sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| Speakout Against Fees for Support
I strongly suggest you all visit the 0.verizon.discussion-general newsgroup and see the topic entitled Premium Tech Support.
I find the very idea of this outrageous and I would hope most of you do too. You should express your opinion on this matter there.
For those not setup for news, copy and paste the line below into your browser's address bar:
news://news.verizon.net/0.verizon.discussion-general
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Brooks [VZ-Support]"
Newsgroups: 0.verizon.discussion-general
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 3:05 PM
Subject: Premium Tech Support
> Group:
>
> Another idea that came up in these groups a few months ago was premium tech
> support. (Higher support levels for a fee.) We are now looking very closely
> at starting some kind of premium service. (Thanks to you!)
>
> We have talked about flat monthly fee added to your bill, a per-call fee by
> credit card, or both for premium support. I would like to get your thoughts
> not only on billing options, but also what is your definition of premium
> support.
>
> --
> Once again thank you for your business,
> Scott Brooks - Executive Support VOL Operations
>
> Contact Information, including PGP public key:
> »members.bellatlantic.net/~vze35w7d/
> Last Updated: 09/26/2002
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
-- H.L. Mencken
[text was edited by author 2003-03-12 19:58:25] |
|
jack b
Gone Fishing
Premium,MVM
join:2000-09-08
Cape Cod
clubs: |  Added my 2¢. |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| reply to sadowski
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul R. Sadowski"
Newsgroups: 0.verizon.discussion-general
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2003 5:58 PM
Subject: Re: Premium Tech Support
> In message:1wc1f38cdkwi2.1g3zgmrl83dad$.dlg@40tude.net,
> Scott Brooks [VZ-Support] wrote:
> :
> : Thanks... how about things like bypassing customer care, and going to
> : a second level support for all questions? Or something like SLA where
> : your service is restored in X amount of time?
>
> I don't remember any original discussion of this but I as a longtime
> customer would be really PO'ed by any such plan. A 'PC Support' kind of plan
> I wouldn't care about - software support and such - but ANY 'faster' or
> better service for DSL services and I'd be PO'ed enough to switch to a
> Choice One circuit and a different ISP. I consider all such contracts a slap
> in the face to the customer. If my service is down, the only thing I ever
> called in about, I expect it to be restored ASP as part of the ordinary
> service to which I subscribe. A non-functioning circuit is a failure of
> service that you folks are responsible to mend, not to queue me off to favor
> those willing to pay extra for something I'm already paying for in my
> monthly fee.
>
> I would think there are a lot more important things you folks could be doing
> to make the service better. This sounds to me like one big bad consumer
> rip-off!
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.
-- H.L. Mencken
mod note - removed pre tags to prevent margin blowout - *c
[text was edited by author 2003-03-12 20:11:51]
[text was edited by moderator] |
|
Cutie
@207.96.x.x
| reply to sadowski
If this tech support could get load coils removed and bridge taps removed, Sure I'd pay for it  )))
Of course I guess you'd have to be a member anyway to get this premium tech support so I am out of the picture, But this is really interesting/dismaying, Pay for tech support.... Why? Always thought that came standard with just about any service (Not only dsl) |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs: | reply to jack b
said by jack b  :
Added my 2¢.
Thank you! |
|
Sedated3
Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars
Premium
join:2002-11-02
Brooklyn, NY
clubs:
|  GAH! I can't believe this is actually being seriously considered. Look for my post in a few hours.
Sed
------- edited -----
> Hello,
>
> I am wholeheartedly against premium tech support.
>
> Infact I already feel at a disadvantage because I live in a Former Bell
> Atlantic area and can't call VADI directly but must rely on convincing
> the Tier-1 person to escalate to Tier-2 and then the Tier-2 person to go
> on a three way chat with the networking folks.
>
> Before calling Verizon or prior to that Bell Atlantic, I do everything I
> possibly can to rule out any local problems. I made the investment to
> own multiple Westell modems, multiple NICs and no shortage of CAT5
> cabling. I almost always spend several hours swapping hardware and
> reconfiguring software prior to the call.
>
> I expect after investing several hours of personal time not to meet to
> many roadblocks to escalation, and so far I haven't. I've gotten great
> help from the old Tier-3 people, from the Presidential Appeals folks and
> from your own Executive Appeals personnel [Robin deserves a vacation in
> the Bahamas on the house, but I digress  ]
>
> I am barely able to afford around 100 dollars per month for phone bill
> and DSL. My area now has optimum online cable which yields speeds in
> excess of 5mbit/s downstream, 950kilobit/s upstream.
