mbabauer
join:2008-03-07
Winter Haven, FL
1 edit | My horrible install
This is mostly vent/rant, but I hope my ongoing experience will help others...
I have a Business Internet account with a single static IP, plus residential phone service. I recently ordered FiosTV, on my "residential" side, to be installed last Friday. I was the first in my area to get an install date, and I knew there would be problems, but not to the extent I have had them.
To start, my house is not quite 2yrs old. The tech that came out was a sub contractor, driving a personal truck with a Verizon magnet on the side. He installed my STBs, gave me this ActionTec router (hence forth refered to as 'AT'), and started working on my ONT. As soon as he opened it, he says "Oh, this is a 611...I have never seen these before. I am only familiar with the 612". From here the problems start.
First, the poor guy was here all day long. I first attempted to plug the AT into my local domain (through my firewall), but it wasn't working. We could see the STBs pull DHCP from the AT, and I could connect my laptop to the AT and get to the internet. But, we had spotty TV service at best (missing channels), no guide, and no VOD.
After about 4 hours, he calls in the tier 2 field techs. Two more guys show up. They notice the Video light on my ONT is not lite. After another 2 hours and them on the phone with the Net Techs, they figure out they never patched the video feed into our area. Great, missing patch cable.
So, video is on...problem solved? Nope. Still no guide or VOD, and when we turn the TV on, black screen until we change channels. Also, most of the HD channels don't work (screen says call Verizon to order). By this time I have tried everything I can think of on the AT router, which was currently set to use a static IP from my internal and do DHCP relay for all stuff behind it and no firewall at all, basically turning it into a "dumb hub", or a "Bridge". STBs happily accept my internal networks DHCP responses, and once again I can connect to the Internet using my laptop through the AT (which, again, is plugged into my Firewall). The field tech says this is not the recommended configuration, but its 6:00 by now. I sign the papers so they will leave the equipment, and spend the next several hours working on it.
I worked until about 11:00 that night. I tried their "recommended configuration" of having the AT assigned the static IP from Verizon, having it do the DHCP to the STB's, and my network hanging off the 4-port hub in the back...no go. I tried turning it into a "dumb bridge", but having it plugged directly into the ONT...no go. I reset this stupid AT router so many times I am now the worlds expert on monkeying with an AT router. In all seriousness, I tried everything.
The interesting part is that, when configured through my firewall (both as firewall itself and as "dumb bridge"), I could see the STBs talking by using tcpdump on my firewall. Requests were definitely making it out, and as far as I can tell, no errors reported. I tried looking to see if there were any unicast packets coming in from Verizon addresses, but I saw nothing. Off to bed I went.
Then the phone rings at 12:45am (yes, after midnight). Its Verizon. They want to troubleshoot my stuff. Being the time it was, and having a 6mo daughter and 2 4yr old boys, I was, lets say, a little irate with the rep. After he let me rant for a bit, we spent the next 1 1/2 trying to reboot the router yet again. Again we setup the router with my Verizon-provide static and plugged it into the ONT directly. Again it did not work.
Saturday went much the same way. I called for status, was told to try some stuff, told to call back later. By about 5:00pm I was told by a tier 2 support person "The only way this will work is with a second ONT". I immediately threw the BS flag, as I personally know this guy (»verizon-fios-hell.blogspot.com) and know for an absolute fact he has business static internet, residential phone, and residential tv all on the same ONT. I told the rep that frankly, at this point, I don't care WHAT they do to fix it, including dropping a $5k 2nd ONT and fiber on my house. He told me the ticket was in, and I had to call billing on Monday to have them put it in. In the meantime, I requested a new AT router b/c I thought mine might have been busted from all the monkeying around.
Monday morning comes, I call billing, and am given the run around. After 1 1/2 hrs on the phone, I get a net tech on who says "We never install 2 ONTs on a residential property". Again, I know this to be absolutely false since my best friend in DC has 2 ONTs sitting side by side in his basement. Again I throw the BS flag, but end on the note that "Frankly, I don't care as long as it works). I am told the ticket is escalated to the NT (net tech) center to work on.
Tuesday comes, I get my new AT (haven't opened it yet). Since I work for a living, I wasn't going to waste yet another day on the phone. I was promised a 24hr turn around, which was at 1:30pm that day, so I would let them call me. By 2:30, I hadn't received a call, so I checked in. I was told they are still working on it, and to call back later.
At 8:00 I called back. I told the rep on the phone I wanted to get a status, he switches immediately to "read my tech support scripts" mode. I let him walk me through some stuff, but mentioned my less-than-ideal network setup, and that I needed to cycle my STBs and reset my router. He replies "I need to controll this conversation!".
Let me break here to say that, other than the 1:00 in the morning call, I have been very, very calm. The rest of the conversation went like this: I let him have it with 2 barrels, he kept saying how I was wasting his time and how he couldn't help me if I didn't let him "control the conversation", I told him it wouldn't matter what he told me if the STBs had the wrong IP address and the AT router was not reset, his script wouldn't matter, etc, etc.
Finally, he has me pull the power on the AT. He impatiently asks me repeatedly whats happening, to which my response was "its rebooting like to asked me to do...it takes about 2 min". Then he rants about "controlling the conversation" again, and how he can't help me b/c I am off rebooting STBs, blah, blah, blah. Once he shuts up, I say "Ok, I am in...says Router Status OK, Ethernet Connected...", to which he says "If you can't give me the respect I deserve, I am ending this call"....CLICK!
Now I am furious. I waited about an hour before I called back, because at this point my temper was to a point I really didn't need to talk to anyone. I immediately ask to speak to a floor manager, and then I unload. For 30 minutes I must have ranted. Like a pro, the guy took it, let me vent, and defused the situation. Once I was calm, he gave me the status (they are working on it...) and said he will definitely look into what happened on the previous call. I took this as "I will tell you I am doing something about it, but we are understaffed anyway so not much will be done if anything...". I used to be a helpdesk administrator for CSX in collage, so I know the routine.
So, now its Wednesday. Still no working TV, net techs still haven't called. I called this morning to get status only to be told "There is a billing hold", so I talk to billing and was told "there is no hold, there is a flag because your commit date is passed", then transfered to a net tech to be told "we are working on it...".
The funny part is that, throughout this entire process I have recieved at least 3 calls to do a survay about my "FiosTV Experience", to which I reply "what experience? I dont have TV yet...".
I can tell you, if you are getting this service, and you have even a remotely non-traditional situation, get ready to deal with customer service hell. And don't expect a straight answer from anyone, because each person has their own story to spin you. |
