Roadrunning Without Service
by Alex Mendelsohn

When it comes to customer service, my Internet Service Provider is just next door to worthless. It has no concept of the meaning of the word service.

You see, in my neck of the Internet woods, a transition was recently completed away from Adelphia as an ISP (you know, the company that suffered top-level management fraud, shareholder wrath, grand jury probes, and an SEC investigation). The new service provider is TimeWarner Roadrunner.

Let the fun begin. TimeWarner Roadrunner commenced its service by trashing my personal Web pages (although I'm told they're backed up), bungling my ability to establish an FTP session with my site, and changing my password more than one time (without advising me). Over a three-month period while trying to resolve the problems, I've listened to streams of insipid music while waiting on hold for 45 minutes at a clip. When someone finally answers my call, the TimeWarner agent asks for my name and address -- within seconds of me having just given it to them.

In my mind’s eye I have an indelible image of TimeWarner technogeeks. I envision these impoverished souls chained to desks, locked away in overheated sweatshop call centers, sequestered deep in TimeWarner's backwater headquarters. They have little or no technical knowledge. They read into the telephone from scripts, and are adept at putting you on interminable hold.

Yes, you can tell I’m frustrated and isolated, but where there’s life there’s hope. Luckily, the mental image of TimeWarner geeks is balanced by reality, and is personified by a ma-and-pa PC service shop called Gorham Micro. Located in Saco, Maine, this little shop symbolizes customer service at every encounter. Its people are polite, courteous, and proactive. They'll ask for my e-mail address so they can respond to questions, and they follow up almost instantaneously. They even call back by telephone. They exude confidence, and solve problems, and if they don't have answers, they don’t try to snow me, or promise to call back but conveniently forget.

In this day of faceless and arrogant companies like TimeWarner Roadrunner, it's comforting to work with a local shop that responds to customers. Hey, if you need some help with your PC, give owner Don Moody a call at (207) 284-8020.

Hey, today's morning news ran a report saying America OnLine is in trouble. From my humble point of view, it's understandable. TimeWarner is the parent company of AOL. You can talk about an unrivaled reputation for creativity and excellence, but as far as I can see, that's pure hogwash. Good luck AOL.