When I first moved into my new place, I decided to give Earthlink a try for their DSL. I placed my order, waited for the equipment to arrive and installed it as directed. Right from the start there were problems with speed and dependability of connection.
After weeks of working with their support, getting ATT involved, getting rewired etc, still not able to make a connection. Turns out that I'm 500+ feet too far from the closest transmission point and that it is impossible for Earthlink to provide service at my current address.
So, the situation came to be that Earthlink would refund my first months fee and close the account. Great! They were also to issue a call tag for the equipment so it could be returned. Fine. All of this occurred in May.
I waited for the call tag, never came. I called and emailed several times and it never came, neither did the $35. I have the "confirmation number that the account was closed, but was unable to reach an understanding human being within their organization to figure out about my refund nor the call tag. When I'd call, I'd get transferred to several people and have to continuously explain the entire situation. Most of the people I talked to were clearly not American based and it was difficult to explain and have them understand.
In late June or early July, out of nowhere, Earthlink billed my checking account $149.95. No call, no email, just sapped the cash and without warning no less. This caused a series of events that were all bad in nature. The withdraw caused 3 checks to bounce and the associated fees at both my credit union and the businesses that had the checks.
To say that I was angry would be mild. I first contacted the Credit Union, told that it was an authorized debit, to which I responded it was not. I went in and filled out a form to reverse the charges/chargeback and it would take up to 6 weeks. Uhg! I contacted Eartlink and argued for days with them about the nature of the charge etc. I must have talked with 15 different people in a week and got nowhere with figuring out why the billed.
So I waited for the chargeback. In early August the money was returned to my account, though not the fees that were incurred as a result. Last Friday Earthlink challenged the chargeback and the Credit Union again returned to Earthlink the $149.95, causing the same set of problems again.
I was hotter than hell! I bitched out the Credit Union, then I called, emailed and chatted with Earthlink reps for the entire weekend and into the late day Monday. They were to issue a credit for the money and after confirming with the Credit Union that the action had been initiated, I was told that it would be 48 hours or so for the credit to take place in full. The week has passed and as of yet, the transaction has not taken place.
I called yesterday again to Earthlink and was informed by their corp office billing that the woman that I had spoken with on Monday was incorrect and it would take 7-10 days for the credit. Much to my chagrin, this is of little or no help as it has now caused 3 sets of bouncing in my checking account and it seems that it's always the utilities and car payment that are effected.
With my ongoing struggle to make ends meet, having money vanish and reappear in my account has been a terrible thing. Utility companies and Banks are never happy when payments are late or the check bounces. They charge you us the wawa and then they stop working with you. Life has been difficult enough this last year, I barely make it on what I make and when an event like this happens, life is far worse than unmanageable.
While I have had this going on, other events are also taking place and the crux is that it's been a tough summer. I have found the Earthlink reps to be difficult to understand, inform and work with. They are sloppy in their business practices and have several departments that seem to work in the dark of the others. They keep you on hold for long periods of time, they have no idea what you are talking about half the time and they are not working quickly to resolve the matter.
I am greatly disappointed in their customer service and will never use their company again. Earthlink has the same communication flap the Toledo Gov. does and that is unacceptable. It's bad enough I still have not received the credit for the 1st month's fee, but to have them bill me for equipment that I attempted to return several times is ludicrous. Just yesterday, I finally received the USP tag for the box. It's late September and this all started in May.
The short of it is, I have paid out over $600 dollars and have had much drama with various vendors for the DSL service I have never had. I will never get Earthlink to pay me for the series of bounced fees, and it doesn't look like they will ever get my 149.95 or the $35 back to me. Even if somehow I get those monies back, I am still out the bank fees and the drama. The experience has left me with a foul taste in my mouth for them and as a result, I will never recommend them nor will I ever attempt to use their service again!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
The year that's changed me
Survival! It's at the core of every breathing life form. It is what we must do to make any positive impact on the world we live in.
As we age, we change opinion of just what that means, we grow accustom to what we know, what we have and how we do things. We get sedentary in our approach and we often lose sight of what makes us/ breaks us. We get comfortable in the world we create around ourselves and forget that at any moment, the rug can just be gone.
Sometimes, you see it happen slowly over time, others it just vanishes. Perhaps, sometimes a little of both, a slow decline and the BOOM!, gone in an instant.
