How I spend my New Year's Eve and Day and Next Day Holiday.
Posted on 02. Jan, 2009 by Ira Yellen in Uncategorized
No Dial Tone: What happened to Common Sense?
Scene of the Crime
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
4:30 pm —Received call from my office neighbor that our office alarm went off, and that there was a beep beep sound coming from office. I was perplexed since I left the office a few hours earlier. I wasn’t worried because the door was deadbolted, but concerned that the alarm central did not call me. I decided to go to the office after supper to check things out.
9:00 pm — Went to the office. Alarm was bleeping. I shut off, but could not reset alarm. Went to phone to call home, but no dial tone. I then went to the closet where the phone system is located. Saw that one of the modules on our ATT Partners had the light out. Assumed that was the problem. Went home believing problem will solved when I call our phone equipment contractor tomorrow, but I didn’t know who they were. My office manager usually handles this. Luckily I got her on the phone, and by trial and error was able to locate phone number in our database.
January 1, 2009
Noon — Had to go to office anyway to let in our computer contractor in who will be upgrading our computers today (Just another business day). Called our phone equipment contractor anyway. He happened to pick up phone and said he would be in to replace module. Came an hour later and replaced module. Tried to test phone, but still no dial tone. He said the phone company will have to repair it. I called Cox Communications, who tested the line from the main office and said it worked, it had to be the equipment they said. I told them the telephone equipment contractor tested it and said that it was fine. Set up for Cox to come first thing January 2, 2009 to check phone line.
First Major Issue: Each contractor said it wasn’t their problem. The phone company is only responsible for the main trunk line into the office building and the equipment contractor is only responsible for the equipment in my office. Yeh. Heard this line before!!!
January 2, 2009
8:00 am — Cox technician came and tested line. Determined there was no dial tone. Went through the building to locate our transfer box which is located in another tenants space. Luckily they were open today. Located it, and to his surprise and mine, the main feed line to our phone equipment was cut. He asked tenant what happened. Well, his story was that since they moved in a month ago, they need to clean out the closet and decided on Dec. 31 to do so. Little did he know or thought was that the subpanel for phones was active. He told the Cox technician that the landlord said it was alright to rip out the boxes. On top of this, the Cox technician said it is not their responsibility to fix the line from the major hub to our office, and my telephone technician said it wasn’t their responsibility for the line from the hub to our office. I was in telephone equipment purgatory!! Anyway, the Cox guy was nice enough to fix it. And yes the dial tone worked. All is well. Oh yeah!
Second major issue: No one is in charge. Everyone is in charge. Not my job. Where was the common sense from the tenant and landlord to assume that this equipment was not in use. Hello! Could of asked the other tenants.
11 am — My wife calls me on the cell and says she could not reach me via our phone line and got a fax beep beep sound. Well, tried it out and found that is didn’t work. When dialing our main number, our fax went off, and when dialing our fax number our main line rang. As you can imagine, I was at wit’s end. I have been in the office for 2.5 days trying to get our damn phone system working, and I felt I was in a Marx Brothers movie.
11:15 am — Called both Cox Servie and Telephone Equipment Technicians. Again each said it wasn’t their problem, but I had it. Called Cox and said you need to send the technician back ASAP. In the meantime, I went downstairs to the new tenant to see for myself where the scene of the crime was. I asked them why did they rip out our phone lines. They said the landlord said this equipment was not being used, and that they needed the space. On one hand, I couldn’t put all the blame on them. On the other hand, I asked them: “Didn’t occur to you to double check to make sure other tenants were hooked up to this system.” Blank stare and sort of an apology. I wasn’t asking for blood. Just a little common sense (Of course, I called the landlord who was closed for the holiday). All I could think of was the movie “Brazil”. One little thing leads to another, etc. etc.
1 pm — Cox technician came back. I also got the Equipment technician on the line. Taking a cue from the “No drama Obama” model, I thought this team of rivals could work this out. I got them to talk on the phone, and yes, a resolution to problem seemed to be at hand. Why pay for two when one who is here will get the work done. Anyway, the Cox technician went to work, and oh no, he couldn’t get the main line to work, and on top of that our system seemed to connectec to one with a answer machine on a line that wasn’t ours. For three tries the technician tried valiantly to solve the problem. Finally after one hour, he figured it out the solution.
Hallelujah! Finally after 2 days of whatever, and a drama involving 10 people, we got a dial tone. I went to celebrate at my favorite sushi restaurant.
Moral of the story: When a new tenant moves in downstairs from your office, bring them flowers and look in every closet. You never know where your dial tone is stored.