Page 184 - The Voice of Authority

is empty. I tell him about the reschedule due to Mort-
gage Company X’s foul-up, giving him name, date,
and hour of rescheduling. He’d never gotten the
word, he insists. “Somebody” had fouled up and not
sent him the “reschedule” notice. We reschedule
phone installation for a week later.

I wait in the new, cold, empty house for the installer
to arrive between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. At 4:55, he shows
up.

We have a working telephone! But when I try to dial
the downtown library, I can’t. They have installed a
limited suburban line instead of the metro service I’d
ordered. “Sorry,” he apologizes, “someone must have
made a mistake in taking down the order.”

Two days later, the phone bill arrives for one month’s
service. Since the phone has been working for only 46
hours, I call to complain. “Not to worry,” the assis-
tant tells me. She will adjust the bill and send a cor-
rected copy.
A disruption-of-service notice arrives. I phone to say
that I have never received a corrected bill. “We’ll make
a note not to disconnect then,” the representative
promises, “so don’t worry.” I do.

Two days later, the phone isn’t working again. Our
line is crossed with another. After 77 days we have a
working phone.

A week later Customer Relations calls to ask about
“the manner in which my recent order had been han-
dled.” I tell her, giving the names and dates of each
conversation, miscommunication, and resulting
foul-up. “This is my job,” she gushes, “to catch prob-
lems like this. I’m going to give this to my supervi-

172 The Voice of Authority