Can you say Monopoly? I knew you could.

Bell is a monopoly oh I know you get other phone services but if you want DSL in your house you have to deal with Bell unless you want to go wireless. I'm so friggin tired of talking to Bell that I'm thinking of putting their customer service number on my speed dial lol.

I guess I should start at the beginning of this twisted little tale. For the past year a half I've been with Cybernet, an ISP out of Toronto and I've never had a bit of trouble with them. I pay them yearly and get a lower price because of it - nice people and no hassles. When I decided to move and I checked that I could get DSL service at this address - both Cybernet and Bell said yep no problem. Of course, I had to wait three weeks after I was in this new place to get my phone hooked up because of a strike by the contract technicians at Bell. Goodie. So we wait. And wait. And wait. FINALLY Sept 6th rolls around and we will be connected with the world again! But wait, there's some kind of problem with this line. Double goodie. The tech guy fumbles around, goes down to the main box and fiddles about for 2 hours then he comes back to tell me that my phone should be working at 2pm. 2pm rolls around - no dial tone. So I call the customer service and they tell me they have until 6 to connect me and to call back then. 6:30 still no dial tone. Call back and the customer service business office is closed. So I call the repair number (they are 24/7), they tell me that they have until 10 to connect me. *sigh* 10:30 still no dial tone and I call the repair office again. Hmmmm he says it says the order is incomplete, you are going to have to call the business office in the morning. AAAAAAAAAAA I got my exercise that day from all the run around I got from them. Next morning I hear the grand and glorious sound of a dial tone so I call my ISP. Seems they have already tried to hook up my DSL and Bell told them the number wasn't active. Great. So the ISP puts the order through again and tell me that it's going to be another 5 days.

On day 4 I get a call from Cybernet and they tell me that Bell has told them that DSL is not available on my line. WTF??? I couldn't believe it I've been waiting all this time and now I can't have it? I was..um...annoyed. I get on the phone to Bell and give them holy hell and all they can tell me is that I can't DSL on this line as the equipment for it is not set up but it will be in three or four MONTHS. Let's just say I was less than pleased with this turn of events and decided to go lie down before I started running around the apartment screaming. BT decides HE will handle this and find out just what the hell is going on. Bell gives HIM the run around and tells him to call back tomorrow.

I call the next day and spent 2 1/2 hours on the phone with them BUT they have SOMEHOW found a cable that I can be switched to that has the equipment. Only one problem, they won't do it unless I sign up with THEIR internet service as they have to send out a tech guy to do the work. Much as I'd like to be a loyal customer, I want my DSL so as of Sept 27th I will be a Bell Sympatico High Speed Internet customer. So at this point I'm still waiting for a refund cheque from Cybernet and I'm using a vvvvvveeeeeeerrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy slow Cheapass dial up service. So you may notice that I'm not posting or commenting much and that is because of the dinosaur speed of my dial up modem. I guess we just keep plodding along until the 27th and the glories of DSL. LOL

BTW the last post referred to the Mixmania exchange at Patriside, just in case you were wondering LOL.