Friday, November 14. 2008Is It Too Late To Go To Truck Driver's School?.....John Linton .....seeing that so many customers and employees of other ISPs think I'm a total failure as a contributor to the management of a small communications company and clearly need a job more suitable to my few abilities. (yes, I stole the head line from Top Gun but I don't know the name of the script writer to whom I should ascribe the credit). Despite the tyranny, I often get some pleasure from writing these musings as I find it helpful at the start of a day to 'digest' the morning's business news and then contemplate what I should prioritize in terms of the next things I need to address. I get more pleasure from the questions, comments and most of all the suggestions I receive from people who sometimes read these meanderings and Exetel has become a better and more efficient company from implementing many helpful ideas and recommendations from people whom I've never met. Perhaps, in a perverse way, I get almost as much pleasure from the 'highly negative' communications I get impugning almost every aspect of my personal characteristics and the actions and services of and provided by Exetel. There appear to be no limits to my personal dishonesty and crass incompetence and these dishonesties and incompetencies ensure that Exetel is the very worst ISP that Australia has ever seen amongst the very worst of that long list of failures. I figure that these poor people must be really upset about Exetel's ongoing success to feel compelled to waste their time writing their hate missives to me - expressing their wish fulfillment? Why on Earth do they bother to keep reading what I write in the first place if it annoys them so much? As someone who has lived for more than 60 years and, while not acquiring much wisdom over that time, has developed a fairly insightful view of my own lack of talents and abilities I sometimes wonder what I can ever have done to provoke such extreme and devastating hatred (a strong word but in the cases I'm referring to I think it is the only word to use) from so many people that I have never heard of. While I usually simply skim read their hate missives and then delete them I sometimes 'investigate' the ones that appear to be written by the same person more than a few times. Apart from the TPG employee who was a certifiable lunatic in sending me daily (except Saturdays) vitriolic aspersions of every aspect of my personal character and Exetel's business practices and longevity over a period of almost five consecutive months there is a surprising set of common threads that link these hate mongers. I only comment on it now because the volume of 'hate mail' I have received since Friday of last week has risen to ten times the usual volume! Something I wouldn't have believed possible. So I looked in a little more detail than I normally do in an effort to try and understand why this sudden, and seemingly spontaneous, outburst of vitriolic abuse was occurring. I found some strange correlations among the 217 'hate mails' received over the past 7 days: 1) 42% were from InterNode IP addresses 2) 40% were from Eftel IP addresses 3) 12% were from TPG IP addresses 4) None were from Exetel IP addresses 5) One Internode IP address was the source of 17 separate hate mails using 11 different 'aliases' 6) 16 other IP addresses sent 2 or more hate mails 7) I could actually identify one person from TPG and two from Eftel by name based on (in the TPG person's case an email from the same IP address and in the case of one Eftel person their crazy syntax which exactly matched other written examples on the web where they identify themselves and in the case of the other aaNet/Eftel hate monger by the repetitive, and erroneous, claim he keeps making which I first saw him state in an email with his 'signature' I was 'copied on' some years ago). What actually caused this upsurge in pathetic abuse is, and is likely to remain, a mystery to me and I'm not gong to spend any further time on it as - for whatever reason, like someone turning off a tap, there have been no hate mails over the last 24 hours having been 17 the day before. But, for those people who, for whatever strange reason, spend their time reading my inconsequential thoughts for the sole purpose of then writing abusive emails to me, please note the following: a) For the 33 separate hate mongers who claim that I am sending Exetel broke "just like you did at One.Tel - As any record, book, court case or any other verifiable published record would show - I never held any position at One.Tel that vaguely influenced its operations or its financial or other decision making (I was a minor consutant among many consultants). For you silly and pathetic people to claim otherwise simply describes how uninformed and totally stupid you are. I held a consulting assignment that was focused on, firstly, securing regional PoPs for the internet services and then securing corporate customers - neither of which had any affect on the basic issues that OneTel subsequently experienced. b) For the 14 vitriolic abusers (some of them the same as the 23 in a) above) who claim I am sending Exetel broke "just like you did at Apple/iGreen - As any record, court case or other written record would show - I worked as a consultant on a specific project at Apple for 15 months and that project had absolutely nothing to do with the reason that Apple/iGreen was removed from its owners and directors by Optus in one of the shoddier pieces of