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Thread ID: 75034 2006-12-14 08:26:00 Telecom UnHelpDesk pctek (84) PC World Chat
Post ID Timestamp Content User
506568 2006-12-14 08:26:00 Lady just got her new connection kit from Xtra, the included CD just told her she didn't have ethernet.
So I go over and sure enough the CD wouldn't give her the option of USB so ethernet being better anyway I install a network card.
Install firewalls, antispyware etc etc.
Go to connect and it wouldn't authenticate.

Ring Xtra, confirm username and reset password, still no authentication.
Begin to suspect hardware fault, Xtra guy still inisting we mess about - entering DNS etc.
I've never yet had a no go broadband connection fixed by entering DNS.

Take PC away plug my router in, voila we have internet.

Plug her router in, give it my settings - no authentication.

Connect 3rd different brand router, voila internet again.

Take PC back, get her to ring Xtra to send a new router out - they argue and insist its not the router at fault.
I take phone, explain slowly what I did, he still insists I'm wrong.
I mention I am now connecting her using my old router with her Xtra settings and he can watch it connect from his end in a few minutes and then send her an apology and a new router.

Dunno if he is -- I left her with a working internet and her ringing Xtra back....
pctek (84)
506569 2006-12-14 08:37:00 STEP ONE: Blame customer
STEP TWO: Blame customer some more
STEP THREE: Maybe consider a wee issue with the system
STEP FOUR: A mixture of the above

But seriously, its rather ignorant when they have that attitude. I get edgy haha.
jermsie (6820)
506570 2006-12-14 08:41:00 Not a lot of fun. A lady not too far from here rang Xtra helpdesk for dial-up assistance. In spite of the shattered english, and 3 "help" persons communication was good enough for them to reduce her to tears, and eventually to throwing up as they had her mess with settings to get her network enabled. Their ranting and screaming at her to try a wide range of settings and make her computer "connect to the other computers on her network". They regularly demanded to speak to her network supervisor, and no way would they accept that she had a single computer at home. Eventually, after she gave up - waited two days and finally got an NZ tech who was surprisingly polite and helpful, the problem was solved. They had somehow addled her account settings on their server, which he happily fixed. She got a months rebate, which was good. However, the off-shore service center is not going to help them win friends and influence people. R2x1 (4628)
506571 2006-12-14 08:41:00 That sounds just like Xtra :p, & sounds a bit like the guy who dad talked to when our broadband was going slow… stu161204 (123)
506572 2006-12-14 08:56:00 Lady just got her new connection kit from Xtra, the included CD just told her she didn't have ethernet.
So I go over and sure enough the CD wouldn't give her the option of USB

I struck that problem only a couple of days ago - a customer with a Windows 98 laptop without ethernet got the Xtra self install kit & bought it in to us complaining it wouldn't let her do it without a network card.

I've done a couple of USB installs before, so I thought it would be fairly quick & painless, but boy was I wrong :mad:

They still put the drivers on the CD, so I installed them & they worked fine, but in order to activate the jetstream account, you have to either jump through hoops with Xtra's helpdesk, or run the wizard from the CD.

Running through the wizard on the work laptop, then plugging the router back into the 98 laptop worked, but they shouldn't make you do that :annoyed:

How long ago did they update their self install CD?


I have found Xtra's helpdesk has been getting better lately though - I get an overseas call center, I explain my problem, they transfer me to a NZ tech straight away without any prompting on my behalf.
Greven (91)
506573 2006-12-14 11:04:00 That ain't nothing compared to ihug, mate....most of the time they'll just say 'well, I dunno then...' and then a long pause follows.... qazwsxokmijn (102)
506574 2006-12-14 11:49:00 Completely opposite to the help I got when I first connected with Xtra using one of their adsl modems. They went to exhaustive extremes to help diagnose the problems I had.

And when I discovered that I had a faulty ethernet cable connector it was swapped within two days.

A very happy experience despite the frustrations.

I think pctek just landed up with a less-than-perfect helpdesk operator.
Greg (193)
506575 2006-12-14 11:59:00 I guess it just depends on your luck, I guess.....

But not the case with ihug. Maybe most of the time you'll get vegetables to help you.
qazwsxokmijn (102)
506576 2006-12-14 13:42:00 hmmmmmmm........interesting.....i haven't struck this problem yet but guess I will

and......
They still put the drivers on the CD, so I installed them & they worked fine, but in order to activate the jetstream account, you have to either jump through hoops with Xtra's helpdesk, or run the wizard from the CD.]

you cant run the wizard if you install the drivers like that ? surely the wizard has an exe on the cd ?.....hmmm....
drcspy (146)
506577 2006-12-14 18:46:00 Ah yes the USB drivers. I took the NIC out and tried that too. It didn't like them. The drivers aren't exactly there - you have to run setup. The drivers are probably for Win98.
This PC was XP.

Anyway I fixed it all, no thanks to them, and I and the lady involved spoke to 3 different Xtra people.
They just always blame everything else except their equipment. Its probably a rule.
pctek (84)
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