Okay, rant.

So we just bought a new (to us) house and we're trying to transfer our services over to the new place. No problem for most of it, like the utilities. Same day change over, no sweat. The cable/internet/phone service that I have with the local provider (Comcast) not so much. Unlike most folks, I've had a very good experience with Comcast and I signed up for one of those bundles where you get a better rate if you promise to keep it for two years. No sweat there. Until the move. Now, true to my promise (and desires actually) I tried to move the services I have with them over to the new home. But they don't service the new area. At all. Sigh, but okay, I'll shop for other providers of the same services and see what I can get.

I have two options that don't involve shoving a dish in my roof, which I don't want and won't give me phone/internet service anyway. One is Millenium, which only has speeds that Craptastic International Junk DSL Incorporated has surpassed years ago. The other is Verizon. Okay, this is fine. I'll look into their FiOS service, that has promise and is comparably priced with cable modem service.

So I go to the website and start plugging in numbers to see if FiOS is available in the new area. The site says "We're sorry, you have to call our 800 number to process this order." Grrr. I call. After getting through their stupid menu options, that don't actually have an option for "start new service", by banging on "0" enough that they finally just put a rep on the phone with me, who asked what account I was callling about. I tell him clearly that I don't currently have ANY Verizon services and that I'd like to order all new services, many of them, from him, right now. "Oh, great! I'd love to help you out. What's the phone number at your location?" "Dude, I just told you I don't have one. That's why I'm calling you, from my cell phone." <this is repeated with two new phone numbers and several representatives before I finally get a very pleasant and knowledgeable woman who knows which buttons to press on her phone to help me out> So I'm chatting with her, she assures me that FiOS is available at the new house and I won't have to go with Millenium. Hooray! "Now, lets just decide which package or packages you want and I'll get the order put in for you." Great! We talk, I settle on just what I want; everything, extra cheese. Now, I just need to set up an installation date. How soon do I want it? Yesterday, please! She offers to give me the absolute earliest appointment they have available because I work midnights and I can be available any day at any time they need me to be. Great! "How's March 26th?" Excuse me? A month from today is the earliest you can give me internet and television? "I'm sorry, yes." <she explains to me why they are so backed up, it's a reasonable explanation, but doesn't help me get service at my new house any sooner. She even called the service technicians directly and asked about any earlier cancellations. No dice.

So there we have it. I have no internet at the new house for another month. Because I can't live that long without an internet connection, this means that I will be leaving my service in place at the old apartment and coming by periodically to check things like email and these very forums. For a month.

Okay, rant over. Thank you for reading.