Compaq support call

Today has just (essentially) sucked. I mean I turn on my computer and nothing happens. I drag it to work and nothing happens. (After I get over the sheer terror of that) I call Compaq. Or so I try to call Compaq. I have all the documentation right in front of me. It even has a handy 1800 number. So I call it. I get another handy 1800 number. So I call that. It keeps asking me for some code that is suppose to be on the manual, or in the manual... or somewhere in the documentation. I plug in numbers. When I don't get it right, the phone hangs up on me. So I keep dialing, and dialing. I am swearing through this whole thing so you can just imagine. I look in my garbage and notice a tiny sticker stuck on the celephane that I just tossed out. Nice. It's the right number.

(The sun is just rising on a beautiful day... so it's even more irritating.)

I finally get through to an operator. The woman asks me a zillion questions, including "Is Microsoft one word or two." Gosh, last time I checked we were suppose to be a real important customer. I want to tell her, "it's 9.... 9 letters right in a row."

So I jump through all the hoops and she tells me that she's now going to transfer me to pay for support deal. Get my credit card out because I have to pay $35 an hour to talk to someone. By now, my stress level is maxed out so maybe paying for this service isn't too bad. Remember all my presentations, all the data I need, every commitment I have (who, what, when, where ....) is all on this 9 thousand dollar leading, bleeding edge machine. (So bleeding, I think they killed it!)

I never pay. I guess the next phone number decided I AM an important customer. How nice. And so I get this guy who in my estimates is useless. "Do you have the battery in? Did you try it in the docking station? Let's take out the hard drive and see if it whirls? Do you hear it whirl?"

No whirling. No sound. No WIN95 screen that I dearly love. No schedule application that tells me my flight leaves in 4 hours.

I pull out my old machine and start working on that. I can't find all the power chords. The mouse is totally dead (it never did work right) and the screen is busted from dropping it a few too many times. But hey, it still whirls, it still connects. It still flashes Windows... and baby, it still downloads my email so life is not so too bad.

But wait.... what is this mail? Oh yeah, we move to Exchange on Monday. I write, I beg, I pleed. Don't move me... my email will never (not a doubt in my mind) work over a phone line from Europe. I don't have Win95 any more so it's impossible. Hmmm, at least I have something to drag to Europe for my powerpoint presentations. I have hard copy of most of the documents I need... that is after I rummage through an office or two.

I drive to the airport, park the car, get the van to pick me up. It's so sunny out it's just blinding. Every mountain range is just glairing at me. I feel just annoyed.... I need to get on this airplane, get ready to sleep.

The van drops me off with my 200 lbs of stuff at the international terminal. After 10 minutes of pacing, I realize I check in at United, the other end of the airport, and then need to walk back to the international terminal. Lovely...

Well, now I am on the flight. I did manage to get Dutch money.. and Irish money... and hey, I have enough Francs to cover the French part. But no money for Switzerland. I have pounds and Kronas which I wonder if they will do me any good. God, I feel like a walking bank. I have 6 types of money... I take all the non-Dutch and stuff it in envelope. Oh, wonder what I spend in Denmark for breakfast. Nothing I guess. It's really confusing you know.

Maybe I can call that number again, talk to the folks at Compaq.  Maybe they can find a way to buy breakfast in Denmark.