Just about a year ago, my world came crashing down. Everything I had worked for, built up and dedicated myself to, all gone in an instant. I can honestly say that divorce is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Far worse than 14 years of child abuse, far worse than poverty, far worse than battles with political people, friends and far worse than anything I have ever gone through.
Some will ask why I say it's worse than the other things? Some might even think it's the best thing to happen to some people. The answer is simple, I could do nothing about the abuse, I can only do what I am skilled to do for money, I can walk away at any time from politics and friends change throughout a lifetime. But marriage, the commitment of your lifetime, your best friend and your partner in life, now that is something you have more control over than anything else.
No, not the other person, your spouse is in control of their own life. But you and I are in control of what we do, how we behave and respond and we are not generally stupid, we know on some level where things must change to make it work. You hear a little voice saying that something is wrong, work on it. Yet, being male and being me, and in some cases much like others, I ignored and put off far too long what should have been my 1st priority. Divorce is the price my wife and I pay for that failure to keep that relationship foremost in our minds.
It's never that simple though is it? There's the aftermath of separation, the court dealings, the lawyers, the lenders, the borrowers, the pets, the stuff, the lifetime of shattered dreams. Ohio being a "No Fault" state has come to mean that neither my spouse nor I get much of anything, no, the lawyers and the courts get most of it. I hear that some people have fairly easy and simple divorces, and they often have children involved. We had no children in our 12 years, but that didn't make anything easier. It's hell, and I don't recommend it to anyone.
It's been a tough year. I moved out of the "Manor" in May and we have both been struggling since to make ends meet and life get better. United you stand, divided ya fall. Faced with mounting legal costs, dual utilities, housing costs and trying to get it all together..it's a daily battle between what we can do and what we can't.
When you add in the emotional side, the agony is almost unbearable. Somehow, you get up, go through the motions and eventually you come to terms with how things are now. A year down the road and you might even feel like there's a small chance to regain your stability and that somehow, even through the darkness, you will come out alive. Bruised and battered, hollow for a time, but eventually, you begin to notice that life has not stopped and that you are going to have to get back into life.
If you're lucky, you have quality friends, a loving family and enough personal fortitude to get going. Sometimes, it takes a while before you want to, but sooner or later, life requires action. I have been blessed with great friends, people who care enough to stick with me even what I wasn't worth it. I have a family that loves me the best they know how and I have a wonderful set of co-workers that have held me up when all I could do was fall. Working has been the 1 thing that has kept me sane this year. It's not the best paying job, it's got fairly crappy hours, but the people there are just amazing!
A friend of mine has a saying that makes good sense to me, "Life is hard". No truer words ever spoken. God, my family and friends have held me up just enough so that I didn't sink forever. Now I hope and pray that I can somehow make it worth their while.
It's been a year of changes that have changed me. Somethings are better, somethings are worse, but in all things I am grateful even when I don't know it. I found something written by a friend of mine about me nearly 20 years ago. My friend Scott has been gone from this life for many years now, but his words seem to sum it up nicely even still.
"For me there is only the traveling on paths of heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse it's full length.
And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly."
So I thank my late and dearly missed friend Scott for reminding me all these years later that as long as I still have heart, I have all I need.
Chad
As we age, we change opinion of just what that means, we grow accustom to what we know, what we have and how we do things. We get sedentary in our approach and we often lose sight of what makes us/ breaks us. We get comfortable in the world we create around ourselves and forget that at any moment, the rug can just be gone.
Sometimes, you see it happen slowly over time, others it just vanishes. Perhaps, sometimes a little of both, a slow decline and the BOOM!, gone in an instant.
Just about a year ago, my world came crashing down. Everything I had worked for, built up and dedicated myself to, all gone in an instant. I can honestly say that divorce is the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Far worse than 14 years of child abuse, far worse than poverty, far worse than battles with political people, friends and far worse than anything I have ever gone through.
Some will ask why I say it's worse than the other things? Some might even think it's the best thing to happen to some people. The answer is simple, I could do nothing about the abuse, I can only do what I am skilled to do for money, I can walk away at any time from politics and friends change throughout a lifetime. But marriage, the commitment of your lifetime, your best friend and your partner in life, now that is something you have more control over than anything else.
