Monday, April 18, 2005
Randall, again not the infamous western-Kentucky farmer, but the author of ‘The Xpatriot’ (see March 2, 2005 blog posting), may have helped to reawaken a general reading interest as well as start a welcome trend, because we have been asked quite a few times by some of our regulars if they could have a sneak preview of his book by borrowing from our slowly growing library. His Xpatriot book, by the way, has generated a lot of positive comments… and judging from the commonest one of all: “Yes I enjoyed the read”, it strikes us that the borrowers were doing more than sneak-previewing.
While we are on the subject may we mention that Playa Vista does have a small library of magazines and paperbacks, all but a select few unsigned copies, for customers to borrow. This mini-library can be easily found in the corner of the bar as you enter the door on the left. There is no ticketing system whatsoever… we just ask for people to observe standard rules like return the books when finished in the condition they were borrowed. Naturally if any of you would like to add to the library that would be appreciated by all the thirsty re-aroused readers around here too.
Now back to the welcome trend because Greg - from that other but much larger North American country - is the latest to provide us with a personally signed copy of a publication that he contributed to in a major way. It is titled ‘A Chronicle of Images – Canada/Republica Dominicana 50+’ and contains both photos and text on relations between the two countries over the last 50 years. It is a very well presented compilation with text in Spanish, English and French. Greg himself was, among other things, responsible for the art direction, design and production. By all means ask at the bar if you would like to view this nicely documented work, as was Greg’s intention when he handed it over!
Posted by Playa Vista @ 03:19 PM CST
Friday, April 8, 2005
So… it was a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) internet connection with a new line that we wanted… and after a bit of a tour, as you will see if you persevere here, we did in fact get!
A swift piece of research revealed that Boca Chica does have Tricom as a fixed-line option but this particular company does not offer any kind of internet service, so… in spite of the breaking of the Verizon (Codetel) monopoly, here in Boca Chica, we remain wholly at the mercy of Verizon as internet service provider for now. With that fact established we were presented with a number of options to go for on our new venture with the new www connection - known by the dynamism-inspiring name of ‘Flash’ - details available, in line with modern ways, either on the Verizon web page or by calling the Verizon call center.
Unfortunately we did not get off to a very ‘flashy’ start because right from the beginning we were told in no uncertain manner that anybody requesting a new line must have a credit card! That was certainly not the case in the past and a very strange request we thought, particularly in a country where it is a minority of people who possess such a luxury. After two more phone calls and several telephone assistants later it was grudgingly acknowledged that we could after all pass directly on to having a personal evaluation… if a cedula (personal identification) number was provided. The evaluation department called a few days later, when for once we were absent, and on calling Verizon the next day the assistant boldly announced that when the new line applicant is not locatable after a single call… the entire enquiry is dropped! The company’s presumed expertise in communication doesn’t appear to extend to leaving a call back number or even calling again! Blimey, we had to start from scratch and request the evaluation procedure all over again. A number of days later when they called us back, we were ever so fortuitously on the premises and even able to deal with the incoming call on the spot. The evaluator had a standard questionnaire including matters such as personal income and in general wanted information that we immediately deemed to be too private to offer up merely for the installation of a new telephone line, especially as at the same address we of course have a long standing standard account which has always punctually been paid every month for upwards of six years. Thankfully at this point we experienced a kind of miraculous quantum leap when suddenly without further ado the evaluator came completely around and stated that we very soon would be called by somebody for the installation process to commence. Flash was truly beckoning now, because after the promised call and within the promised 1 to 10 days the basic line was efficiently and correctly installed actually by a company sub-contracted to Verizon.
We now thought we were virtually home and dry just needing the DSL internet connection to be linked up according to procedure, because we had of course right at the outset ordered one new line with a side order of DSL. However, the line-installation technician sowed the first seed of doubt concerning a flashy finish, when he stated that the DSL connection was a completely separate matter! It was so separate it hadn’t even been registered that we required the internet service when making that ground-breaking forward jump with the evaluator!
