I'm back!

for people i haven't talked to in a long time, probably you won't know how frustrated i've been with my ISP. I was deprived of internet access at home for a long time.

It all started with a recontract i made with the ISP over the phone. I wasn't told it was going to be a verbal contract until it was concluded. i felt cheated but i thought if the service is alright, i won't mind as much despite how unethical this company is.

then, the service cocked up. days after the activation of a new speed, my modem totally couldn't connect. it took 5 days for the company to send someone to my house to check the telephone line.

so after the line was checked, only the modem which the ISP gave me as part of the contract package could work. my wireless router modem becomes useless. the technician said i have to check with the modem company and maybe there is hardware incompatibility. then i became angrier because i paid so much for the modem and i wasn't told that there could possibly be hardware incompatibility when i recontracted. I wasn't even told there would be a downtime on activation day. i wasn't even told that it was a verbal contract until it was concluded.

so i called the modem company. the technician guy was so so so much better than the ISP technicians. he was so patient and so empathetic. he helped me troubleshoot over the phone and to my surprise, the problem was with the UserID. All these while, i've been asking the ISP if my user ID or password has changed. the ISP's technicians told me 'NO'. then the eventual problem is still the UserID. the old one was ....@ISP1500. the new one is just ...@ISP.

I feel like a 101% stupid fool.

In the process, the called the company several times.
1. i called to request the ISP to bring forward the date that the technician can check my lines. i was rejected. damn
2. i called to request termination of contract because its a verbal contract for internet service and my payment. since there is no internet service and is a breach on the ISP's part, so i want to terminate. then, i was rejected. but i'm going to push for it when the complaint department contact me.
3. i called to request waiver of technician fee and compensation for the days without internet access. if i didn't request for the waiver, i bet the company will charge me. then for the compensation, the staff said to waiver the internet payment for the few days without internet access. its only right that i don't pay for what i don't receive. if didn't request for compensation, i think the staff will conveniently charge me for the days i don't receive internet access in my next bill. I wonder if we have a common understanding of compensation. so, I'll continue to demand for compensation when the complaint department contact me.
4. when i said i want to complaint, the phone operator told me 'Ma'am you can complain only through our website.' damn. she is ridiculing me because i don't have internet access!!!! this ISP likes to make things difficult for me.
5. when i finally get to lodge complaint through the website, the ISP set word limit for the complaint! i can't even write a logical argument for my case.

it's my fault for not asking enough questions during the recontract. but how would i know what questions to ask? i'm not a technician, neither do i contract every other day to know what to look out for. sigh............

i feel so bullied.

i've been very black face the past few days, very frustrated and short tempered. argh.... i hate how things have turned out. but at least now, everything is okay. today is supposed to be the 3rd working day since i lodge the complaint. if the ISP don't contact me, i guess i'll just lodge complaints after complaints until they are sick of me.


These days i've been rushing reports and presentations. It's been a mad rush.

One of the profs didn't tell us the questions to prepare for the presentation on monday until saturday night. then team mates were blur, i have to tuition them and almost had to handhold them through the class ppts. i don't mind teaching people if they don't understand. but i seriously mind teaching people who perpetually refuse to pay attention in class. i'll probably understand if there are eye candies in the class, but there is none!!! omg.

then another report supposed to be due on sunday was difficult to edit. everyone editted at least 3 times each. at least i looked at it, and rewrote several parts at least 3 times. omg... and all these just had to happen when i had no internet access.

madness. i'm glad i survived it.

I'm really thankful that Wee and duane could meet up with me that day for dinner and movie, else i would feel angrier at home, sulking at the prospect of being sued for tapping on others' unsecured wireless or feel even angrier in school because i was deprived from going back to a home without net access. i forgot how to get dial up, and i totally refuse to give the ISP any excuse to make me fork out money.

then yesterday i went to watch History Boys at the cathay. wow, it's so enjoyable. the movie is kind of flat though, no sex, no violence. but its worth watching neverteless. it's a movie about how the school tries to get its intelligent boys enrolled in cambridge or oxford after receiving their fantastic A level results. the witty exchanges among the boys reminded me so much of JQ, and my classmates in the first three months of HCJC, of the way they bantered or argued their way with teachers.

The witty exchanges also reminded me of my new tuition kids. hmm sometimes i wonder whether it is a good thing if a kid is too smart. smart kids tend to prefer talking or arguing to listening.

well, the end of march is approaching. hope the term will be over soon.

I'm looking for contract assignments from apr to jun. if you have lobangs and don't mind introducing them to me, please do so. I'm thinking of working on contract basis until june, then go for holiday, and then start work proper in july.

nothing is confirmed as of now. but will try my best to keep to this plan. =p

hope july comes so JQ will be back. then hope end of the year comes, so jack can be back. haha NZ must be quite cold now.