commercial trickery I have seen in a relatively long business career. During my consulting assignment I had no access to, played any part in or was consulted about any aspects of the business that subsequently caused the problems (though I'd be the first to admit that I don't know any real details). c) For the 27 cloud cuckoo land dwellers (some of whom were the same as a) and b) above) who claim I sent Swiftel broke which resulted in it being sold to PeopleTelecom - As any record will show I did 12 months of consulting at the then Swiftel on a completely separate project which resulted in the creation from zero of a quite large and successful ADSL operation at that time which, in fact, was a principal attraction for the purchase of Swiftel - nothing I did could be remotely described as being detrimental to the company - completely the reverse. d) For the 68 incoherent libelers (some of whom are the same as in a), b) and c) above) who alleged that Exetel is on the brink of having receivers/liquidators/administrators appointed and had already sacked half its employees - Exetel has submitted tax returns for the last five tax years that showed small but growing profits with the 2008 tax year return reaching the dizzy heights of a profit after all expenses but before tax of a little over $A200,000. Exetel has made a miniscule profit for all but a handful of trading months over the past almost five years. For the record also - Exetel has NEVER sacked any permanent employee in the whole of its existence. It's quite true that I have continually made references to the fact that I do think times are already tough and are going to be a lot tougher - which is why I, as a part of Exetel's decision making, have decided to do all the conservative things of raising prices, freezing capital expenditure, not replacing personnel who leave and not hiring people in Australia (and if we were stupid enough to have HR, Marketing, Sales personnel or we spent money on advertising I would have cut those areas too but we don't so it wasn't necessary). This isn't "because we are going broke" it's because it's a sensibly conservative thing to do in very unpredictable times and (and when I come to think of it what has almost certainly caused this upsurge in hate mail) basically these actions will more than double Exetel's monthly trading profit if the bad things we are anticipating don't actually occur. Maybe the reason these morons suddenly got so upset was the realization that by adding the $3.00 account charge Exetel had actually protected itself from "going broke"? But, while I know this is going to severely disappoint all you crazy (and I mean that literally - to write the way you do so constantly means you are in real need of psychiatric assistance) ill wishers - Exetel continues to make modest profits each month and isn't "firing any staff" and is unlikely to not be around for the foreseeable future. Besides - I KNOW I'm far too old to drive a truck. There is no known cure for either paranoia or intrinsic stupidity which each of you "hate mailers" clearly exhibit. Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
Comments
Display comments as
(Linear | Threaded)
Well I for one enjoy reading your thoughts John.
Paul. Comment (1)
17 hate mail and 11 aliases, did you report them to their ISP for abuse? (maybe they already know )
why is it some people aren't happy unless they're having a whinge! Comment (1)
I believe the writer of Top Gun was Jim Cash
Just an FYI Comment (1)
You should list the IP addresses. It might mean something to somebody. At least let such cowardly people know they are not as totally anonymous as they might like to think.
Comment (1)
It's a big jump to suggest that some of this mail is coming from ISP employees unless you have more specific evidence than the fact the mail is coming from other ISP's mail servers.
Comment (1)
Considering that the thread in question includes trolling comments from other ISP employees (posting under other names) then I don't believe its a long bow to draw.
How people even think that doing such a thing is anonymous in this day and age says more about them then their post. Comment (1)
Stupid is as stupid does.
Great to see yourunusual nick still around after so long. Comments (7)
It seems there are some pathetic people (and companies) out there who think that writing hate emails is somehow constructive and will affect your decisions (except to put better SPAM filters up).
Most customers and people with brains will understand the decisions and logic behind them. I enjoy reading this blog and been given an insight into how things work in the business/ISP world. Please keep it up. Comment (1)
I can only guess the reason for such emails is the individual must see you as a threat to their security. Though I can uderstand someone being concerned of their future and the threat Exetel must be in their mind but it also shows their immaturity in dealing with life and it's struggles.
Comment (1)
John,
Keep your daily blog going. I enjoy your (sometimes) rantings, and the insite into running an ISP. I even get a laugh out of your "Krudd and Stupid Stephen" commentry, even though I don't necessarily agree that telecommunications in this country would be much (if any) better if "Little Johnny" and his bunch were still in charge. My main concern is that Exetel can keep providing services to Tasmania, and the Bass Link mess is sorted! Comment (1)
The past is "another country" (and i don't remember who to ascribe that comment to.
