John Linton ....on the assumption that some people will actually be working on Monday 24th......not necessarily a good assumption as they seem to have already gone on leave around, at least some parts of, the telecommunications industry.
I was reminded that this year is effectively over for the majority of Exetel's suppliers by the number of 'out of office' responses I got to my emails over the weekend and this morning. Of course the 'embargoes' of new infrastructure provisioning seem to start earlier each year and last longer but I've become accustomed to that and the few remaining ways round such restrictions.
I amused myself, though I'm not sure "amused" is quite the state of mind generated, by seeing how long it took to get a reply from one of Exetel's largest suppliers to my query on when a vital piece of infrastructure (that was already weeks overdue) would be completed. So I started last Wednesday at 11 am to try and get a direct answer to a question that I regarded as relatively important. As the supplier is pretty unhelpful in providing a usable escalation process/contact details, this took some time and more than a little ingenuity to actually carry out. When I originally asked for a base 'organisation chart' some years ago I was told I'd never need one as "your account manager' will always be available and has the ability to source whatever resources might be needed from time to time to address any requirements".
Fair enough....I've personally never known that scenario to ever be practical but then my experiences must be far more limited than those of the wet behind the ears junior ****head whose pontification I just quoted verbatim from his sanctimonious email. (of course he left that supplier shortly after writing that email and I actually never met him face to face).
I had the current 'account manager's' contact details (whom I've also never met) and after his office phone and mobile went to voice mail and there was no reply to an email after 24 hours I gave up on him.
So, courtesy of his voice mail, I repeated the process with his voice mail suggested 'back up contact' "in the event my request was urgent". Same result; voice mail and no response to my email.
By spending 10 minutes of oleaginous persuasion I managed to get the name and contact number of the current 'account manager's manager from some general contact number I obtained after an almost 20 minute wrestle with multiple IVRs and three helpful but in the event useless people who transferred me through their IVR mazes.
Same result - call went to email. I used the same email name convention to send my query but received no reply to the three versions of the address I sent it to.
So late on Friday of last week I again wrestled with the IVR maze and the helpful but uninformed personnel who are integrated in to that process and eventually obtained the contact number and, heaven's above, their email address of the manager's manager's manager. In jubilation I immediately called trying to get through before 5.00 pm on a Friday. Pointless. Call switched to his PA - PA's number switched to voice mail.
So I sent an email and got an immediate reply!
"I'll be away from the office on annual leave........."
So I called 'legal'. Got on to someone or other who suggested I send them a letter, by fax if I wished, outlining my complaint and I would get a response within seven working days. No matter how I'd tried to explain I hadn't got a complaint, at least at this stage, but I wanted some information (and no my account manager and his back up were not responding to my calls and emails). She, politely could provide no further contact details but would look out for my fax but apologised that she was going on a month's annual leave starting in a few minutes.
So I sent a fax to 'legal' and I suppose I'll wait until December 19th December for a response.
One last try - earlier this morning - I called the CEO's office. Voice mail from the PA rostered to take such calls.
I wonder just how many days a year and how many hours a day people within larger telecommunications companies actually work at their jobs?
Given that I can't actually contact any people in some telecommunications companies in the ways and for the time frames I've set out above - perhaps the word 'telecommunications' should be redefined for such companies?
No wonder their prices are "premium" - they have to pay a whole lot of salaries to people who don't actually do any work for days at a time.