[ale] comcast static IP?

[Jim Popovitch]

On Sat, 2005-01-22 at 17:10 -0500, George Carless wrote:

> What's with the apologism?  

What's with the incorrect labeling?  I have BellSouth/Comcast/AT&T
problems just like the next guy.  I'm not apologizing for those
companies, I'm prescribing a means to productively work with them to get
what you wanted in the first place.

> The CSR is being *payed to do a job*, and 
> frankly I couldn't care less if someone I speak to when I'm unhappy 
> about a service doesn't like my 'attitude'.  

But I bet the CSR does.  And therefore the CSR (a low paying postion) is
likely to reply in kind, thus adding to the fire *you*, not them, are
trying to get solved.

> The onus is NEVER on the customer; 

It is when the problem is yours and you want to get is solved rather
than throwing more monkey-wrenches into the issue.  There are two ways
to work towards getting something resolved:  Productively and
Counter-Productively.  The first requires restraint, maturity, and
general level-headedness.  The later takes longer, yields poorer results
and usually (as evidenced here over and over) leaves people bitter.

> it is always on the company and on its representatives.

At some point the company's "representatives" may care less about *your*
problem then you do.

> Now, of course it is often helpful and prudent to be polite to 
> people--but, nonetheless, I tire of the attitude that seems so 
> prevalent in the USA that it's okay for customer service people to be 
> rude, flip, unhelpful.  

I haven't expressed the view that impolite behavior is acceptable,
however (as I previously pointed out) it is a two way street. 

> And when they *are* those things, people 
> should vote with their wallets and take their money elsewhere; 

People with that attitude, coupled with tendencies towards impolite
behavior, will spend their lifetime "taking their money elsewhere".
Therefore the real resolution is in correcting expectations and
attitudes.  The quote "You get what you pay for" doesn't have a better
fit than when dealing with Telcos.  Seriously, can you expect the world
for $50 per month?   If not, is complaining going to get you the world
sooner?  

-Jim P.