Hurricane Phone

Hurricane Wilma hit us on October 24, 2005.

All modern services went out. Electricity, water, land line telephones, and cell phones. Most of this stayed unfixed for a long time.

Two weeks later, some of our regular land line phone service was finally restored. We have two lines. One's the *house phone,* the other for computer-fax-etc. This is partly due to this little shipping business Walter and I used to own. Since I could only do any business management from home, we made sure to keep the home and business stuff separate.

Anyway, when BellSouth was restored, only the computer line worked. The house line was still dead.

We called them in. The phone guy worked on the part of the line from the pole to the house. The signal was clearer, but still no house phone. He did some more stuff, said it was fixed, and left.

But what happened was this: Now the house phone worked but the computer line didn't. So we called again right away and he came back.

He tried to blame it on Walter, saying Walter'd messed with the lines during that one hour the phone guy was gone. I knew this wasn't true because I was there.

We could have gotten pretty pissed off. But you see, that phone guy was clearly under enormous stress. I mean, he was half-crazed. Wild-eyed. Many of these workers down here were, how could they not be? The phone guy was really upset about having so many customers without phone service of any kind. What if they have to call 911? he kept saying. So it was obvious to me that his stress was actually because he cared too much. Not the other way around.

He worked on the lines again. Now we were back where we started. The house line was dead but the computer line worked.

He said the only remaining problem was in the wire that ran from the connector box on our back wall into the house itself. This becomes *inside wire maintenance.* Since we didn't pay that little monthly charge, he couldn't fix it on BellSouth's dime. And we, of course, were worse than broke.

We didn't necessarily agree with his diagnosis. But we talked about it and decided just to let it go for now. We had one land line working - not very well, but working - and our cell phones worked again. So we wanted him to go off and hook up those folks who had nothing. Mattered to us, too.

About ten days ago I called BellSouth again.

I told them the poor phone guy from the earlier visits was stressed crazy, clearly because he just wanted to hook up people who desperately needed phone service restored. I told BellSouth I could never fault him for caring too much. But I did need the other line back, and it was time. Also, could they please credit us for the cost of the dead line we couldn't use for three months? And I just wasn't convinced it was an *inside wire maintenance* thing.

It was obviously hurricane damage, because it worked fine before Wilma. Maybe water damage. Long ago, someone had put a splice in the line from the connector box into the house. Redneck style, that *inside* line ran on the outside of the house, under the eaves, but in an almost exposed position. A place where it shouldn't have been put. If BellSouth did that, maybe they should fix it? If not, could the tech please give us a written estimate for the cost to fix it, so I could send it to the hurricane insurance company - the only way we could afford to pay for the repair?

To my absolute astonishment, she did this:
--Credited back the charges for the dead line
--Gave us a complete *inside* replacement line and one new jack, at NO CHARGE
--Would make sure both lines worked before the phone guy ever left.

We suddenly went from being overdue on our phone bill, to having a credit balance.

I've never heard of BellSouth giving up payment on an installation they can charge for. Never.

I thanked her, profusely. I asked, Why?

She said: because I was the most patient, polite, and understanding hurricane-hit customer she'd ever talked to. Or heard about. Bar none. She was gonna tell all her co-workers. So the guy was stressed. Well what about the customers? We had at least as much *right* to act out as he did.

I was amazed. I mean, you could have knocked me over with a feather.

She said this was a two-step thing. First, in a couple of days someone would go over the line from the pole to the house. Next, an installer would come put in the new line and jack. But she couldn't schedule Step Two for a week. So very, very sorry! was it ok?

--Well sure! I don't mind. We've waited all this time already, I was used to it. And certainly a nice new line and jack, for free, was worth waiting for.

He came. He fixed it. He left.

He was the same guy who came out in the first place!

And he was a much different person this time. Calm and professional, relaxed but focused. Clear-eyed. Talkative. We talked and talked and he's an intelligent interesting guy.

Who did a great job for us.

And now? No more fast busy signal when someone calls the house line. No more unstable internet connection. And I can blog and call at the same time, once again!

Just like regular!

I can even use my caller ID again! Thumb my nose at those jerks harassing me for payment!

Oh JOY.