I guess I ought to give some kind of update on my issues with Comcast. Honestly though, it’s all just highly demoralizing.
Let me start with the good. I do think that the local folks care. And the technician that came out—Will—spent about an hour here trying to get things working with both computers and with the wireless router. Unfortunately, in the end, none of that mattered.
While the local folks seem to care they also seem to be seriously constrained by a highly flawed system. Although by Saturday my appointment was scheduled for Wednesday morning I still had probably 30 calls from Comcast (national and local) between then. They thought I had appointments scheduled which I never had. They didn’t quite get that my appointment had been rescheduled. They thought I was really odd because I didn’t want my cable fixed as early as possible. Uh, what part of “I won’t be home!” don’t you understand.
Truthfully, I wanted the cable fixed as soon as it went out, and not over 5.5 days later.
As for the situation once I got a technician out here (when I was available), it appears kind of dire. I still need to verify fully that the case is at it appears but I have little hope. It appears that the storm fried (the signal part) of the cable modem, the router, and the NIC on the PC. While I do have Internet now, it is only on the laptop and only wired. Grrr!
So I got a new modem, which I am leasing from Comcast. If it goes bad then it’ll be replaced for free. But that is only a benefit if. Also, the modem seems to be a piece of crap. It has been pausing and outright stopping since it was hooked up. I came home early from work Thursday (due to Voyager not working for crap) and called after putting up with the idiocy of the bad connection on Wednesday eve and Thursday morn. They said they’d send someone over that day. 1:30 - 8 PM and still nobody.
They called about 9 AM Friday and asked if I’d be home. “Uh, no.” They called a couple more times throughout the day until I knew when I’d be home and said someone would be right over. So there I sat on a Friday evening from 5 - 8 PM and still no one.
I changed the CAT5 cable from one they supplied with the modem to one I had previously and it seems a bit better but it still sucks on occasion.
I am grateful that the local folks seem to care but, nonetheless, they still made my life a living hell for over a week. And it still isn’t fixed. This really is a highly oversimplified account of the Keystone Cop mayhem of the past week plus.
I have taken the 1st step to getting off of them by getting a gmail address and have begun switching some of my assorted accounts over to them.
If the PC’s NIC is bad, though, then the issue of getting the email off has become much harder.