My land line is dead! [SOLVED]

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29 posts Page 1 of 3
by ezekielk » Fri Jan 08, 2021 1:05 am
Some time yesterday evening both my Internet service and land line went kaput. Around an hour later, maybe less, the Internet came back on again, but the land line has not. It's still dead a day later. And the ironic thing is I rarely use my phone, maybe once every other month. But today I tried to call 911 because someone was being assaulted across the street from where I live. So I picked up the phone only to discover the land line is still dead. The ONE time I needed to call 911 on Sonic's DSL line...and it didn't work, and someone was more seriously injured as a result. Also, I just started gearing up for my next book to be published, and I really NEED to have an open phone line. I do NOT have a smartphone.
by jacob.karinen » Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:37 am
Hello,

Taking a look at your line, and our local weather, I feel you might have a short present on the line which needs to be repaired. The tests I ran show nothing obvious but your line is a lot slower and all over the place. I've gone ahead and created a ticket to get ATT out to check the outside lines for issues. If possible could you try connecting a phone at the phone box? If you get dialtone there then we'll need to get a sonic technician out. I'll be sending you an email with ATTs expected dispatch time.

Best regards
Jacob K.
Community and Escalations Supervisor
Sonic
by ezekielk » Fri Jan 08, 2021 9:45 am
Excellent! I figured it was something going on at my end of the connection, but not right in my apartment. I can NOT try connecting a phone at the phone box, buy maybe my building manager can do that. I will speak with him today. The box is in the basement, which part of the building has an open roof exposed to the weather, including rain. It's an OLD structure. Thanks for setting up the ATT ticket.
by ezekielk » Sat Jan 09, 2021 1:15 pm
I just received a fusion voicemail from "ATT Tech," but there was nothing on it, just dead. Which is to be expected, if my DSL land line is still down. I hope this is a test on their part, and not trying to reach me, which would be really dumb! What say ye?

UPDATE:

My voicemal always arrives twice, once in my inbox and once in my Voicemail folder. The inbox one was blank, but the voicemail one had an ATT tech say he should be there in 30 minutes. But the time stamp on the voicemail is "Today: 20:49." Isn't that 8:49 PM? So I have no idea when 30 minutes from that phone call would be. Could've been hours ago. So he may have already stopped by and couldn't get in. I can't call the manager to inform him an ATT tech will soon come by...well, maybe if he hasn't already...because no working phone. He's not in his apartment, or anywhere else in the building...so I can't count on him letting the tech dude in, if he eludes me. I have to keep poking my head out the window to see if he's arrived, 'cause I can't call him to tell him I'll be downstairs to let him in. Nor do I have his email, which would've simplified things quite easily, because I could've instructed him to call up to my window above the front gate. Geez! I can't afford cell service, and you'd think that ATT would make other arrangements, such as the tech's email for land line people like me. I'm REALLY busy now, and can't afford to waste all this time. If worse comes to worse, I'll just live w/o a live phone, and just rely on voicemail. And look elsewhere for better Internet and land line service, in the long run. I'm trying to find the right agent for my next novel, and making other arrangements such as radio interview, and local reading...for which a working phone is absolutely necessay.

At least my calls get routed to voicemail, when my own line is dead. At least I should count THAT blessing, so I can hear people leave messages that they can't reach me, and they don't appreciate my failure to stay in contact.
by ezekielk » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:03 am
THIS IS HILARIOUS!
Re: [Chronic #6249432] [VOICE] No Dial Tone – STI: STI-0362244-6
From: Zeke Krahlin
To: Chronic Support
Date: January 9, 2021 5:15 PM.

On 2021-01-09 21:30, Chronic Support wrote:

Hello,

We currently have an AT&T technician outside your building trying to get access to your MPOE.

Best regards,

Isolde
I had to step out for 20 minutes to walk my rescue doggies, then get some groceries. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet because so busy (the DSL land line problem just adds to the burden), and it’s now after 3 PM. Otherwise, I’ve been home all day. I didn’t hear anyone call up to my window, and I hadn’t bothered to look out because I did NOT expect a Chronic tech to show up. Now that I’ve received your email, I see NO ONE outside. What good is this time stamp on the email when it states “21:30,” which I believe is 9:30 PM?” So I don’t even know WHEN your post arrived.