Therefore in reluctant obedience to Verizon’s practices we again had to place our order for the DSL service. Numerous phone calls from our side revealed varying attitudes to this new situation from various Verizon employees. The majority though were of the opinion that, in spite of our repeatedly placed order for the infamous DSL link, it was not possible to request the internet facility until the full processing of the line installation had been completed… which clearly in Verizon’s eyes meant something far more than an up and running line, because each time we contacted the dear old company we were communicating without any trouble whatsoever on this very line. Finally, after innumerable calls on the perfectly working new line, one of the representatives kindly explained that this separation was necessary in order for us to qualify for the special offer of free installation that currently applied. Good one Verizon… clearly, we liked the ‘free’ sound, but the question, “Why the great separation?” still hangs in the air.
Anyway…the requisite number of days passed, the request for DSL service was finally registered and accepted and we were given a code number which allowed us to visit the central office in Santo Domingo where you get the rare opportunity to talk face to face with Verizon staff and pick up your internet modem kit. This little maneuver allows you to carry out the auto-installation for RD$600 (US$20) less than the cost of asking for a real live representative to visit you. The kit was tucked under an arm, returned home and installed in a jiffy. After that happy brief interlude of speedy accomplishments and personal contact we now had to return to the bad old habits of repeated phone calls to try and move us to the end game.
The first of a new series of calls revealed that between 1 and 7 working days the modem line would be opened. Meanwhile a friendly chat with a valued acquaintance, actually close to the very heart of DR1, concluded that all they have to do at the Verizon end is “flick a switch” in order to open up service on the new modem. At Verizon they were regrettably adamantly opposed to “just” flicking that switch, because in spite of receiving a promising call on a new day 3 from a representative in the data-department where a guy told us he would call us right back after checking the line and knowing that all was properly installed at our end… he didn’t! Nobody did! The following day we took the initiative again and called to ask what was happening. Dramatically, the appeasing story of “completion between 1 and 7 working days” now focused exclusively on the 7! As we got very near to day 7 the Verizon representative clearly felt squeezed by the egg timer rapidly running out of descending granules and emphatically announced that by 8 am on day 7 - if we still didn’t have service - we “officially” would be able to phone up and claim that the company had not complied with their promises. At 8.30 am on day 7 the representative - always a different one and thereby amply abetting the discontinuity - made a temporal recalculation and offered that we could call after 3.45 pm because that now would, after the improvised new calculation, be 7 full working days. Lo and behold - by 3.45 the long awaited green lamp on the modem signaling an open line remained just as subdued as it had always done!
The next phone call of ours duly acknowledged that 7 completely and entirely full working days had passed and that we now could have a ‘numero de reclamacion’ (complaints number) to pronounce on any subsequent calls we might wish to make. The memory bells were jangling with this ‘numero de reclamacion’, because we had been precisely in the same place the last time we had the “Verizon blues” as explained in our blog posting of Aug 31, 2003… you could even call it a ‘flash’ back. Nothing could be done on that passing seventh day but the next day, unflinchingly with the empowering complaints number in hand, we called again. “Yes, the connection is still under review,” the representative this time said. “Absolutely at maximum just another two days to complete the job,” the optimistic representative continued… “Only two more processes to go!” Hmm… we thought that switch-flicking was only one process!
As a pleasant surprise we got a phone call from Verizon on the ninth day, a very nice phone call actually, whereby an amiable member of the personnel called to innocently ask what our problem was! Extraordinary, with all the phone calls we had made and all the computer tracking systems in operation she really didn’t know! Well… patiently we told her and she thanked us politely and said she would investigate and hopefully somebody would open the line the following day! Which indeed somebody surprisingly did! So with patience and a little help from a long row of willing but team-wise not very flashing Verizon staff we did get there in the end.
Was it worth all the effort? Unreservedly yes. Our Flash connection works like a dream and has already proven to be indispensable working up to 7 times faster than the old dial-up service at 384 Kbps. The satisfaction is matched only by the new-found contentment of being freed from the tedious habit of calling Verizon on a daily basis for the last month!
Posted by Playa Vista @ 03:10 PM CST