Today - Krudd and SS are making such a dog's breakfast of the future of communications in Australia it's appropriate to condemn them as so stupid and so uninformed that they are making a bad situation worse. Comment (1)
One thing is for sure, the Whirlpool thread about this is a very funny read!
Most of the time, the posts expressing hate (and stupidity??) are much better to read than the average 'good posts,' and this topic has convincingly proved it. Comment (1)
John,
I have to agree with the above replys... I really enjoy reading and even learning from your musings. I am entering the final year of my Engineering (Telecommunications) degree and appreciate the information I gain from this blog and Steve's. To be honest I learn more from these blogs then I do from most of my lecturers. Comment (1)
John
I have stumbled upon your blog several times and find it very interesting and insightful. Not sure why you bother reading hate mail unless its from your own customers. Times are getting tougher and the companies that get to the end of this economic period with limited damage are those that have seen the light to broaden their income stream so that their relationship with their customer is multi dimensional. Good luck with the next 12 months and I will keep reading your blog (when I remember to). Also, if you are interested in broadening your services to cover anti-virus software and online backup, let me know, I am sure we can find a way to work together. AK Comment (1)
John,
keep up the good work! This is one of the best, entertaining and most informative blogs I have ever read. It offers a great depth of detail into the telecommunications business, and your political commentary also makes good reading! As for the nay-sayers, I believe you would find that these people are more than a little jealous at the success you and Exetel have achieved. They are probably even jealous of your coherent writing style! Kirk Comment (1)
John, thank you so much for the fantastic ISP that I am a happy 'family' member of.
Your posts and blogs and your direct manner are a constant source of enjoyment. I like being treated as an intelligent and articulate person who is capable of making informed decisions. You have saved me hundreds of dollars in the time I have been a customer. I dips me lid. Ian Comment (1)
Ian, thank you - I'm almost embarrassed to read such things.
Comments (7)
I too enjoy reading your blog posts and love learning about the more intricate operations of an ISP.
With Exetel making a seemingly small profit ($200,000 before tax) I find it admirable you still manage to contribute to our environment through carbon neutralisation and flora/fauna conservation. Keep up the posts. Comment (1)
John,
As I've said before, I enjoy your blogs. There is at least one non-Exetel person in this industry who enjoys your comments and insight . It sounds strange, but I hope one day to be receiving as much hate mail as you do - as another poster commented, its an indication they they feel threatened. To my mind, that's a sure sign that you're doing things right. Keep up the good work! Conrad. Comment (1)
I don't have a problem with the $3 price rise (It still leaves Exetel at pretty good value in comparison to the rest of the market), but I think calling it an "Administration charge" is a silly Telstra-style move. It just disguises the price rise (to the irritation of new customers), and makes price comparison on Broadbandchoice etc harder.
It's anti-customer, and it's also completely unnecessary. At $3 extra, Exetel is still generally in the top 3 or 4 for price/gigabyte, so why be ashamed? Just add $3 to the listed price on the page and you'll have a lot fewer irate first-time customers who only notice the charge on their first bill. Comment (1)
1) As the account administration charge doesn't apply to new plans there can be no cause for confusion. and they won't "notice it ontheir first bill" because it won't be there.
2) As many current Exetel customers have multiple services one accout charge is far better than multiple account charges. 3) I suppose I should make more allowances for today's consumer's functional inability to actually read what is written. Comments (7)
The $3 charge doesn't apply to new ADSL2+ customers? On the "Other" Charges page (http://www.exetel.com.au/a_payment.php) it says that it does.
Comment (1)
When the new ADSL2 plans are put up the charge wil be included in the base prices - as it has been to the new ADSL1 plans.
Comments (7)
I also enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work.
Comment (1)
I have a basic rule in life that no matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, you'll always encounter at least one dickhead who wants to ruin it for everybody. Or, in your case, 217 of the buggers!
Keep up the great work. I really enjoy reading your blog every day. Maybe publish a "Top 10" hate emails at the end of the year? Might be a good laugh. Comment (1)
Although I agree it would be a good laugh, you're forgetting that publishing the emails would encourage them.
Comment (1)
|
Calendar
QuicksearchArchivesCategoriesBlog AdministrationExternal PHP Application |