Telephone Woes

It seems that Comcast decided that all customers needed to have their phone lines upgraded to digital within the next couple of months, or they ran the risk of losing their phone service, phone numbers or both. Of course, you didn't HAVE to do this -- you could switch companies instead.

Foolishly, we decided to stay with them.

First there was the issue of the three land lines we have -- the house phone, the fax line, and the office phone. I can't run Lactation Education Consultants or my business as IBCLC for Wheaton Pediatrics without all of them. That was a problem. They only allow two landlines per house.

Bob finally said he guessed we'd go with another company when they all of a sudden decided they could do three lines and give us two bills.

So last Thursday, three very nice men came out and spent the better part of three hours switching the lines -- which meant our high speed internet, our cable for the TV, and the three land lines. I have 2 very complicated looking black boxes on the floor near my feet with green lights on them.

Before they left, we checked that we could get on the internet. No problem.

I thought things were mighty quiet on Friday, but didn't pay much attention to it until later in the evening when I realized that I had two voice messages on the house phone -- I'd been home all day and hadn't heard the phone ring. That was odd. I took the two messages, and then when I went to call my new mom back, got a prompt to change the voice mail.

That done, I went to the office phone to change that voice mail. Odd they didn't tell us that would have to be done -- but -- oh my -- I can't get voice mail on the office phone. There is just a long long pause, and then a disembodied voice says I've called the wrong number, please hang up and try my call again. I tried several times. Didn't work.

Then I called my home phone from my cell phone. It rang on my cell phone -- but not in the house. Not even a blip. And no caller ID.

So I called Comcast. Well over an hour later, they said they'd put us on the list -- "yes, ma'am, at the TOP of the list" to get the phones fixed. I can't exactly run a business without voice mail on a business phone.

It's a bit tough to pick up calls on the house phone when it doesn't ring -- and hard to know that you have a message unless you pick up the phone periodically to check.

So the voice mail on the house phone instructs you to call my cell if you want me, or Bob's cell if you want him.

Comcast called today.

"What seems to be the problem?"

"One phone doesn't ring or have caller ID, and the other one doesn't have voice mail."

"What do you mean, it doesn't ring?"

"Um. It doesn't RING. No sound."

"You mean, it doesn't ring."

"Right."

"Not even a blip?"

"No. That's why the voice mail tells you to call my cell -- because the phone doesn't ring."

"Oh -- you mean you are home?"

"Yes."

"I tried calling your house, but no one answered."

"Yes. That's because the phone doesn't ring."

At that point he said he'd look into it and call us back.

Yeah -- right.