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corporate at&t = a blackbox

2010
08.19

When I could not get my AT&T u-verse internet service to work after three different calls to AT&T, I decided to cancel my service. I also returned the gateway modem. This is where the problem started. They seem to never get that modem back and charged me for it.

Ordinarily, AT&T return is being shipped via UPS. In my case, the label instructed me to use USPS (i.e. postal service), so I did. My mistake is for not keeping the tracking label with me, so neither USPS nor AT&T could track my return. I called USPS to see if they can do some research, because I remember exactly which post office I used and the date I shipped it. The only piece of information USPS needs for research that I don’t have is the AT&T return address. So I called AT&T, and this is when things got worse. This is approximately how it went:

Me: “So, I need to provide the return address to USPS for them to track my package. Could you provide that to me?”

AT&T: “Let me research that. Hold on.”

…..

AT&T: “Sir, I couldn’t find that information. I asked my manager and he didn’t know either.”

Me: “Well, somebody at AT&T must know this information, right?”

AT&T: “Let me contact tech support and see if they can help.”

…..

AT&T: “Sir, they don’t have that information either. Nobody here seems to know the return address”

Me: “Are you actually with AT&T, or are you a subcontractor of AT&T?”

AT&T: “I am with AT&T, Sir.”

Me: “Okayyyyy…..so I don’t know where else I should go. Well, what about the Disconnect Department, could you transfer me there?”

AT&T: “I am the Disconnect Department, Sir.”

Me: “Well, what about the Equipment Department?”

AT&T: “I am also the Equipment Department. I am everything except Tech Support.”

Me (thinking): This is a lost cause.

AT&T: “You can try UPS. They should be able to tell you where they usually send AT&T equipment return to. ” (read above: UPS usually handles AT&T equipment return, in my case, I used USPS as instructed on my return label)

AT&T: “I know it is in Texas. I think it is in Dallas. Let me see if I can google that up for you. ”

…..

AT&T: “Actually, I think it is in Loredo. ….

Me: “Didn’t you say it’s Dallas?”

AT&T: “Let me see.”

…..

AT&T: “Oh, actually it is in Fort Worth. I can share this with you, but I cannot guarantee that this is the correct address.”

Me (thinking): Oh, boy.

Me: “Well, we can assume all the equipments are returned to the same address, right? And, whoever at AT&T who prints out those return labels must know the address.”

AT&T: “Yes, but I don’t have the information of that person.”

…..

I ended up taking his google-ed address, and I may visit UPS later to get AT&T return address.

As Blago would have said it, [bleeping] golden.

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conference call

2010
03.23

On a conference call across the Atlantic:

Boss #1    : So, who’s in on the call?
Boss #2    : I am.
Caller #1  : Me too.
Boss #1    : Are you together or separated? (referring to whether they call from the same location)
Boss #2    : Romantically?

!?!?

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consulting 101: don’t run over your client

2010
02.06

Since I now live in the suburb, I have to drive to catch the commuter train every morning.
Trying to get as much sleep as possible, I have been leaving the house later and later.

On one Thursday or Friday in late 2009, I left house pretty late and was trying to get to the train station on time.
There was this one guy driving a scooter nonchalantly, and I was right behind him.
I quickly switched lane, zoomed, and passed him on the other line.
Realizing that there was a garbage truck in front of me, I quickly turned my head to the other lane, empty…sort of.., and switched back to the scooter’s lane, right in front of it.
I got to the train station on time.

On Saturday, I got an email from my client, telling me that he thought he almost got run over by me, asking me if I drove a blue Honda Civic and if my license plate was 925xxxx. I said…yea…that was me….but there was no way it was me, I was such a good driver. I asked him what he drove. And of course, he rode that scooter.

He told the story to my boss, and my boss re-told the story to my big boss during our end-of-project dinner. One advice from my big boss: it’s not a good idea to run over our client.

Consulting 101, Rule #11: Do not run over your client.

NOTE: I still got a good score on the point “client relationship building” during my performance evaluation :)

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cab rides

2010
02.05
(originally written on 8/22/2005, grammar not checked)
After travelling so much, taking cab rides from and to the airport has become a regular activity. You spend half-an-hour a week, or more if there is traffic, in a cab. Sometimes you got a chatty cab driver and ended up conversing with him for the 15 minutes of so you were with him. As long as they don’t ask me to chat at five in the morning, I’m fine. It all depends on how you answer his first question, “How are you doing?” After chatting with so many cab drivers in this United States, you got to have some admiration for them. They, and their dreams, are as diverse as the people that compose this nation. They are very knowledgable too with current news.

On the way from O’hare to my downtown apartment, I happened to be in a cab driven by an Egyptian. You think he is your regular cab driver. He was pursuing his degree in MBA. He worked for Pfizer when he was in Egypt. Pfizer was in the midst of some drug problem when I was taking his cab. Sure enough, he knew about it. Will he be driving cab forever? I don’t think so.

On another ride from O’hare to downtown Chicago, I got into a cab driven by a Pakistani. “Assalammualaikum” was the first word coming out of his mouth when he learned that I came from Indonesia. I answered him accordingly. He has a family here in the States. Has he ever thought about going back to Pakistan? Yes. But just like any other immigrants, they think about going back, but never make it. He has two or three kids. He is Moslem, and wants his kids to be good Moslems too. Something that will definitely be very challenging here. About his job, no, he was not driving a cab all the time. He has a full-time job as a machinist. He was a machinist before and life was good, until 9/11 happened. He got laid off, and found it difficult to get a job with his Middle-East background. Fortunately, he was able to get a job eventually.

On a ride from Washington Reagan to Vienna, Virginia. A lady was my cab driver. I did not ask whether she was still married. She told me she drove cab so that she did not have to beg money from her husband (forgot whether she was using past tense or present). She told me how the cab system work. She did not own the car, but she leased it from the cab company for the weekend. She loves Virginia, and would prefer to drive within Virginia. No, no DC, she said. We also chatted about airline. She said that she wanted to fly jetBlue someday. It had been a while since her last flight. Oh, she did not like Southwest. She said that you feel like a cattle when flying Southwest. Oh well, I like Southwest. I am flying it right now. It’s all the luv.

On a ride from Vienna, Virginia to D.C. Union Station. My driver was a Palestinian. I think he said he was married to a Thai. He told me how he value education. He told me that he was paying the price (driving a cab) for not having good education. I told him, why not go back to school. He told me that his English was bad. Hey, you know what, you don’t try, you don’t know. I think I told him the story about the Egyptian cab driver. I told him my English sucked as well when I first came here.

On a ride from Indianapolis airport to downtown Hilton. My driver was a Somalian. He was the first Somalian I have ever met. And, I was the first Catholic Chinese that he ever met. About 40,000 to 50,000 Somalian get a green card each year through a special program. He was one of those, and now he is just trying to sponsor all his relatives, the last of which will be coming here later this year. A son of a late diplomat, he had been to some countries. His sister studied at the University of Loyola in Chicago. I asked him what he did back home. He told me that since his Dad was a diplomat, he had just been studying. He speaks French (and one other European language). He has a family, his wife is an Indian. Asked about going back to school, he said he needed money to sponsor his relatives to come to the States. With his last relative coming here this year, he may be able to start save some money for himself.

On a ride from downtown Chicago, which should end up at O’hare with a transit at the office to pick up my colleague. I asked him, “Can I have the air-conditioner please?” He told me it was broken. That’s it. I am done. We are done.

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