Saturday, August 14, 2010

Three weeks and 10 calls later, I have my new Showtime digital converter

Has everyone else been experiencing the special irritation that Showtime has been bestowing on us? In an effort to switch over all the boxes, instead of just saying, 'hey, bring 'em into the shop and we'll replace them' (I think that's how Rogers would approach it, and I never thought I'd think fondly of how they did business) they have been sending a technician to each of their subscriber's homes and having him install it.

Not so much a problem in a place with a proper addressing system, or any addressing system, this approach is, I'm guessing, proving to be a massive headache for all involved. Perhaps it's why every couple of days for the last three weeks I've been getting calls from Showtime, asking where I live. I start to explain, but already I feel short-tempered because explaining where I live is basically impossible. In 18 months I've never been able to get someone here without going outside to flag them down and then walking here, leading as they navigate their car through the tight turns and jam-packed streets of Little Karachi, aka Tanquer Mai. (I know that spelling is wrong, give me a break) Also, when I first got Showtime hooked up, they were quite overzealous in their correspondence. One morning clocked a half-dozen calls, all without anyone actually ever turning up.

So it irked me that a) after all the time I spent explaining my location 18 months ago, they had no record of it and b) they were issuing their new digital boxes in such a ridiculous manner. And so although I've explained where I live 10 times by now, only to sit at home during the designated time, to no avail, it was not until this morning that a technician who called actually turned up.

Even better, miraculously, almost, he already knew where I lived. It was one of the greatest phone conversations I've had since arriving. Better yet, there were no more calls. Just a ring of my doorbell and a few moments chatting while he hooked me up.

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