Our reader humphrmi recently managed to avoid shelling out unnecessary bucks for paid technical support from Dell. His secret? Listening very carefully to the support rep, who inadvertently gave away the info he was trying to get humphrmi to pay for. Which is good, since that information was only one sentence long.
installation
Vlog It! Might Be Good Software If Users Could Install It
By 7.23.09
Vlog It! looks like a nice piece of software if you’re interested in video blogging. Now sold by Adobe, it makes putting video blog entries together about as easy as, well, iMovie.
Is This Rogue Installer Running A Scam On Comcast Customers?
By 6.26.09
If you live near Burke, Virginia, you might want to pay close attention when the contractor hired by Comcast comes to install your service. Rick runs a computer repair company and has twice run into the same problem with Comcast customers, where they can no longer access the Internet after an upgrade and are offered an off-the-books repair service.
DirecTV Installer Tips Himself By Stealing Your Roll Of Quarters And Gun
By 12.30.08
Reader Angel writes that a DirecTV installer in Oklahoma added a cable to her house, and subtracted $10 in quarters and a nine millimeter.
DirectTV's "Free Professional Installation" Neither Professional Nor Free
By 12.29.08
“Professional Installation – free.” Seems simple, right? I mean, there’s no way DirectTV would just be using that as a bait-and-switch and actually end up charging you for an install…Right? As Dimitriy learned: Wrong.
"It's Been 35 Days, Can Someone PLEASE Properly Install FiOS?"
By 10.31.08
Reader David has been trying to get his Verizon FiOS installed and running for 35 days now. He’s escalated his complaint to the highest level and it seems that Verizon is simply powerless to fix the problem. We’d ordinarily suggest he cancel and use another company — but he’s locked into Verizon by his homeowner’s association. Even if he doesn’t use it (and currently, since it’s not working, he’s not using it) he has to pay for it.
You'd Think Comcast, A Cable Company, Would Be Better At Installing Cable
By 10.14.08
Amy, a student at UC Davis, has just learned one of the lessons that one inevitably learns at college. Cable companies are simply not very good at what they do. Take, for example, the “finished” installation of some cable outlets in her apartment.
DirecTV Installer: You Can't Have DirecTV. Stop Trying.
By 8.24.08
Mark had an impossible request for DirecTV: a one-line DVR and a SWM (Single Wire Multiline) Dish. Sure, it might seem like a normal work order, but the subcontracted installer, Bluegrass Satellite, couldn’t secure permission to install the necessary components even after several three-way calls with DirectTV. One exasperated installer explained that Mark wasn’t eligible to receive the equipment and gently told him: “[You] cannot have DirecTV and should stop trying.”
How To: Locate Someone Competent At Comcast
By 8.19.08
Reader Jeff writes in to let us know that Comcast Frank and the Twitter team swooped in and rescued him from Comcast tech hell.
Comcast Tech Accuses 74-Year-Old Man Of Stealing Cable Service
By 8.9.08
Ally’s story, after the jump…
Um, Comcast, Could You Maybe Not Randomly Dig Up My Property Without Asking?
By 7.30.08
Reader Kyle, like so many of us, would rather Comcast not dig up his property without asking, especially when they are a) running cable for his neighbor b) mysteriously avoiding an area near the curb where they could have run the cable without disturbing his yard. To add insult to (landscaping) injury, when he asked the Comcast workers to stop digging they refused, and when he called Comcast to ask them to tell the workers to stop, they also refused, then hung up on him.
Lowe's Is Apparently Too Incompetent To "Build Something Together" With You
By 7.22.08
Reader Scott really wanted to give Lowe’s some money to install a new door in his house, but, sadly they were just too incompetent to actually do it. After a month and a half of incorrect orders, botched installations, and having to cancel his credit card because an employee from Lowe’s called him up to ask for his mother’s maiden name, Scott finally got a refund and vowed never to do business with Lowe’s again.
DirecTV Installer Faces Seven Years Behind Bars After Stealing $5,400 From A Customer
By 7.20.08
21-year-old DirecTV installer Arthur Christian faces felony grand larceny charges after allegedly stealing $5,400 from a locked safe while working unsupervised in a customer’s basement.
4 Confessions Of A FiOS Support Agent
By 7.2.08
A FiOS Support Agent has kindly written in to share some insider tips to getting the most out of your FiOS support experience. Of particular interest: Make sure you know (and approve of) where they’ve buried your cable so you know wherenot to dig in your lawn!
DirecTV Installer Arrives, Poops, And Leaves, But Doesn't Install DirecTV
By 6.18.08
It’s hard to fit everything you need to do into an average day, but this ingenious DirecTV installer found a way to show up late to his appointments, take a break for lunch, and drop the kids off at the pool—all before 5pm! Now if only he’ll remember to bring a ladder with him the next time so he can actually complete the installation.
Emailing The CEO Of DirecTV Solves All Your Installation Problems
By 5.30.08
Reader Mark ordered DirecTV and waited patently for the installer. And waited. And rescheduled. And waited. Luckily, Mark knew that he might want to order DirecTV in the future, and he’d made a note of CEO Chase Carey’s email address when we posted it.
Let Best Buy 'Professionally Install' Your XBox Games
By 4.20.08
Tipster Michael writes:
Apparently the local Best Buy has an unbeatable service option for you. Looks like they will come to your house and insert your game to your 360 for you. Wonder how much they would charge to turn it on and put the controller in my hand?
Fie on anyone who says these signs are misplaced. This is a revolutionary new service that will do for game installation what Game Genie did for gameplay. Just you wait and see…
