Busy Week

There has been nothing normal about this week.  Tuesday I didn't get to volunteer at Kaiser School.  Marty trumped my need for the car with a doctor's appointment. Tuesday afternoon Comcast was here, more on that later.  Wednesday I didn't go in to the Marriage Factory because of lack of sleep.  Today I was to spend the afternoon with a good friend doing nothing but girl talk.  Her child is home from school sick so that fell through.  So I have washed clothes, cleaned part of the house and done some cooking.

Now to Comcast.  As everyone knows we have had trouble on trouble with our satellite Internet.  It is slow, it goes down sometimes for days, it isn't compatible with Direct TV.  Even though I am not real fond of the Comcast company dating back to rudeness and lack of service 8  years ago, they are our only option for Internet.  AT&T told us that don't have the speed we need in our neighborhood. 

Comcast sent two technicians who were professional, who told me every step that they were doing, and who couldn't get anything to work. The little 1 hour job took 4 1/2 hours to complete. The  first modem (or could be a router it is all magic to me) they installed just didn't work.  They installed another one, better with built in WIFI.  They had some issues but it worked.  They told me to write down the security key, they turned the box over to get it, and the manufacturer had left it off.  Box 3 was installed. They called their support guy, told him to delete number 2 and activate number 3.  Guess which one he deleted, yep number 3. After much muttering number three finally worked, for the Internet, not On Demand for Direct TV.

That next night I called Direct TV.  Told our long sad tale of satellite Internet not working, On Demand not working, and I want it fixed, I want money off our bill because I am not getting the services I am paying for.  I told them we have a new Internet company, and still no On Demand.  Marty or I have made these calls almost weekly for over 2 months.  I finally talked to someone intelligent. Well two someones, a tech rep and her supervisor. 

Both of these women listened to me, and told me what is going on.  There is a computer glitch with our model of the DVR box  Engineering is working hard to correct the problem.  They have known about this for two weeks, funny we have had the problem for two months.  And we have talked to other techs in the last week and they didn't tell us this.  The supervisor also said we should never been hooked up to satellite Internet.  The Federal guidelines say only use satellite if there are no other options.  In other words, you live in the middle of the wilderness in Alaska.  They are knocking $10 off our bill for the next 6 months.  That isn't a lot, but it is only one channel that is messed up.

We will see if this is finally cleared up.  Stay tuned.

Will we ever be done?

We have wireless Internet, we have our Direct TV, we have the big honking refrigerator, we even have garbage cans now.   We can sit down and watch TV at night and not feel we should be unpacking.  The unpacking left is mostly art work, some of Marty’s office stuff, and then we have pictures to hang.  We are slowing down.  I have lost all momentum and desire to arrange one more thing.  I am tired, cranky, and want to sit and do nothing all day. 

Yesterday I was making soup for a friend who is having oral surgery today.  I realized I didn’t like the way I set up the kitchen drawers.  I stopped cooking and rethought what I had done. I had put things I need more too far away from the table and the stove.  I moved stuff, combined stuff, did over a lot of what I did last week.  Will we ever be done? 

Marty has his closet unpacked and clothes hung up.  And we know it will all have to come out because the rod is bending.  A little bracing has to be done. 

Marty's going to the storage unit for art glass, and our silver flatware.  He has the RED BOOK that lists what is in nearly every box.  I really want my silver flatware.  Unfortunately it is in a box with Christmas China.  So he will bring that box, we will unpack it, pull what we want now, repack the box, and take it back to the storage unit.   That is one box of many packed that way.  Many will be carried in, and some will be repacked and stored. 

We are liking the place more each day.  The flat (I am trying out what to call it flat, apartment, duplex) feels homey, comfortable, ours.

Last night was wonderful . . .

Get your mind out of the gutter.  I WATCHED TV last night!  Finally the installation of the satellite dish happened.  It did not go well, as I again dealt with idiots at customer service.  But we will forget that badness and focus on the good.

The Direct TV installer was in the second window they gave me, yes a little mix up again. He made the window by 10 minutes.  He called 25 minutes out, as requested, so Landlord Joe would be here.  He worked for over three hours pulling old wires, putting the dish up, putting in all new wires, and then showing me how to work all the new equipment.  A very nice young man. 