>
> Why am I not rushing out to get it? Because I like my Verizon service.
> It's stable and the tech support is usually spot on. Why pay for
> something that's included now? And why not switch to another ISP
> offering -free- , uniform trouble shooting.
>
> After all, most of the time one of us old timers calls, we're damn near
> positive our local area of influence (LAN, home to NID wiring, CPE) is
> not at fault.
>
> My most recent problem was a MAC broadcast flood of PPPoE Discovery PADI
> packets which of course knocked me offlline. I went as far as to look at
> the wire and have all the information available to the 2nd tier and
> later networking tech, and had the problem corrected while on the phone.
>
> Prior to this I had to do some convincing to the Tier-1 representative
> but even so, that person recognized that I had taken a good deal of time
> to familiarize myself with what was happening and skipped the script.
>
> I received wonderful support during this incident which I outlined in
> »Yowza! MAC PPPoED PADI Flood! Event log ---> .
> And I'd like to believe after ruling out much of my local network and
> wiring with the use of seperate CPEs, swapping out cards and cables and
> doing basic diagnostic tests I would get some sort of escalation when
> there's a clear problem. Why should a customer who doesn't choose to pay
> an added monthly premium on top of already hefty charges not receive the
> same level of help?
>
> I believe that tech support is a misnomer. How about troubleshooting.
> An Internet Service Provider basing it's level of customer requested
> troubleshooting based on that customer's payment of some aribtrary
> add-on premium won't fly and is likely to turn off more people than are
> satisfied. I can't see anyone on a residential line needing "an extra"
> level of handholding.. And those who do may want the option of paying
> for a technician's visit- that's another story.
>
> But call in diagnostics and trouble shooting should never differ based
> on usage level. You can set different critiria for business and
> residential lines, but charging for different levels of residential
> support?! That's luducrous. By that virtue I should get better/faster
> tech support than say my 768/128 Verizon neighbours simply because I'm
> paying a larger monthly bill.
>
> I fear that this would either drive support to those who can afford the
> extra monthly fees, and relegate the rest of us to the "clear your
> cache/reboot your PC/unplug your modem".
>
> I don't see Verizon's technical support as being broken. Please don't
> fix it in this manner. Things like this have a way of pissing off us old
> timers (Infact this whole thread has infuriated me a bit).
>
> As I see it people that have been with the ISP for a while have made
> both a financial and a time investment to own backup equipment and know
> enough about their lines to be able and intelligently explain the
> problem; have suffered through the outages, have helped and been helped
> by others (both customers and employees) and would especially see this
> is a slap in the face.
>
> Sorry, my two cents, I am entirely against pay-per-clue tech support.
>
> Regards,
> Sed
>
>
Hope they really think twice about this nonsense... Why are they brainstorming how to such more money out of us - why not a brainstorming session on how to get a /256 tier or get more people qualified for /384 - heck that would raise the coffers a bit, no? 
Thanks, VY2K and JackB i just saw your thoughts on the topic.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-12 21:26:27] |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| said by Sedated3 :
GAH! I can't believe this is actually being seriously considered. Look for my post in a few hours.
Sed
Thank you!
Please everybody make your voice heard about this plan! Once it's in place, there's no going back!
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken |
|
UltimateTech
join:2002-03-19
Portland, OR
 ·Comcast
| They haven't stated yet what the premium tech support will consist of. I really doubt it will be anything they do already, more of going above and beyond their current duties like more in depth computer support or assistance with setting up home networks. Rather than dismiss the idea all together you should be telling them what type of premium support you would like to see available. Maybe you don't need assistance setting up home networks but there a lot of people who do and may be happy to pay for the assistance. Right now Verizon only provides support for a connection directly to a single computer. Just something to think about. |
|
Pathfinder
Dazed Confused
Premium
join:2000-03-26
Mount Vernon, NY
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to sadowski
I saw the posts in the newsgroups. I read the replies and some of it made sense. e.g. support for routers, software etc. but after careful consideration I realize that this will most probably only erode the customer support that exists now.
I will be sending Scott and e-mail shortly.
