dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
uniqs
13
Nexis
join:2002-04-29
USA

Nexis to tsduke

Member

to tsduke

Re: Outage in Waterloo

Keep in mind that when dealing with a fiber cut, first you need to find the cut, then you need to figure out how much was damaged. If it is under ground fiber that was cut by a back hoe, it is possible, and quite common that even though the cut is visible in the trench below you the damage extends 10 to 20 ft in both directions due to the pulling force of the equipment. So you have to dig up back to good fiber that you can splice with, then keep digging back so you can get enough to get it up and on the table or into the trailer. You then need to splice in a chunk of fiber and move to the other side. Dig that up, get it in and splice it. So when you have a fiber cut, everything you do, you have to do twice in most cases. So 6 hours on what I think is a 48 count is pretty good.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke

Premium Member

I know all about fiber. I wasn't even complaining about the 6 hours per say. What I was complaining about is that 1-The message didn't say there was a fiber cut & 2-They message called it intermittent.

For some reason companies don't find it necessary to be up front and honest. Especially Mediacom.
twhiting9275
join:2002-08-30
Waterloo, IA

twhiting9275

Member

said by tsduke:

I know all about fiber. I wasn't even complaining about the 6 hours per say. What I was complaining about is that 1-The message didn't say there was a fiber cut & 2-They message called it intermittent.

Exactly. We all know these things happen. What's not appreciated here is the complete lack of honesty, lack of support from Mediacom on this issue.

If you tried calling in during this 6 hour outage, you just got a message that was recorded. No updates, same message for hours on end. You couldn't even get THROUGH to a real person (I tried a few times), the message basically said "we don't care about your business".

This is not how you deal with customers, period.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke

Premium Member

And the thing is if the message would have said "fiber cut" most people wouldn't have tried calling multiple times. And I'll guarantee they were.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88 to twhiting9275

Premium Member

to twhiting9275
OK do you guys seriously expect that the automated system will have specifics about an outage? Also when the system is overloaded you simply can't get through. As simple as that. The system can't handle more calls and the only thing you can do is wait.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER

Member

ya know it amazes me in 2012 mediacom does not have redundant fiber to use if they have these problems. This is what the 7th fiber cut in 2 months? I mean come on go over to the comcast forums you dont read about fiber cuts. Either mediacom does not know how to mark were there lines are run or they are not buried to depth. If there on a pole well then thats another story. My point is mediacom has all there eggs in one basket with att. Get another bandwidth provider and make sure you have redundant systems.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke to Anonymous88

Premium Member

to Anonymous88
Yes, actually I do. It's 2012 and with today's technology we aren't talking about rocket science to make it happen. If the CR Gazette can post it online I would think Mediacom could change the audio of the automated message one they know what it is. Especially for a longer outage.
twhiting9275
join:2002-08-30
Waterloo, IA

twhiting9275 to Anonymous88

Member

to Anonymous88
A> It's 2012 as someone else said. All it takes is 5 MINUTES to change the damn message to something else

B> This wasn't as simple as "nobody getting through". People were getting through, left and right, however, those of us in affected areas were being lied to, and hung up on.

Mediacom has demonstrated they have the tech to tell when a person is calling from an affected area in the past. What they've shown here, in this incident is that they ALSO have the lack of care and concern for their clients to just hang up on them.

OldCableGuy
@communications.net

OldCableGuy to Anonymous88

Anon

to Anonymous88
That is BS. My power company (Alliant Energy) can pinpoint if you are part of a known outage or not just based on your telephone number. You can go to their "report an outage" webpage (mobile friendly) or call a toll free 1-800 number.

Electricity is a one-way service. If THEY can figure it out, Mediacom certainly can.

And the Mediacom system is only "overloaded" because they don't have enough inbound telephone lines.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER to twhiting9275

Member

to twhiting9275
they turn the lines off from effected areas period. how do I know I used my google voice number which is in another area code and got thru and couldnt get thru on my local cell number. So instead of giving good customer service mediacom just pulls the plug on the effected areas.
twhiting9275
join:2002-08-30
Waterloo, IA

twhiting9275 to OldCableGuy

Member

to OldCableGuy
Mediacom knows when you're in an outage. That's why we weren't able to get through, they cut us off, deliberately.

If the phone line is overloaded, you don't even get an automated message, you get a busy signal. Given that Mediacom's got their own phone service (ie: VOIP), I'd be surprised if they don't have something like that going on at their call centers as well. Cut corners everywhere you can.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88

Premium Member

Actually you don't get busy signal. You get a message saying call later...
twhiting9275
join:2002-08-30
Waterloo, IA

twhiting9275

Member

Historically, no. I've always received a busy signal. maybe they've changed that, as I've not actually had to go through that in a while (thank god), but from experience, it's been a busy signal.

Either way, this wasn't a "lines too full" issue, because the call DID go through, you COULD actually do some things (such as use automated systems, etc), you just couldn't talk to a real person

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88 to tsduke

Premium Member

to tsduke
You should all get a message

"There is an outage and we are working on it." That way you know something is going on in the area and it's not just you.

This is what sometimes happens to me

I'm running late (like 2-3 jobs behind) and I have NO IDEA when I might show up at your place. A job takes 20 min to 2 hours. I get a call from dispatch, Customer X wants ETA. If I knew I would have called you myself. I have no idea. Also calling someone and telling them I have 2 jobs to do before I can get to their place doesn't work. People want ETA.

My point is maybe they did not know right away what was causing the outage and you guys know that most people will call in the moment their service goes down. Sometimes a job does not go as planned and it ends up taking a lot of time so that ETR you were given over the phone may not be correct. Guess what people do? They call in again. BTW most people posting here have above average understanding about tech stuff. 'Fiber cut' probably means nothing to a lot of people.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke

Premium Member

You comments only feed the fire to show why people HATE Mediacom.
GLIMMER
join:2004-01-17
Fisher, IL

GLIMMER to Anonymous88

Member

to Anonymous88
you know what the power company can give a ETR then so can mediacom. if mediacom would just care about the customer.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88 to tsduke

Premium Member

to tsduke
said by tsduke:

You comments only feed the fire to show why people HATE Mediacom.

Can you be more specific and explain what is it about my comments that make people hate Mediacom?
twhiting9275
join:2002-08-30
Waterloo, IA

twhiting9275 to Anonymous88

Member

to Anonymous88
said by Anonymous88:

You should all get a message

We did... For 6 hours... At some point, you have to change that message. As well, the message was, well, a lie.

According to the message, the issue was "intermittent". There was no "intermittent" about it, there was nothing. Intermittent means it works, it doesn't work, rinse, wash, repeat.
said by GLIMMER:

you know what the power company can give a ETR then so can mediacom. if mediacom would just care about the customer.

I don't even care about an ETA/ETR. I work in the internet industry, dealing with DC's all the time, and believe me, I KNOW these things happen, and when they do, there are times that it's just not possible to give an ETA.

What's beyond annoying though is the horrific customer service from Mediacom, as a whole, and the blatant disregard they show for their customers. This is just ONE in dozens of examples of that. Even the DC's I work with closely have updated messages. Not every 5 minutes, but every hour or so, on the rare occasions that things actually go that long.

It's all about respecting the customer. Mediacom has shown absolutely none, in any capacity.

tsduke
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Waterloo, IA

tsduke to Anonymous88

Premium Member

to Anonymous88
I'm referring to the Mediacom attitude of the way we do things is fine and there is no need to improve. You seem to share it.