How was it? In our first night I was so exhausted that I went out cold before my head hit the pillow.
Movers were awesome, that was fantastic.
I'm in a condo where the HOA includes internet and cable. The provider sent cable boxes, router and modem to us via FedEx, should have been no problem.
The modem wouldn't connect to the internet so I put in a service call, plus asked if it was possible to move an outlet from one wall to the other.
Person 1 came out and as soon as he walked into the bedroom where I wanted the outlet moved he exclaimed 'wow, you have problems, you have major problems'. Keep in mind that at this point he had literally just walked in.
I then showed him the two other cable outlets and he took a quick look outside. At that point he asked if the operator had advised me that there would be a $59 connection fee per outlet (no, she had not; no such fee should have been applied). He checked all three outlets on his box, and no signal. I explained that the previous owner had done a remodel and perhaps something had happened with that. He surmised that the line from outside used to come in on that west wall, there was no cable outlet opposite that, and that there was no wiring to any of the three outlets.
At this point he explained that the service provider was not responsible for inside wiring. He said he would have to put in a service call for another division that would probably be out in the next 48 hours or so to get a cable/internet line inside the house, but that was as far as they would go.
The kid then advised me that my best plan was to hire an electrician to run cable throughout the walls from there to the other outlets. I asked how they would do that without tearing up the walls and he said that after that either I or someone else could patch the holes, and repaint as needed.
Keep in mind that this is a place that we just bought based on the fact that it was literally just remodeled from top to bottom, new fixtures, fresh paint, etc.
I had previously explained that part of my HOA fees included cable and internet, but he stated the company's obligations ended with getting the cable wire inside the home; everything after that was up to the homeowner.
At this point I just asked the kid, 'oh, so you've seen the contract between Spectrum and our HOA?' He responded that that didn't matter, and it was the same everywhere. I then asked him why it was in my last condo the fees and service were entirely different. The kid said that only had to do with channels I received.
Now I am pretty fed up, so I just said 'okay, what's the next step?' He said he would put in a service call for me for the department that deals with outside lines, etc. I quickly showed him the door.
From previous experience Spectrum is fairly quick with texts to let you know 'we've received you request', 'you should expect a response within x hours', etc. Mid day the following day I had seen nothing. I called, and even though the operator covered for him, I had the distinct impression that he had never put in the new work order. The fact that the time frame for that new work order would be between 6-7 pm confirmed my suspicion in my mind.
The guy that came out the next day was 180 degrees different. Rather than a young kid with not much more than a screwdriver, this guy was obviously very experienced in his trade. About 50 years old and armed with every tool imaginable - picture Rambo or a Navy Seal, except all hardware rather than ammo - and he quietly and politely walked in.
The wiring was indeed a mess, but he figured it all out. He had to work on the can outside and even dig a little bit out there with a shovel, and make sense of a quagmire of wires behind an entertainment type area. He got every outlet up and running without ever once putting a hole or scratch in any wall, without a single heavy sigh or complaint. Even attached a cable box to a wall mount for a tv for me. Expertly ran cable around the wall in the second bedroom, stapled to bottom molding to be as unobtrusive as possible. Even ran it through one end of the closet to the other to keep it out of sight and way. Double checked to make sure TVs were working in universal remote mode, etc.
Get this: when he came in from outside, he even put on those scrubs for shoes, to insure he didn't track in any dirt.
My estimated cost for electrician, drywall, painter, etc from Kid #1: I don't want to know.
My actual cost from the pro that takes pride in his work: zero.
I was more than happy to give that guy a tip. Obviously he will receive an excellent review.
Am I a bad person for the response I will give from the email I received in regards to my thoughts on the service for the first visit?
