I wrote this post in October last year, but got sidetracked and didn’t post it. Today seemed like a good time to correct that error.

Don’t you hate technology? Even more, don’t you hate calling tech support? You know they can’t help you – but hope springs eternal.

My internet connection died, and with it my television service and home phone. I spent an hour trying various reboots and resets, but nothing worked.

Which meant having to seek technical support from my provider, which in the past has rarely been a pleasant experience. Nor was it this time.

I started with online diagnostic tools, which I was able to do because my cell phone, using a different internet provider, still had internet access. That was time consuming as the app ran connectivity tests and speed tests – and ended with a message to use the chat feature to talk with a technician, as the problem needed human intervention.

Well, I think it was human intervention. The technician I was interacting with seemed somewhat uncertain of what to do. I was asked to do everything I had already done, and when that didn’t work I was asked to do it again. The results were the same.

The technician told me I had access. My phone, television and computer told me differently. After an hour he (and I am only guessing here – with online chart it could be he, she, or an AI chatbot) told me to try connecting again with my phone. That did produce results – we lost our char conversation. An hour of my life wasted and I was no further ahead.

I tried again. The technician I connected with couldn’t transfer me to the first one, so I outlined the problem, again. I also explained what I had already tried in order to fix the problem.

Yes, I was asked to repeat a couple of tests, but that didn’t take much time. The conclusion was a technician would have to come to the house.

The annoying thing is I knew that when I asked for help. I don’t see myself as being all that technically competent. I know what I don’t know. People frequently bring their computer issues to me to solve.

in this case, I had attempted pretty much everything the online support suggested before I made the call. I’ve been online for more than 30 years, going back to dialup and a 1200 baud modem (my apologies to you if you don’t know what that means). I’m usually pretty good at troubleshooting my own equipment.

So when a technical showed up, what was the problem? Equipment failure. Not mine. The rented modem that was about a year old decided to die. I was told it happens sometimes.

I will admit though, I was pleased to hear it was nothing I had done and nothing I could have fixed myself. I wasn’t impressed with losing so much time on diagnostics, but at least I wasn’t embarrassed by an easy solution that I missed.

I’m a big fan of technology when it works. Don’t you find that often it doesn’t?