A Very Pleasant Experience

As I hung up the telephone, I thought what a very pleasant experience I had just had.  Fully expecting problems, I realized that this forty-five minute call was not that.  I’m old.  So, I sometimes (more than I want to admit) make mistakes when using electronic equipment.  You know, I think that sometimes, all it takes is looking at the remote for the TV to change something that should not be changed.  And as it happened, my television program was suddenly silent.  I had a very fine picture.  The closed caption was working.  I just didn’t have any sound.

After trying for many minutes, pushing one button after another, I still did not have sound.  I unplugged the TV set and plugged it back in, as well as the DVR box.  Still no sound.  The solution for that is to call the company that provides my cable.  So, I did – call Xfinity, my cable company.  And, I got someone named Daniel/Danielle – who sounded like a young gentleman, but the name may also be a woman’s name.  Anyway, this young person, who clearly was not sitting in any United States city, was one of the best techie’s I’ve ever worked with.  Many, many times, my experiences with non-U.S. service personnel are difficult.  I usually have a difficult time understanding their English, even when I ask them to speak slowly and clearly (hearing aides don’t pick up everything).  Daniel/Danielle spoke clearly, slow enough for me to understand, all in excellent English.  I’ve heard many complaints from others receiving technical support where they couldn’t understand the conversations.

Daniel/Danielle took me through several troubleshooting steps.  Still no sound.  A suggestion was made that I might need a new DVR box; which I could pick up at the store.  I complained t hat my past boxes were either mailed to me or delivered by a service person.  Apparently, that is not the procedure, these days.

I was put on hold several times, giving my technician an opportunity to explore my problem with someone else.  During the last time, I decided I had nothing to lose so I began working the remote buttons, again.  At some point, I had MENU; then, I had SETUP; then, AUDIO SETUP; then OPTIMAL STEREO (the bottom of four possible things to select).  Again, I thought – what do I have to lose?  So, I pushed SELECT TO OPTIMIZE – and glory-be!  I had sound.  When my technician came back, I told him/her that I’d found the right button.  A reply came back that it was good, because he/she didn’t want me to pay $100 for a service call.

I always like to talk a bit with these long-distance miracle workers.  Most of the time, their location cannot be revealed, but this person was so good, I really was pleased to talk for a while.  I always imagine these workers being alone, answering calls, solving problems, and only talking tech talk.  I told my problem solver that I thought this had been the most comfortable time I’d ever had seeking assistance.

 I explained that at 84 years of age, technology is not my strong suit.  He/she said that when a call came in from someone who could be identified as older, it was a reminder of the technician’s grandmother.  I agreed that from the sound of his/her voice, the age was about 27 years.  I was told, “Are you a mind reader?  You must be a mind reader.”   All in all, this definitely was a pleasant interlude in my day.  I enjoyed it very much.

Then, later in the day, my house telephone and my computer’s internet stopped working.  They are all bundled with the cable company.  Again, I called the cable company, and I did receive assistance from another specialist.  It turns out that my modem will need to be replaced, although the specialist was able to get my modem working so that I could work.  My new modem should arrive in a couple of days.

Be Safe and Be Well

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are appreciated.