--
support the Hunley |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| reply to UltimateTech
I've already said that would be OK. Read my reply to Scott; and read what Scott wrote. He talked about expedited service for those who pay. That is never proper. We all pay for the service and we should all receive proper no-charge support when the problem is a VOL problem. As 'cutie' noted, that's the way business is done. You pay for a service and receive the service in return.
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| reply to Pathfinder
said by Pathfinder :
I saw the posts in the newsgroups. I read the replies and some of it made sense. e.g. support for routers, software etc. but after careful consideration I realize that this will most probably only erode the customer support that exists now.
I will be sending Scott and e-mail shortly.
Exactly, we're really talking about those who don't pay extra being sequestered into a support ghetto. This is just not the proper way to run a business. It is this kind of thinking that brought state mandates to the voice side to protect consumers rights.
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken |
|
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA | reply to jack b
said by jack b :
Added my 2¢.
Me too. |
|
Voyager2K2
join:2001-10-04
Wayne, PA | According to Scott Brooks from VOL, the idea has now been shelved.
Whew! That was quick! |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| I must be missing it. He seems to say the service level agreement is not popular but I don't see the basic idea being pulled. I don't know. It's too late to think.
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken |
|
DoLeMiTe
My Dixie Wrecked
Premium
join:2001-01-11
New Kensington, PA | reply to sadowski
OK, I just posted my thoughts. |
|
Cephus
join:2003-01-26
Redlands, CA
| reply to UltimateTech
Considering that Tech Support has been utterly unable to help me get anything done in all the times I've called them, I certainly wouldn't pay for it! They don't have a clue what they're doing now!
Or do we get to talk to the techs with a clue if you pay for it? |
|
Cariad
Logo Queen
Premium,ExMod 2001-03
join:2000-07-02
Staten Island, NY
clubs: | reply to sadowski
Not in agreement at all. When one pays for a service every month, I don't think it's appropriate for the customer to have to pay for tech support.
--
Ryw in fwy na perffaith rydw in Gymraes. |
|
Sedated3
Shooting Rubberbands At The Stars
Premium
join:2002-11-02
Brooklyn, NY
clubs:
| Cariad, could you please make your voice heard in the newsgroup.
As a moderator of the Verizon Forum at DSLReports and a customer of the service for quite some time, your voice would weigh heavily in favour of squashing this idea.
DSLReports tools are brought up very often in suggestions to others, and it would very much help our cause.
And the way I see it, I already pay for technical support. If Verizon wants to improve their service, concentrate on offering some extra speed tiers and improving the response times for outages.
Perfect example - The Pennsylvania slowdown thread. Should PA customers who pay a few bucks extra recevie expedited support?
I just don't see a need for creating two groups of users - those with resources to expedited trouble shooting, and those who get ye' ol' "clear your cache/reset your modem" script. Call me crazy but I thought I was already paying for technical support as part of the monthly charges [may I say exhorbitant charges when compared with other providers].
I disagree with Mr. Brooks that this is something to help the customers.. Fix PA. Get DNS working. Let's get more speed tiers. Let's get some concrete and definite action on the port block. But please.. Anything that raises my monthly residential bill is not a help to me.
SLAs were brought up. I am not interested in an SLA as I use my line recreationally. My SLA is two multilinked 56k USR sportsters.
Sigh.. I can't believe they're brainstorming on how to squeeze more money out of people. Sheesh.. BTW - Isn't a business line by virtue of the extra price ALREADY including the extra level of support? Ahh, I dunno.. I don't want to pay more per month and I don't want to get relegated into a service-ghetto either..
This is sort of like the trickle down theory of economics helps a working Joe. This does very little for me and can have lots of negative consequences.
PLEASE make your voices heard!
Thanks,
Sed & Willow
--
Regards,Sedated! [1500/128 @ 1515/136 VZ] ..."I'm warm... I'm well fed... And gosh I feel so sleepy! Yawn!" |
|
Cariad
Logo Queen
Premium,ExMod 2001-03
join:2000-07-02
Staten Island, NY
clubs: | Soon as I get home. |
|
sadowski
I Am My Own Doppelganger
Premium,MVM
join:2000-04-14
Buffalo, NY
clubs:
| reply to DoLeMiTe
said by DoLeMiTe :
OK, I just posted my thoughts.
Thank you. No need to drop the pressure. The basic idea seems alive and well and we should make our thoughts on it well known.
--
In this world of sin and sorrow, there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. -- H.L. Mencken |
|
