How to go mad in 28 easy steps (wireless modem)

[okiscopey]

I've been cut off from IIS for some weeks as I'm in London for two months and restricted by the most up-to-date communications equipment owned by my 85 y.o. father - a typewriter.

I therefore had to sort out a mobile Internet solution for my laptop, and Lunaphone (see note below) seemed to be the best deal that didn't require a contract. The 'pay per month' deal is approx $100 for the modem and about $50 per month ... was I desparate or what?

Note: I've replaced the actual phone company's name to protect the guilty (and conform to posting guidlines?).

Here are the steps I have endured to set up my Lunafone USB wireless modem afer finding it didn't work straight away on my Macbook Pro / OS X (and contrary to all the advertising hype):

Phoned Lunafone
Recorded voice: Please select 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6
I select 3
Please enter your mobile phone number
(Why? I'm ringing about a modem.)
Entered my pay-as-you-go Lunafone phone number
Please select 1, 2, 3 or 4 for technical support
I select 4
Please enter your mobile phone number
(What, again?)
Entered my pay-as-you-go Lunafone phone number
We are experiencing heavy demand .. (etc)
Waited for five seconds then got cut off!

Cursing and swearing ensue.

Pick up phone again
Go through all the procedure above (nine steps)
Manage to get a real person (Tech Support) who says:
"What is your mobile phone number?"
"What again? I've just entered it twice " I cry in disbelief.
"Well, it doesn't show on my computer" he says
Tech Support person decides he doesn't need it anyway.
"What is modem's SIM card number?" I remove it from the modem and tell him.
Spend 20 minutes moving the phone and modem SIM cards between the two devices.
"I'm just registering your modem's SIM card on the network" he advises
"OK give it 10 minutes and everrything should be OK" he says.
Put phone down.

One hour later, no signal on modem.
Repeat procedure from line one above, (steps 1-9, didn't get cut off).
Tech support registers SIM card on network again
Still no joy.

Next day, four hours on phone to my mate in Sydney he Skyped me) who tries to help with my Mac laptop booted up with XP.

Still no bl**dy good.

Next day, (the third day) phoned Lunafone again.
Repeat all the Lunafone steps 1- 9
Tech Support: "You're not registered on the network"
"Eh?!?" I was speechless at this point, just as well.
"I'll do it now, give it ten minutes and it'll be OK"
(Where have I heard that before?)

Thinks: Should I drive to Dover and jumped off the White Cliffs?
The 300 metre fall should solve the problem.

Turned on modem ... IT WORKS!!!

Here endeth the saga. Sound familiar?

P.S. If you're all good, I might send some photos of a trip to Greenwich Observatory ...
:)

[TrevorW]

Know where your coming from ring up Optuspus as my daughter has a query about her bill, does all the hop step and jumping then gets cut off twice.

Rings back again gets a person with an accent hello where are you Phiilipines, Ok then I've got a contract where is your copy to confirm what I'm saying no joy so asks to speak to a supervisor gets put on hold, twenty minutes late still on hold, obviously they are hoping she'll hang up.

I ring on my mobile 4 attempts trying to explain to another girl in the Phillipines that I want to speak to a supervisor as someone has kept my daughter on hold for nearly 20 minutes, still no joy. So I let her have the brunt of my anger at there stupidity.

So why have call centres in other countries who have no access to the signed contracts trying to help people resolve issues when they can't bloody well understand your language.

They not there to help only frustrate.

Not happy Jan

:mad2::mad2::shrug::shrug::shrug:

[jjjnettie]

When my brother died a few years ago, we tried to get his mobile phone contract cancelled.
Knowing that they would probably want to see the death certificate, we went along in person to a service desk at a large shopping centre.
We explained the situation and we were told that they couldn't cancel the contract, the usual thing that happens when someone dies, is that the phone (and the contract) is inherited by someone in the family.
We again explained that our brother was dead, and didn't need the phone any more(or the contract).
I asked her most politely, "What do you normally do when a client dies?"
Again she said that someone in the family takes over the phone.
Now, I was starting to get a bit shirty, and thought it was about time to make a stinking bleeding nuisance of myself.
In my loudest voice, so all the customers could hear I explained again,
"MY BROTHER IS DEAD LADY, HERE IS THE DEATH CERTIFICATE, HE CANNOT USE HIS PHONE ANY MORE, CANCEL THE CONTRACT!"
My sister may have thrown in a few choice comments/threats as well.
The stupid insensitive trollop behind the counter had to refer the issue to someone else because she didn't know how to cancel a contract.
I won't name the company, but it starts with a T.

[Lee]

Those shopping centre counters are only there to sell phones.... nothing more.... I've made the mistake of asking questions there before - blank stares and open mouths is all you can hope for... unless your question is "what colour cases can I get for a Nokia 973762", or "can I get Timbalakes latest crap as a ringtone??".... hopeless.

With any tech support line (most of the ones I have called) - you have to fight through the first layer of script-reading phone answerers to actually get to someone who has a basic understanding of how the product in question works!

[sheeny]

I've been through similar sagas all too often with "technology"...:rolleyes:

Love to see some photos of Greewich Observatory though Mike!;)

Al.

[Kal]

Sounds like a most frustrating experience Mike.

Tech support can be a bit of a hit and miss unfortunately. I wanted to change my cable TV plan, and also bundle it with my mobile phone, so I sent off an enquiry through the 'contact us for support' link on the companies homepage. I got an email back, from a spoofed email address (so I couldn't reply) stating I couldn't bundle my mobile with my tv for a discount. No mention of the fact that I wanted to change my plan. I searched for a phone number the next day and called them up, and changed my plan, and got a bundled discount, all in 5 minutes. Now what is the use of having an online support mechanism when it is not only completely useless, but putting out false information to the customer base?! In this case the company started with an 'O'

[Ric]

What a hassle Mike, glad to see your now connected and back with us.

[okiscopey]

Aha! Not only shopping centre counters. Went recently with a mate to a couple of Fony* suppliers here in London so he could get a microphone to fit on top of his PSP device. No joy, despite the fact the last shop was the actual Fony* Centre in London's Oxford Street. They'd never heard of the thing.

On returning home, he ordered the Fony*-badged microphone online from the USA and it arrived within a couple of days.

* Name changed again to protect the guilty.

[Jen]

Welcome back Mike :thumbsup:

[okiscopey]

Yes, didn't have any choice.

When you've been away for a while the folks in the IIS engine room have arranged a cunning message to appear saying something like "Where have you been, and why haven't you posted anything recently?"

Perfectly calculated to make you feel guilty!

[Lismore Bloke]

Had to set up our youngest for Uni in Brisbane last year. Internet necessary for lesson downloads. 3 modems and 4 months later the BIG T finally managed a service connection, 5 minutes from Brisbane CBD. It put her behind so much she had to switch courses. I bet they don't offer to pay her HESC fees. THE BIG T SUCKS BIG TIME!!!!

[Jen]

:lol::lol: