Of the many details needing to be addressed in our recent move, one that was high on both our lists was getting DSL service established at the new house quickly. When I called to switch the service I learned that the “DSL Only” option that we preferred would take eight days to establish. Getting new phone service in addition to DSL would cut that wait to only three days. So, we got a new phone number.
Actually its a pretty good phone number, with a palindrome and a repeated pair of numbers.
What we don’t have, however, is DSL. Friday came and went with no service. Late in the day I took some things to the shed out back and realized that I could see the end of the phone line sticking out of the exterior wall of the house. Not attached to anything, just coiled up, hanging in space. The television cable too.
I called the landlord who said that I would have to call the phone company and tell them that the house is “new construction” and would need “the drop completed.” Good information, but it would have been better to know this three days earlier.
One 40-minute phone call to AT&T later (and at least three departments there, and as many service representatives) I had a repair order in place to establish phone and DSL service by 5:00 pm today. Late this afternoon I called to get a status on my order and was assured that the ticket was still open and I should have service by 6:00 pm. Hrm. I wasn’t happy about the additional hour wait, but was still hopeful of getting service today.
At 5:30 I called again and was told that they were running behind, that if my order wasn’t completed today that they would get to it first thing in the morning. That since my work wasn’t going to happen today, it would be a priority tomorrow. Right.
Tomorrow we are tentatively planning on being gone much of the afternoon. I have a fear that we’ll no sooner be on the highway than the cell phone will ring and the repair technician will need access to the wiring box in the garage.
For now I’m going to put my faith in AT&T, and believe that we will be a priority order tomorrow, that the technician will come and complete the drop first thing in the morning, and that we’ll enjoy high speed access once again.