Chief S itting Bull gives excuse

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x7921386

Oh my.

Oh oh my.

The bird-smacking stoned red-faced primitive, Chief S itting Bull; this bonfire's pretty old, but for some reason it showed up as "recent":

Redstone  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:44 PM
Original message
 
******* mother****ing son of a pox-ridden whore of an excuse for "service:"

I just rebooted my AT&T DSL modem for the fourth ****ing time today, which is about average.

This, while the marketing geniuses at AT&T send me mail, encouraging me to sign up for their VoIP service. (For those who don't know, that's phone service through your Internet connection.)

Just what I need, telephone service that dies stone-cold dead four times a day, for no reason whatsoever, and utterly at random. Yeah, sure, I'll sign up for THAT.

And yes, I've spent the obligatory hundred-and-twelve hours on the phone with their "service" people, with results I'm sure many of you are familiar with: None.

Argh.

Maddy McCall (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:45 PM
Response to Original message
 
1. Is it a motorola modem? I'm having the SAME ****IN PROBLEM.

I'm sick of it. I'm taking the modem back tomorrow and demanding an exchange.

Redstone  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:50 PM
Response to Reply #1
 
3. Speedstream. Worked fine for seven years or so, then started this crap about three months ago.

And I never change ANYTHING. That's my business account, which I depend on for file uploads and so on, so I'm careful about leaving everything alone, lest I upset the Internet Gods.

But now, for reasons unknown, it doesn't work for more than about six hours at a time. And there's nothing wrong with the phone line it's on.

And just TRY to get AT&T to admit that THEY are the problem.

Thanks for allowing me to vent.

I dunno.  I think Chief S itting Bull must've thrown the modem at the screen of the television set.  The bird-smacking stoned red-faced primitive does things like that.

Chan790  (1000+ posts)        Mon Jul-14-08 10:53 PM
Response to Reply #3
 
5. Might it be the modem?

Both of mine did the same dance of disconnect for months before they respectively simply died one day. 7 years is a long lifespan for a DSL modem.

Redstone  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 11:00 PM
Response to Reply #5
 
7. Good God, PLEASE don't tell me I'm going to have to march into the swamp of having to introduce a new piece of equipment into my office. I've managed to keep it stable for years (it being a production environment, after all, so I can go in there and just GET TO WORK five minutes after turning the computer on), by the simple expedient of NEVER changing anything (hardware or software) unless I absolutely HAD to.

I see (apologies to Mr Fogerty) a bad moon on the rise, right here.

emilyg  (1000+ posts)      Tue Jul-15-08 01:01 AM
Response to Reply #7

12. After many service calls they switched me to a Netopia. Works good.

Maddy McCall (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:53 PM
Response to Reply #3
 
6. Same with me...mine started about three months ago...

Every time I call, I end up talking to someone I can barely understand telling me to "power cycle."

I have shut off and on the modem and router a million times, to no avail.

When I called them the first time, about two months ago, they sent a guy out for repair. He said, "It's definitely your modem."

So I bought a new modem. It was NOT my modem, because the problem persists.

Good luck in getting yours fixed...

As soon as someone else pumps dsl into the woods where I live, I'm giving ATT the big **** off.

Redstone  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 11:08 PM
Response to Reply #6
 
8. And yet, you have the fear that the "someone else" won't be any better, don't you? Isn't it wonderful how technology has simplified our lives?

Maddy McCall (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 11:10 PM
Response to Reply #8
 
9. It can't be any worse than ATT has been since they took over BellSouth.

zingaro (1000+ posts)      Tue Jul-15-08 01:05 AM
Response to Reply #3
 
13. Mine is doing the very same thing.

I would add that AT&T is evil. Too compartmentalized for their own good, imo. I grew too tired of calling and having to explain the reason for my call seventy times as I was transfered from department to department to department. I left them for the local cable company who offers bundled services including telephone.

And my Motorola modem, which has been used faithfully since sometime in early 2000, is suffering the same malady as yours. I'd make a "could it be viral?" joke but I am sure AT&T has sucked the humor right out of you. I hope it resolves soon. I'll tell you that Motorola does have a comparable product so your replacement would be fairly simple.