PS: Did you realize when I first signed up, Chronic assigned me a different phone number than the one I already had, even though I requested to keep the same number? I was real careful in the sign-up process to choose my current number. But the way your online form application works (or does NOT work) you cannot go back and check if I made a mistake, and could correct it. I DO recall that part of the form is not worded very well, and is confusing. But as I just said, I couldn’t get back to it in order to affirm that problem. So when I called about putting my original number into my new Chronic account, I was told it will take around three weeks to change it. Which for some strange reason also meant I wouldn’t have a working Internet connection for just as long…though a seperate problem, they weirdly coincided. I asked can I get reimbursed for almost a month’s time where I had to live withOUT Internet access, even though I’m paying for it…and the mistake is Chronic’s in the first place? They said “No we can’t.” Come to think of it, that may have been yourself!

So, now that this present debacle is going on, I am reminded of this earlier one, right off the bat when I signed up. There IS no one from Chronic outside…I guess I shouldn’t expect him or her to show up until around or shortly after 10 PM, because your post is dated 21:30 and you said they’ll be over in about a half hour…and I guess this is some kind of time warp thingy we’re dealing with? So because there is probably a short in the wires I may also lose my Internet connection again?

Right when I’ve never needed both Internet service and land line service more than ever in my entire life! Right when I finally have the rare chance of climbing out of an almost poverty level existence, where I need to seek out a literary agent and many other connections via TELEPHONE and leave them messages on their voicemail and wait for them to get back to me…and I REALLY need Internet access to post my new tales which I’m coming up with at least three times a week, in order to make the most of this present, golden opportunity that may never come again? UNBELIEVABLE.

[Dear Chronic forum reader: If you don’t believe I’m that talented as an author, that I’m just a crazy old coot…perhaps you should hold your judgment until AFTER reading a few of my Brindlekin Tales. Because, who knows? I may not even HAVE any Internet access at any moment, just like I no longer have my DSL phone…and lose all the new connections and support I’ve struggled so hard to make, in hopes of turning my tales into a literary success! All thanks to Chronic’s shoddy treatement of a relatively new customer (I’m into my second year, but so help me I’ll be dammed if I go for a third!) Be that as it may, I think in its own weird way, this is HILARIOUS, such that I’m gonna insert this message I’ve just posted here into my latest chapter I call “The Doggies are Eating Again!” Check it out if you have the time(chapter 20); this may be my last chance to access cyberspace, for quite some while…’cause NO ONE from Chronic has gotten back to me, and it’s now 12:48 AM. I don’t even believe anyone from either ATT or Chronic ever dropped by. But OMG who am I to think that I’m at least as important as anyone else…mea culpa! They certainly didn’t wait around, ’cause I woulda been back with 20 minutes!]

https://zekeblog.wordpress.com/brindlekin-tales/
by ezekielk » Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:03 pm
[UPDATE: As I want to keep everyone informed, not just the Sonic staff.]

Re: [Sonic #6249432] [VOICE] No Dial Tone - STI: STI-0362244-6
From: Zeke Krahlin <ezekielk@sonic.net>
To: Sonic Support <support@sonic.net>
Date: January 10, 2021 11:52 AM

Please note that my Internet connection has deteriorated to the point where my ability to connect is sporadic and more frequent as of last night. Therefore my posting this update could only be done once a window opened, so that I could get through. IOW, your tech service may not be able to reach me at all, or, if so, I probably will NOT be able to reply in a timely fashion. Okay, having said that, here is something very important I have to explain to you:

There was absolutely no indication that either an ATT or Sonic.net tech person ever showed up. No note stuck to the front gate, no voicemail followup by EITHER one of them. And I am home ALL the time, except for a brief walk with my rescue dogs, or to pick up some groceries or sundry items from a corner shop just two blocks down Noe Street. At the absolute MOST I'm never away from my "hovel" (which is what I call my dump of a single room here on Market Street in the Castro) more than twenty minutes (but often less) twice a day within working hours (9 AM to 5 PM that is). All they had to do was call up to my window, which is right above the front gate, "Zeke!" or "AT&T here" or "Sonic here!" The other (perhaps better) option is to ring up the building manager via the menu selection on the intercom right beside the gate. Seems to me that, if either one arrived, they just stood around for a minute or so without doing either, and took off!

This is inexcusable, seeing as Sonic still has numerous customers who subscribe to their lowest tier service, because low income...which is 10 MB broadband via DSL. Who also are less likely to AFFORD a smartphone with cell service beCAUSE of a sparse budget. Under such circumstances, Sonic administration should be fully prepared to service such customers who may not have a basic line of communication via a smartphone, or a land line (should that also go down, as it has for me). I'd say such emergencies are RARE anyway, and will be little skin off Sonic.net's teeth. In my case, all a techie has to do is hang around for a short while, if both calling up to my window and trying to contact the building manager via intercom, do not pan out. Which is highly unusual, I might add. For if I don't answer by poking my head out the window, I am either out with the doggies and/or picking up groceries, and GUARANTEE that I will be back shortly. This means that one of your service people can show up ANY time without first giving notice, during working hours, and by following the simple instructions I just presented, he or she WILL be able to enter the building and perform the needed repair. FYI:

When I first got my Sonic service set up, your staff was most accommodating to my particular situation of not owing a smartphone, by arranging with one of their techies, to email me when he was soon to arrive, and I could email him back to let him know I'll be waiting at the front gate. Also, he was instructed to call up to my window, if I weren't there at the moment. As a result, installation went smoothly. Very nice fellow, BTW, but offhand I don't remember his name.