I taught the installer something about channels offered that he didn't know.  We have East Coast feed for the 4 major networks.  I can watch everything 3 hours before programs are shown in PST.  I also have Southern California feed, so if there is a ballgame etc. preempting a show, it might be on in LA.  He said in 6 years of installation, he had never seen that offered.  I told him we were grandfathered in by Congress in the 90's.  (a long story in the history of airwaves in America)

I have On Demand now.  We watched one of the Top Chefs we had missed. Tonight we will watch one more, and then we are caught up on Top Chef. We can record 5 shows at one time.  If we want to watch a real time show, we can record 4 and watch one live.  Last night and this morning I set up my season passes to record.  And the boxes are so tiny now for the extra TVs.  They aren't much bigger than a slice of bread.  The main box is about the same as before.

This TV addict is a happy happy girl.

Update on the installation of the dish

This morning I explained about the satellite dish installation  appointment craziness.  It just got better.  Marty called me at noon to tell me the latest on our appointment.  He went into our account on the Direct TV web site.  Guess what, an appointment for a Thursday installation was listed.  I told you I made an appointment for Thursday.  Nothing was listed for Monday.  He called to confirm Thursday and they did not understand how the appointment got there.  Our installation is Monday. They have no openings until Monday.  They do not have an appointment with us on Thursday.  Monday, Monday, Monday is when they are coming.

And then, miraculously a cancelation on Friday popped up as he talked to them.  Now the installation is Friday.  We can't wait to see:

1. If someone shows up on Thursday
2. If anyone shows up on Friday
3. If someone shows up on Monday
4. No one shows up any of the above days, because they are as confused as we are.
5. If someone shows up all three days.

And we are back to complaining

Yesterday we got the clearance from the Historical Society to put up the Direct TV dish.  I immediately called for an appointment.  Talked to two people, both very helpful.  I was given an appointment for Thurs, January 10 with a window of 12 -4.  I was doing my happy dance.  We were finally going to have TV.  We could watch what we wanted when we wanted.  I sent Marty a text that we had an appointment.

Marty came home and popped my happiness balloon.  He was called at 4:00 by the robot telling him his appointment is MONDAY, January 14 window 8-12.  What the Hell?   Where did my Thursday appointment go? 

I called the direct line they gave Marty, they lied.  It was not direct, I had to talk to the robot and punch buttons.  Finally a human, Jessica, I ended up liking the robot better.  Jessica kept repeating my appointment info on Monday.  Anytime I tried to tell her I had a Thursday appointment, she said no I didn't, they have no record of me talking to the appointment people, I only talked to someone who would have the robot call.  I asked to speak to the supervisor, no.  She would relay my questions and then she put me on hold.  We all know she counted to 100, and then made up her story.  She never would let me finish a sentence. 

I was at stroke level.  I love Direct TV, we have been customers since 1996.  Never have we had this kind of grief.  Now I want to ruin the company, but I still want my dish.  We get East Coast feed, we were grandfathered in by Congress years and years ago.  I do not want to have that end.

I thought about the trouble we had getting the installer to show up last week, he didn't. They never called he was running late.  We kept calling and they said they would have the installer call us. Did not happen.  They sent another tech, 4 hours later.  Then the Historical Society mess.  Now they canceled my appointment and made one for later.  And told me to take it or leave it.  Basically she called me a liar by saying I never called yesterday.  I do have a witness, I was on speaker phone when I talked to them.  Not nice, not good customer service.

So I went on the website, found the Vice President of Customer Care, and sent a long detailed message to her.  We will see if anything comes of that.  

What else can go wrong? Or do I want to know?

Remember the Internet installer that didn't show up?  They sent someone else, and the job was finished 11 hours after they said they it would be done.  Today was Direct TV's turn.  They blew it also.  Window was 12-4.  No calls, no installer.  Marty called around 3:30 to see what was going on.  Oh yes, the installer will call you.

At 4:05 Marty calls to see why no one called or showed up.  They didn't know what had happened.  they would have the installer call us.  Well, they sent some one else who was not scheduled to do our install.  He showed up around 5:00.  Not bad considering he wasn't supposed to do our job. Landlord Joe met with him and HE DECIDED they couldn't put up a dish.  There are three freaking dishes on our back porch roof.  That is where we need to put the dish.  Joe wants to check with the Historical Society before letting us put the dish up.

Why the hell didn't he check when we gave him the time of the appointment a week and a half ago????

Now we have to wait for a decision.  Then we have to  reschedule our appointment for an appointment IF they let us put up the dish. I have missed TOP CHEF my favorite, Jeopardy,  and other shows.  We will miss Downton Abbey Sunday and that really ticks me off. 

If I have to use Comcast I will sh*t little green ice cream balls.