I hate to return to blogging with a rant. I’d been doing so well blogging, had seemed to have hit a stride. I was actually blogging regularly. But then I moved and didn’t have any internet service for several weeks. I’d hoped that at my return I could pick up on the previous rhythm. Alas.

A Rant

One of the worst things about living in a small town again is that you can get no service whatsoever on anything. Case in point, my struggle to get tv turned on.

You see, the Cubs have been doing extremely well (a rarity) and the Cowboys were starting. These are two things that I really need tv for. Plus, there’s nothing else to do in Winters but watch tv. I’ve really been craving it (or something at least).

On August 21, I called the semi-local cable company. Everything went fine (despite the slightly high cost), and they told me they’d be there on Tuesday the 28^th. That seemed like a while, but I went along with it. I told them that I couldn’t be at the house until a few minutes after 4:00 (it varied that week), and so they should either wait for me if I wasn’t there and I’d show up or call my cell phone. They said ok. They showed up at 4:11 (or so their note said). I showed up at 4:13. They were gone. No phone calls.

So, I rescheduled for Thursday the 30^th. They didn’t show up at all that day. I called back, and the woman I spoke with said they’d be there on Friday, and she’d call me back to set up exactly when. She never called back, and they never showed. I called the company on Saturday, and I was told that the Thursday and Friday dates had only been “hopeful dates.” I really wasn’t scheduled until the next Thursday (6^th of September). That wasn’t what I’d been told, and I didn’t think that was right. So, I cancelled my order. Somebody else would do a better job than they would, and I figured that somebody else could manage to hook up the cable in less than 2 ½ weeks.

I was wrong.

I called up Verizon. They do tv, but only if you have a home phone line, which would cost me an extra $20 or so per month. I didn’t want that.

So I called up Directv. They’re the only other choice here. I called them on the 3^rd, and everything went well. They’d be here on Friday morning between 8:00-12:00. That was perfect. Their normal hook-up times were all during my workday, as was this one, but Dad was coming to Winters on Friday so that we could leave and visit my sister as soon as I was off work. He would be there to let the technician in.

They didn’t show up though.

When DirecTV called to reschedule, I didn’t know a time that would work. They said to call back next week to reschedule. I called back today, September 10, at 4:44.

I spoke to five different people, one after the other, with extended holds in between. I was on the phone until past 6:00. The earliest they would agree to set up my service would be (get this) September 21st. They wouldn’t promise me a time on that day when I could be sure and be there either. I would likely either have to be pushed back, or I’d have to convince my Dad to make another special trip to Abilene. Plus, there’d be a total of one week left in the baseball season.

I cancelled the order and felt rather like an idiot. I felt rather disused, and dehumanized, too (though I really wish there were a better word for that feeling). That's how I always feel when I have to go through these messes with businesses like these. I'd feel a lot better if it were people I were dealing with rather than with a business. At least then, there'd be somebody to forgive. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to do about this all now.

On the bright side, since I don’t have TV, the Cowboys and the Cubs will likely win the Super Bowl and the World Series.