KitchenWitch  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:47 PM
Response to Original message
 
2. Lemme guess, the 2WIRE modem?

Redstone  (1000+ posts)      Mon Jul-14-08 10:51 PM
Response to Reply #2
 
4. See above. It's a Speedstream, and is working fine. It's the network.

I still think Chief S itting Bull wreaked substantial damage on the modem, flinging it around, throwing it at the wall, stomping on it, taking a sledge hammer to it, and somesuch.  The bird-smacking stoned red-faced primitives does things like that.

[AllosaursRus]

Bwahahahhahahahahaha! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

Shell out some bucks needle dick and get satellite, I never have a problem. Well except for heavy snow storms where I have to go out and clean the dish. Got that licked this year as I've hooked up a duct with a cheap ass hair dryer to melt the stuff. lol!

[Traveshamockery]

I'm married to the ultimate cable guy geek but he doesn't work for AT&T.  We rarely have outages (at least at my house -  ). 

[Chris_]

I wonder if Redbone ever threw a vacuum cleaner out of the house because his wife didn't listen to him when he told her she couldn't use it while he was home resting after a night of plowing snow ?


 

[Traveshamockery]

I wonder if Redbone ever threw a vacuum cleaner out of the house because his wife didn't listen to him when he told her she couldn't use it while he was home resting after a night of plowing snow ?


 

Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha!  I'm LMAO!  Ahhh, memories of Maxx. 

 

[Chump]

Confusing.  Why would AT&T be sending him offers for VoIP if he's a DSL subscriber?  How does he know the phone line is fine?  7 years is a good long life for a DSL modem.  Why is he so convinced it's also fine?  He sounds too techno-phobic to trust his judgment at face value.

[miskie]

I don't know his situation, nor do I know what he is doing with that modem, but judging by the modems age, he may have a connection limit problem - older cable/dsl modems can only handle so many incoming Ip addresses at once, and then lock up after the limit is reached, requiring one to 'power cycle' the device to fix it.

If there are files offered for direct download, filesharing, or webhosting done over that modem - it is possible that Redstone is a victim of his own success.

Also, if the network is the problem, rebooting the modem won't fix it. Either the modem is too old and is starting to have thermal issues, or (as I suspect) its getting connection flooded and locking up.

[The Village Idiot]

Bwahahahhahahahahaha! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!

Mine did that a couple weeks back and the tech guy was there in less than a day telling me to unplug the wireless router and take the router battery out too. Then put it back together and it will automatically reset. A few days ago, it happened again. So I did not call. I simply did what the other guy had done and it worked fine.

[crockspot]

3. Speedstream. Worked fine for seven years or so, then started this crap about three months ago.

Electronic devices do have a lifespan, DUmmy.

After going through several, I've determined the average lifespan of a Linksys Wireless Router is 3.625 years.

[The Village Idiot]

Electronic devices do have a lifespan, DUmmy.

After going through several, I've determined the average lifespan of a Linksys Wireless Router is 3.625 years.

but thats just a ballpark figure right? 

[GOBUCKS]

Electronic devices do have a lifespan, DUmmy.

After going through several, I've determined the average lifespan of a Linksys Wireless Router is 3.625 years.

My Belkin router is so old that when it was new, the price was $150. Similar model today is $39.

[thundley4]

My Belkin router is so old that when it was new, the price was $150. Similar model today is $39.

I have a Belkin Wireless G router that I have to unplug sometimes to reset it, but it might be the cable modem. Both are 6-7 years old.  My connection gets lost sometimes after heavy traffic.

[delilahmused]

Confusing.  Why would AT&T be sending him offers for VoIP if he's a DSL subscriber?  How does he know the phone line is fine?  7 years is a good long life for a DSL modem.  Why is he so convinced it's also fine?  He sounds too techno-phobic to trust his judgment at face value.

VoIP and DSL are 2 different things. DSL is how you connect to the Internet. VoIP is where you use your Internet connection for your phone service. You can't have VoIP unless you have a fast Internet connection and your phone connects to your computer (or router or modem) instead of the regular wall plug in. He knows his phone line is fine probably because he makes and receives calls without any problems. He might need to change his filter, though.

Cindie

[Chump]

VoIP and DSL are 2 different things. DSL is how you connect to the Internet. VoIP is where you use your Internet connection for your phone service. You can't have VoIP unless you have a fast Internet connection and your phone connects to your computer (or router or modem) instead of the regular wall plug in. He knows his phone line is fine probably because he makes and receives calls without any problems. He might need to change his filter, though.