No, not the other person, your spouse is in control of their own life. But you and I are in control of what we do, how we behave and respond and we are not generally stupid, we know on some level where things must change to make it work. You hear a little voice saying that something is wrong, work on it. Yet, being male and being me, and in some cases much like others, I ignored and put off far too long what should have been my 1st priority. Divorce is the price my wife and I pay for that failure to keep that relationship foremost in our minds.
It's never that simple though is it? There's the aftermath of separation, the court dealings, the lawyers, the lenders, the borrowers, the pets, the stuff, the lifetime of shattered dreams. Ohio being a "No Fault" state has come to mean that neither my spouse nor I get much of anything, no, the lawyers and the courts get most of it. I hear that some people have fairly easy and simple divorces, and they often have children involved. We had no children in our 12 years, but that didn't make anything easier. It's hell, and I don't recommend it to anyone.
It's been a tough year. I moved out of the "Manor" in May and we have both been struggling since to make ends meet and life get better. United you stand, divided ya fall. Faced with mounting legal costs, dual utilities, housing costs and trying to get it all together..it's a daily battle between what we can do and what we can't.
When you add in the emotional side, the agony is almost unbearable. Somehow, you get up, go through the motions and eventually you come to terms with how things are now. A year down the road and you might even feel like there's a small chance to regain your stability and that somehow, even through the darkness, you will come out alive. Bruised and battered, hollow for a time, but eventually, you begin to notice that life has not stopped and that you are going to have to get back into life.
If you're lucky, you have quality friends, a loving family and enough personal fortitude to get going. Sometimes, it takes a while before you want to, but sooner or later, life requires action. I have been blessed with great friends, people who care enough to stick with me even what I wasn't worth it. I have a family that loves me the best they know how and I have a wonderful set of co-workers that have held me up when all I could do was fall. Working has been the 1 thing that has kept me sane this year. It's not the best paying job, it's got fairly crappy hours, but the people there are just amazing!
A friend of mine has a saying that makes good sense to me, "Life is hard". No truer words ever spoken. God, my family and friends have held me up just enough so that I didn't sink forever. Now I hope and pray that I can somehow make it worth their while.
It's been a year of changes that have changed me. Somethings are better, somethings are worse, but in all things I am grateful even when I don't know it. I found something written by a friend of mine about me nearly 20 years ago. My friend Scott has been gone from this life for many years now, but his words seem to sum it up nicely even still.
"For me there is only the traveling on paths of heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse it's full length.
And there I travel looking, looking, breathlessly."
So I thank my late and dearly missed friend Scott for reminding me all these years later that as long as I still have heart, I have all I need.
Chad
Life Changes and Challenges
It's been months since I have written on this blog. To be honest, I'm amazed it hasn't been deleted. So, in an effort to regain some momentum and drive, I am blogging again. There is a new theme though, not so much directed at Toledo Politics, not so much about any single subject. Now I will use this forum to take on many of life's challenges as there are many more than just the hacks of Toledo Politics. Life is full of turmoil for many of us here in the Glass City as well as the area and the world. So now, I will cover things like poverty, abuse, love, children, parents, family and friends.
I will delve into subjects like how working people cannot make ends meet and what they do to survive. I will talk about various aspects of my personal life challenges and of course, go after what I see as wrong in terms of Toledo Government and the world at large.
I will talk about the homeless, the hopeless, the inspired and the driven. I will work through many things in this blog as a means of getting other's opinions to see where we have things in common and where we differ.
Some of my ramblings will be of conversations that I've had throughout the day and how they have enlightened me or how they have brought questions to mind. I hope this will be an engaged forum where everyone feels free to express themselves and will take the time to help me understand how the world works and why I don't get it.
The journey starts now....................
Chad
I will delve into subjects like how working people cannot make ends meet and what they do to survive. I will talk about various aspects of my personal life challenges and of course, go after what I see as wrong in terms of Toledo Government and the world at large.
I will talk about the homeless, the hopeless, the inspired and the driven. I will work through many things in this blog as a means of getting other's opinions to see where we have things in common and where we differ.
Some of my ramblings will be of conversations that I've had throughout the day and how they have enlightened me or how they have brought questions to mind. I hope this will be an engaged forum where everyone feels free to express themselves and will take the time to help me understand how the world works and why I don't get it.
The journey starts now....................
Chad
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