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18613960 anon : Wow, please post exactly the name and which providers are using them - it was such a completely unacceptable experience (i cried, i began having acid reflux at 2AM), i don't want to go to any internet provider that has that same setup. I felt like a freshman at a frat party...]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18613960 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 16:29:37 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18612220 chitownvet : I fail to see the logic in this decision. If the ultimate long term goal for the company is a dissatisfied customer base, unintelligible and unskilled tech support people, incredibly long waits for phone support, and expecting the customer to do more than 50% of his own tech support than I guess they might be successful in their minds. As long as they milk it for all the profit they can get. Word will get around fast and they will fall like a lead zeppelin.

Personally I won't stand for it, I'll leave as soon as I can if a better option comes my way, or if I have to solve my own problems on my own time (as I have a few times already, with the help of this much needed forum!).]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18612220 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:52:30 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18611651 Splitpair :
said by Jim Bob Jr :

Earthlink is outsourced almost completely through a company called WEST telecomunications,
You sure that is not West Corporation as they provide a combination of fixed location and home based call center support for a number of Cable ISP's already.

Wayne
--
If you cannot fix it with a buttset and some beanies you ain't a technician.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18611651 Wed, 04 Jul 2007 07:42:46 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18608645 anon : Unfortunately I think the new ceo is part of the problem, I'm pretty sure that michael lundsford only has one thing on his mind and that's the bottom line. If earthlink is willing to outsource their business customer's tech support (these guys pay substantially more in some cases for their service than consumers do) then why would they care about outsourcing residential tech support.

The only saving bit of information that I've heard (but this is rumor I have no proof) is that west's contract with Earthlink is fixing to be up and Earthlink has decided not to renew it. I'm hoping this is true, I know that earthlink had begun to listen in to certain calls (you know how it says this call may be monitored or recorded for quality purposes) and was not happy with what was happening, the constant transfers the lying (I know for a fact that tier 1 techs will cry outage when there is not one) among other things.

These are things that I know Earthlink is not happy about and wants to change, what they are going to do to make those changes is the important thing. One thing you have to keep in mind when dealing with their tech support is they have certain stats they have to keep up with one of them (the most important one to west) is their call time, I know for a fact that the tier 2 call time was supposed to be kept to an average of 16 minutes, now this is generally enough time to fix basic issues but not near enough time to tech more complicated software issues. That's why it seems like the techs are desperate to get you off the phone, that's also why some of you get transferred needlessly ( to lower the average call time).

Hopefully what I heard is right, I know it is in every body's best interest because west does not care about the customers they care about making money and in most cases west makes money off of each call their agent takes, that's why they make the average call time such a high priority there. As long as they can get you off the phone and the next customer on it they don't care. Just thought you guys should know these things.

I'll post more if I can think of anything.

If any of you have any questions please feel free to ask I'm gonna check in on this thread later on in the evening.]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18608645 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 17:09:23 EDT Re: Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18607935 Doctor Olds : No flamage here. :p

I appreciate the info as long as it is accurate and not rumor or speculation based, so feel free to share what you can, when you can.

If true, it is a very sad day for EL. I was hoping they would change direction with their getting a New President and CEO along with the LPV build out. They are just shooting the last toe off their left foot. The right foot has been toe-less for a while. :(

Regards,

Doctor Olds
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18607935 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:59:19 EDT Earthlink is outsourcing the last of it's US techs http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18607426 anon : Hey guys, I just thought I'd share this little tidbit, The Earthlink techs that post here aren't alowed to tell you a whole lot about what's happening, They are in the Tier 3 department which will be around for a little longer (but good luck getting in touch with them outside this forum) That's the reason you don't see near the number of techs from there posting on here anymore (they all quit).

I know that stacey and naomi still get on here from time to time but they can't do everything for us. Soon they will be out of a job as well. Earthlink is outsourced almost completely through a company called WEST telecomunications, The few Earthlink employees that were working in atlanta, the engineers ( the guys who fix the really hard stuff and can fix stuff behind the scenes) were outsourced a couple months ago, the earthlink business technical was outsourced to philipines last month, and now they are outsourcing the last bit of employees that they had in their tier 2 department here, as well as the rest of the billing department and bi-lingual agents that they had here.

I know this is a bit meaningless and a bit of a rant but I thought I'd warn you guys no longer will you be able to demand a us agent when you talk to tech support because other than tier 3 (for the moment) there is none, and like I said good luck talking to them because they don't just talk to anyone.

Ok that's my rant, let the flame war begin. ]]> http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,18607426 Tue, 03 Jul 2007 13:30:15 EDT