Before I decided on a broadband provider, I asked around and googled for reviews. I decided on Smartbro because a friend who lived in my area said it didn't give her problems even during a vicious storm. Also, I thought knowing people in their Corp Comm would help if I ever encountered problems.
Well, for the last few months, it seems I've been filing complaints every few weeks or so. Calling their hotline was stressful. One upside was I was using a Smart cellphone so waiting for a call center agent to take my call didn't make a dent on my pocket. But on my sanity it did. It took forever for someone to pick up. Then they'd make me do troubleshooting, which I've done several times before I even called them. Because of the numerous calls I've made, I've memorized what to plug and unplug, what to turn off and on, how much time it took between steps in the whole process, everything. It took them AT LEAST 3 days to send a technician. And some of the technicians had attitude! One even ordered my parents-in-law to tell me to make sure I'm at home when they come. And this was after the techs failed to show up on the scheduled visit. Well, this tech left everything in my laptop bag in disarray, including my Macbook which I found stashed upside down and without its sleeve. In response to my complaints, the techs have moved my antenna several times - because the tree in my neighbor's house had grown taller and was blocking my line of sight, because the roofing had warped, etc. Sheesh!!! The base station where I am connected, the location of which I am not allowed to know, is always encountering problems. So says the Corp Comm guy which I bombard with text messages and calls after my patience has grown thin with their call center. Calling their hotline now is even harder because it seems they've downsized. Instead of an agent picking up the call, a recording now welcomes you to Smartbro. And everytime I call, the recording says the signal in my area is strong.
I'm sooo stressed out!!! I thought writing about it would help me calm down. Now, I'm as, to quote call center agents, as "irate" as ever...
Ondoy brought about destruction in many areas in the Philippines. Pepeng is forecast to be just as strong, or even stronger. Today, the 4th day of my leave of absence from work and the 4th day that classes in schools are suspended, brought dark skies and strong rains in the morning. My younger daughter (she forbade me to mention her name) was on self-appointed weather watch as she shouted curses at the typhoon and at a classmate she dislikes. She was equipped for the task, as you all can see. :) (That, in case you didn't know, is a bee pinwheel. LOL)
