DSL Fidelity

My DSL provider (SBC Yahoo) sent yet another technician out yesterday (this time without even telling me) to check on my internet problem. Forget the fact that in three separate phone calls, after the first two visits had determined the same thing (that my modem was fried by the thunderstorm)--they still had to come see again. And came again to the same conclusion. They then tried to sell me a new modem for $170.

Had this happened during my first year of service, they would have replaced the modem gratis. If I were a new customer, I would get a new modem free in exchange for agreeing to keeping their service for a year. Instead, my fidelity to this particular provider is being rewarded not at all.

After I told this techie that I was expecting my mother's old modem, and that if it didn't work I would cancel their services and get a new provider, and a new modem through them, the techie was quite cool and actually tried to get his supervisor to give me a new modem free. No dice.

So, SBC is going to lose a customer. Once my mother's modem arrives, if it doesn't work (and given my expectations of her poor packing job, it won't), I'll be taking my business somewhere else, somewhere cheaper, and somewhere happy to take in my service.