[ale] The end of my SpeakEasy "installation"...

[Benjamin Scherrey]

	When it rains it pours people. SpeakEasy is not the company I used to do business with. 
As you may know from my previous posting about BellSouth, I ordered new DSL service from 
SpeakEasy way back on July 20th and its been one fiasco after another trying to get it installed. 
The following is a reply I jst wrote to an email I received from their person who is supposed to 
"help" people in my situation. Read his message (at the bottom) first then read mine. I think this is a 
textbook case for you MBA types on how to lose a loyal customer forever. Meanwhile, yesterday I 
gave up on these buffoons and called my cable company (Charter) to get internet service (no cable 
TV - I don't have that kind of free time) activated. I send this message to you over that very 
connection that was installed only a few hours ago. I'm still inclined towards a DSL service from 
past experiences but I'll give Charter the chance to lose my business before disconnecting them.

	Good luck & pray learn from this miserable experience,

		Ben Scherrey

------- Start of forwarded message -------
From: Benjamin Scherrey <scherrey at proteus-tech.com>
To: "Lawrence McBride" <lawrence at speakeasy.net>
Organization: Proteus Technologies, Inc.
Subject: Fwd: Re: Account status on hold
Date: 8/24/2004 3:47:54 PM

Mr. McBride,

	I canceled my previous service in February before I moved out of the country. I paid the 
final bill through electronic transfer (which probably was sent to you as a check from my bank) 
before the end of March. If there is some discrepency with my account I am not aware of it but 
would appreciate any payment/charges details that support your assertion that I owe you money 
and what that amount would be. This is the first time that Speakeasy has ever mentioned this 
concern to me just as my acount status update that I received last night is the first time that it 
mentioned anything about "Defective Pairs" that were discovered by the installer way back on 
August 18th (one full business week!). On top of that, the account status log is full of LIES about 
not being able to access the facilities on my property because of my not being present. Perhaps 
initially they could be argued as mistakes but after my efforts to correct the record and remedy the 
situation resulted in still more of the exact same "errors" so that they were known to be false when 
being entered into the record, they became lies. In the first case, as I have explained over and over 
again, the facilities are in plain view and readily accessable when one drives up to my carport and 
require no one to be present for your technician's access, and secondly, I WAS PRESENT EVERY 
SINGLE TIME as I work from home and made a point not to leave each day service was 
scheduled. YOUR company provided the installers with an incorrect phone number to contact me 
even after I informed you of the problem and even though the CORRECT contact number was 
there in my contact details on your website. The technician admited never even bothering to come 
to my property because his inability to reach me by phone via the incorrect phone number your 
company provided. Even AFTER he finally arrived on the 18th, informed me that there was no need 
for me to be present, and I personally gave him the correct contact number; there are still claims in 
the log that further attempts at installs were aborted because of no site access. As in the previous 
cases, in each following case I was present and available despite the log's claims and despite my 
phone calls in to your company trying to correct the situation. Incompetance and neglience 
compounded!

	It is now over a month since I initially ordered service from you and your efforts to "help" 
the situation amount solely to finding a supposed previous unpaid bill and stopping my order from 
progressing any further. You mention your "eagerness to assist in any way" but your actions seem 
rather contradictory. Mr. McBride, you and your company now have ZERO credibility with me. I was 
impressed with and recommended your service to my peers in the past and am afraid I have to 
correct the record from now on and recommend they stay far away from your company. Your own 
status emails promise situation updates within X business hours and then provide none. Your 
technicians promise me a return call within 30 minutes and I have to call them the next day and 
then they are not available. Not a single request I made for someone from your company or affiliated 
partners to call me and talk about the situation so that it can be resolved was ever fulfilled. Yet - 
somehow - it is *I* that am being abusive! Your incompetant, negligent, and likely fraudlent actions 
and inactions have caused me several thousand dollars in lost time in re-establishing my business 
here because I relied on your company's promises and reassurances that, despite the problems, I 
would indeed have dsl service soon. I can (and, in great part, alread have) document(ed) these 
claims on your part and the losses to me. I certainly consider that to qualify as abusive.

	As to MY supposed abusiveness, I have NEVER verbally abused or even spoken 
harshly or in bad temper with anyone in your company or affliated organizations. Indeed, I have 
been extremely friendly and patient with each and every one of them - even the installer while he 
proudly expounded on his personal policy to skip any and all installations without so much as 
entering the neighborhood it is destined for without telephone confirmation of that person's 
presense despite the clear site access and lack of need for such presense. Please make a point to 
inform me of the details of any claim to the contrary. Additionally, if you can point out a single 
incorrect assertion on my part or even bring into reasonable question any claim I have made during 
this ordeal then I will happily withdrawl it and, if appropriate, apologize to the person affected. This 
is, of course, ignoring your negligence in ever once attempting to correct my assertions when, and 
since, they were made. Precisely how would you expect me to act differently given the 
circumstances. I am truly curious as to your opinion as to what I could have done differently that 
would have had any positive impact on the situation other than never calling you in the first place. I 
am told to (paraphrasing) "never attribute to malice that which may be explained by ignorance". Yet 
your actions truly have me wondering which is it. Have I indeed been so unreasonable as to expect 
you and your company to actually do ANYTHING at all that they claim to be doing?  Thus far, that 
is the only mistake that has occured in this mess that I feel any responsibility for - and - unlike you 
and your organization, I will not repeat mine.

	Sincerely,

		Ben Scherrey

PS: To make it plain, do consider this order cancelled and please forward me any details as to what 
monies I may still owe from prior service.


8/23/2004 7:01:38 PM, "Lawrence McBride" <lawrence at speakeasy.net> wrote:

>Dear Mr. Scherrey,
>
>Your installation issues have been brought to my attention.  After a
>preliminary investigation I became very concerned about your
>installation experience, and I was eager to assist in any way I could.
>I decided to take a personal look into the matter, and to make sure that
>every piece was carefully examined so that your installation would go
>through without any further hitch.
>
>I am so sorry to advise you, however Mr. Scherrey, that we will not be
>able to provide you with service until you have resolved the matter of
>your previous account with us.  I presume you are aware that you had a
>previous account with us?  You transferred from DirecTV, in January of
>2003?
>
>Unfortunately, you stopped paying for the service in February of 2004.
>That account was sent to a collections agency in May of this year for
>non-payment.  
>
>I strongly encourage you to contact:
>
>NCO
>2020 N. Central Avenue Suite #300 
>Phoenix, AZ 85004 
>1-800-933-6736
>RE: Speakeasy Acct#1<snipped>
>
>
>I cannot leave this letter without comment on the abusive tone in your
>ticket.  Abuse is not tolerated here.  Please refrain from verbal abuse
>of any kind, when speaking or writing to Speakeasy or its agents.
>
>We would be delighted to have you return to us, as a customer, Mr.
>Scherrey.  I implore you to resolve this matter as quickly as possible.
>
>
>
>With kind regards,
>
>
>Lawrence McBride
>Executive Escalation Manager
>Speakeasy, Inc.
>lawrence at speakeasy.net
<phone #s snipped>






-------- End of forwarded message --------