SPGDCM@CMSA.BERKELEY.EDU.UUCP (04/15/87)
MSG:FROM: SPGDCM --UCBCMSA TO: NETWORK --NETWORK 04/14/87 17:54:53
To: NETWORK --NETWORK Network Address
From: Doug Mosher <SPGDCM at UCBCMSA>
Title: MVS/Tandem Systems Manager (415)642-5823
Office: Evans 257, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720
Subject: handling telephone repair people
To: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu
The problem was mentioned where one waits unnecessarily at home for
a tel repair person, when the problem is surely central office. I
tend to adopt the following strategy now:
I disconnect my house wiring and make sure the problem is at the telco
end. Then I call for the repair. When they say "will you be home on
day x?" I say "suuuurrrree". Then I don't be home. They fix the central
office problem and never come out.
I don't know whether all offices think the way ours does but they should.
It is expensive to do a customer call. Why not run the office checks first.
Since that catches the problem there is no reason for the expensive
customer visit.
Now we have an ESS. Some offices might I suppose have an opposite economic
rule; for them it may be more expensive to do the office check.
Note that, though there could be a charge if customer equipt is at fault, there
is not currently a charge for "customer not home when visited".
I generally think that simple lying is bad karma, but in the specific case
where I know that it's telco equipment, and the secretary I call can't
operate on such info and is instructed to arrange a time for the customer
to be home, lying seems the most effective path of action.
Thanks, Doug
handling telephone repair people