Essentially, by treating my emergency so flippantly, you are basically SABOTAGING my budding career right when it's getting off the ground!

I have recently adopted two lovely dogs of dachshund and terrier mix from a homeless friend...thus ending their miserable existence being exposed to bitterly cold nights (and days, this is sure a prolonged cold snap) and the erratic mood swings of their (fortunately former) bipolar guardian who has been verbally and physically abusing them in small, but increasingly frequent and harsh increments, over the past several months. The story of how I achieved ownership over the pups, and the many tales around them and their vagrant owner, are what my Brindlekin Tales are all about. It is a work in progress, and available for anyone, anywhere on this planet, to read each latest chapter that I upload every two days or so. Anyone on the planet, that is, with an Internet connection which, ironically, now threatens to elude me at the WORST POSSIBLE TIME.

All my writings I consider in the public domain right off the bat, BTW. All chapters presently completed are right there on my Wordpress site:

https://zekeblog.wordpress.com/brindlekin-tales/

I also have set up a "Help Me Help 2 Homeless Doggies" GoFundMe project, as well as an "Amazon Doggy Wish List." Both of which charitable sites are easily accessible via an image link on my web log...you can't miss it.

Everything I'm trying to accomplish is basically now on hold, thanks to Sonic's fumbling and blase regard. I can no longer update my social media accounts, my Wordpress blog where I post my chapters (and other tales not related to Brindlekin stuff, but nonetheless inspiring and important), nor keep communication flowing on my work-in-progress with either my growing number of fans or anyone with hopeful connections for standard publication and other opportunities for both a lucrative outcome and/or expanding recognition for my good works. This includes running and promoting my GoFundMe and Wish List projects...without which I cannot continue to afford caring for these beautiful doggies, seeing as my only regular source of income is Social Security. In sum:

Now that I've made crystal clear to the good-but-clueless folks at Sonic, my particular (and most likely unique) situation...may God help you if you refuse to rectify this potentially tragic outcome by getting your asses out here to my residence ASAP. I mean, what the fuck am I paying through the nose for in the first place, to a company that projects a strong sense of community, customer satisfaction, and rapid turnover in resolving connection issues? I repeat:

YOU CAN GET HERE ANY TIME WITHIN WORKING HOURS, AND FIND ME, IF NOT IMMEDIATELY, THEN WITHIN A SHORT TIME UPON YOUR ARRIVAL! That's [address excluded from original email], San Francisco.

Thank you for your (kind?) attention in this matter. And I pray for a speedy resolution, because of how IMPORTANT my projects as an LGBT street activist, author and dog rescuer truly are!
by jacob.karinen » Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:20 am
I'm sorry if it felt like we were disregarding your no dial tone issue. I assure you that was not the case. I've sent you an email with some options to move this forward for a repair.
Jacob K.
Community and Escalations Supervisor
Sonic
by ezekielk » Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:03 pm
Grrrrreat, thank you! Fortunately, my Internet connection is not SO sporadic yet that I can't get important things done. Just checked your email, will reply shortly.
by ezekielk » Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:17 pm
Re: [Sonic #6249432] [VOICE] No Dial Tone - STI: STI-0362244-6
From: Zeke Krahlin <ezekielk@sonic.net>
To: Sonic Support <support@sonic.net>
Date: January 12, 1:10 PM

On 2021-01-11 19:20, Sonic Support wrote:

> I apologize for the delay in getting your service repaired.
> Unfortunately we don't have the best control over whether ATT is
> willing to stay for us to contact the end user.

UPDATE:

An AT&T technician showed up and supposedly fixed the problem...ha, ha, just joking. He got in some way other than calling up to my window (or maybe I was out, walking the doggies), because I was NOT aware he showed up at all, until I got this voicemail from "Josh" at Sonic.net:

http://www.gay-bible.org/blogstuff/2021 ... -12-21.mp3

He left his phone number which, of course, I can NOT access, because my DSL land line is STILL dead. He failed to give me an email, so I'm back to contacting Support. This is part of the problem, and is entirely Sonic's fault...by not informing anyone who assists with a problem, that the particular customer has no phone access (including no cell service), and may STILL lack said access even AFTER AT&T has (ahem) supposedly RESOLVED the problem. And as a result, the confusion and frustration heaped upon customers in this situation just piles on.