Cindie

That's what I'm getting at.  DSL is run through your phone line.  So why would AT&T - knowing this customer accesses the internet through his phone line - send him offers for phone service over his internet connection?   

[delilahmused]

That's what I'm getting at.  DSL is run through your phone line.  So why would AT&T - knowing this customer accesses the internet through his phone line - send him offers for phone service over his internet connection?   

You're still not getting it. Yes, DSL uses the same copper wire as your phone line but they're not the same. ATT is offering the same service as Vonage or Magic Jack which is usually cheaper than regular phone service. Usually there's a flat fee regardless of where you call, like your cell phone. Not all broadband connections are fast enough for phone service, though. You can't use VoIP if you have a satellite connection because the upload/download speeds vary greatly and the lag time between the 2 callers is prohibitive.

Cindie

[Chump]

You're still not getting it. Yes, DSL uses the same copper wire as your phone line but they're not the same. ATT is offering the same service as Vonage or Magic Jack which is usually cheaper than regular phone service. Usually there's a flat fee regardless of where you call, like your cell phone. Not all broadband connections are fast enough for phone service, though. You can't use VoIP if you have a satellite connection because the upload/download speeds vary greatly and the lag time between the 2 callers is prohibitive.

Cindie

You must have phone service for DSL, no?  I understand the internet and phone services are separate.  But, the fact is, without phone service you can have no DSL service, correct?

Vonage and Magic Jack are intended for customers with broadband but no current phone service.  DSL subscribers are not in that category, unless someone wants to pay twice for phone service.

[delilahmused]

You must have phone service for DSL, no?  I understand the internet and phone services are separate.  But, the fact is, without phone service you can have no DSL service, correct?

Vonage and Magic Jack are intended for customers with broadband but no current phone service.  DSL subscribers are not in that category, unless someone wants to pay twice for phone service.

Not true. You have to have phone LINES but not phone service. I have DSL but no "traditional" phone service. I use my cell phone exclusively so didn't see much sense in continuing to pay for a wire line.

Cindie

[Chump]

Not true. You have to have phone LINES but not phone service. I have DSL but no "traditional" phone service. I use my cell phone exclusively so didn't see much sense in continuing to pay for a wire line.

Cindie

Well there is my misunderstanding.  I didn't realize you could have only DSL service.  That wasn't one of AT&T's options when I subscribed to their DSL service.  Thanks for clarifying.

[delilahmused]

Well there is my misunderstanding.  I didn't realize you could have only DSL service.  That wasn't one of AT&T's options when I subscribed to their DSL service.  Thanks for clarifying.

Actually, I had to ask (I don't have ATT here in the sticks, only CenturyTel is available), it's not something they advertise. They try to sell "bundling" as the big money saver so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it.

Cindie

[The Village Idiot]

VoIP and DSL are 2 different things. DSL is how you connect to the Internet. VoIP is where you use your Internet connection for your phone service. You can't have VoIP unless you have a fast Internet connection and your phone connects to your computer (or router or modem) instead of the regular wall plug in. He knows his phone line is fine probably because he makes and receives calls without any problems. He might need to change his filter, though.

Cindie

weird.

We have cable internet and a phone over the cable system.

[thundley4]

weird.

We have cable internet and a phone over the cable system.

Comcast also offers the same thing.

[Chris_]

I'll stick to my wireless broadband through the cell phone company.

[DumbAss Tanker]

I don't know his situation, nor do I know what he is doing with that modem, but judging by the modems age, he may have a connection limit problem - older cable/dsl modems can only handle so many incoming Ip addresses at once, and then lock up after the limit is reached, requiring one to 'power cycle' the device to fix it.

If there are files offered for direct download, filesharing, or webhosting done over that modem - it is possible that Redstone is a victim of his own success.

Also, if the network is the problem, rebooting the modem won't fix it. Either the modem is too old and is starting to have thermal issues, or (as I suspect) its getting connection flooded and locking up.

You may well be right on the technical network issues, but from his description it does sounds an awful lot like just basic hardware overheating in the chips.  I think I'd try to talk AT&T into just letting me trade in the modem for a new one with them before looking at anything else.

[franksolich]

"bump" in memory of Redstone.