Thursday, July 28, 2005

Yesterday - 10AM I had a job interview for a position as Software Analyist. The interview went well. I was told to expect to be called back for a second interview next week.

Directly after the interview I was called to troubleshoot an Internet connectivity issue. I arrived at the house to find a generic computer running Windows 98 without the ability to get a dial tone from the modem. First I checked the phone jack by plugging a telephone into it to check for a dial tone. The jack was working properly. Next I checked the phone cord inself. That seemed to be fine as well. I looked under Device Manager (right click on My Computer, choose Properties) to see if there were any conflicts with the dialup adapter. The computer reported the modem as working fine.

I went to my car to check for another modem. I found one. The question was, would it work? In removed the non-functioning modem and installed the new one. I rebooted the machine and it did not detect the newer modem. I attempted to locate the new device using the Add New Hardware Wizard (Start - Settings - Control Panel - Add New Hardware). The device could not be found. I removed the obviously broken modem and explained to the owner of the computer that she most likely needs a new modem. She recommended that I take her tower with me. That way I could purchase the modem and install it at my leisure.

I left her house and went to the nearest electronics store - Radio Shack. They were out of internal dialup adapters. Next I went to Best Buy to check their price on a modem. I was shocked and angered when I found out that they were trying to get $40 for a modem! How could I charge someone for a $15 part? I walked out of the store.

I arrived home and began looking in my basement through piles of old towers. I removed two modems, found the drivers online at www.driverguide.com and copied the files to a floppy disk. I removed the old modem and replace it with the new one. I booted the machine and the Add New Hardware Wizard appeared. I directed the wizard to look at the floppy drive for the drivers. All was successful. I connected the phone cord to the modem and dialed into the users Internet access account. Another problem solved!

My plan for the day. I must drop off the Dell laptop by 8:00. Then I have to be somewhere from 9-6. Then I will go to the house with the past modem issue and hook the computer back up, submit a bill and go home.

I got another call yesterday stating that this site www.pathwaystowellbeing.org will need some updating.

My first Verizon Yellow Pages ad came out a few weeks ago -it's a nice ad, and it really sticks out on the page. The problem is that they listed my business under the wrong category! They put it under Networking instead of Service and Repair! Yes, I dabble in networking but that is not my main focus! Verizon really screwed up! The funny part of this whole thing is that back when I was putting the ad together I was told by my contact person at Verizon that I was going to receive a proof of my ad before it actually went to print. Several weeks had gone by so I emailed the contact again. She told me that she would get the proof to me. A few more weeks passed so I contacted her again. She told me that she was passing my request along to her manager and apologized for taking so long. I never received a reply from her manager, nor did I get the proof! Then the phone book arrived in the mail. It was too late!

I have sent an email to the contact person with whom I placed the ad. She hasn't replied (this was two weeks ago I sent the email). I spoke with another gentleman from Verizon about the problem. He said that he would look into it (that was over a week ago - still no return call). Why should I have to pay for an ad that is listed under the wrong category? I have already begun to receive phone calls for networking jobs that are beyond my comfort level. I have no problem installing a wireless network or a small business or home network but I am getting calls to set up larger networks. Then I have to explain to them that I do not specialize in networking! How does that make my company look? Not good! Verizon really screwed up! The ad would have cost $130 a month! That's a lot of money to be listed under the wrong category! I hope that they don't expect payment anytime soon!