Please note that I do NOT want anyone in my room because I have recently adopted two doggies off the street, and they don't need the disturbance of strangers. I'm SURE the problem is outside my domicile, anyway. And I QUESTION if the ATT worker really did his or her job...because they failed to do so on my initial switchover to Sonic, causing me an almost two-week delay before I could use Sonic services (which I might add, was also Sonic's fault, as well, due to not getting back to me for a LONG time, so I had to resort to posting the issue on their Twitter page, which finally got their attention, and problem resolved...but boy was that an uphill FIGHT all the way, for which ATT is only partly to blame).

Be that as it may, it is super EASY to access my building, and the MPOE without contacting me first, or even informing me of when a Sonic tech will be arriving. They can either call up to my window, contact the building manager, Jim Raymond, via the intercom menu, or just wait a minute or two for a resident who's coming or going, to let them in.

My Internet connection is subpar: Sonic speed test shows my download rate to be 2.7 Mbps. And I am NOT doing any torrent downloading, or a using a VPN to influence that speed. I'm thinking that DSL may not cut it in the long run, due to a really ancient MPOE that is more knotty than Medusa's hair. Plus the partially open roof structure that goes all the way to the basement, exposes the MPOE to frequent dampness and possibly, rain pouring over it. Here's a pic of it; if you cringe, I'll understand:

https://imgur.com/gallery/QXdlFmy

This is happening to me at the WORST possible time, demanding a focus that I simply CAN'T afford to do right now. My writing, self-promoting (including seeking the best literary agent, as well as posting several days a week, my latest tale to a growing base of followers), along with caring for newly adopted dog...and relying on GoFundMe and my Amazon Doggy Wish List to feed and provide for them in other ways, which I could NOT access if my Internet connection decides to eventually go south.

If things keep diddling along as they already are, I will have to find some other way to connect...probably through an Android tablet with unlimited 3G and 2G, that allows tethering at no extra cost, and does not have cell service. In which case I will BREAK my contract with Sonic, whether they agree to it or not. The law IS on my side. If I have to, I'll get a NEW debit card, so Sonic can no longer make automatic withdrawals.

Of course I'd prefer to maintain my Sonic account, but not under such a difficult condition, in a city that is supposed to be the epicenter of high tech, though actual experience by countless customers exposes a rather irresponsible and corrupt underbelly. While Sonic may be the LEAST corrupted, they still leave much to be desired, largely because of their dependence upon AT&T, but not completely...which REQUIRES all customers to pay for a land line, whether they want it or not.

I REALLY don't have the time for this...and my important projects are all suffering to an extreme, because of this Kafkaesque charade.

Most sincerely,

Ezekiel J. Krahlin
veteran LGBT activist, homeless advocate, author and dog rescuer since before the dawn of Futurama

PS: Wifi for my android tablet and non-cell-service smartphone is sporadic, at best, keeps crapping out even though I've reset the network several times. And there is also the very SERIOUS matter of a neighbor down my hallway allowing her son's guests to hang out IN that hallway and RIGHT BEFORE MY DOOR for several hours once or twice a week, because she's "helping" another mom who can't be home for that time period, when they get out of school. So they make lots of noise, even argue and scream at times, and I have absolutely NO privacy, they see me whenever I exit and enter, and worst of all: THEY REFUSE TO WEAR A MASK! And I HAVE NO PHONE SERVICE which is vital under such a circumstance. At least I can call 911 with the smartphone, but that's a bandaid. This horrific situation has been going on for months, even though I confronted the building manager and the guilty party TWICE within a period of five weeks, four and three months back. SO I NEED A WORKING PHONE, AND I NEED IT BAD.
by ezekielk » Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:31 pm
UPDATE:

Okay, two days have now passed without so much as a peep from Sonic support. Finally, today this email from them arrived, stating:
You just received an email with a link to schedule your appointment. This dispatch would not require anyone to enter your home however the technician may need some help from you inside. It looks like no appointments are available on the calendar until 01/29. We would like to expedite it for you since its been an ongoing issue. Please let me know if you will be available in next few days so I can call over to our dispatch team and get an appointment set up.
I was glad to hear from them, about getting my particular problem resolved ASAP. However, I'd like to point out that, normally, a customer will have to wait at least two weeks before resolving a connect issue? This sounds more like the way AT&T and Comcast behave...not a smaller, supposedly "community oriented" company that prides itself on a fast resolution! Unbelievable! That would turn ANY problem into an ongoing issue!
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