Long Version, there is a TLDR at the end.
I'm really not looking to yell, gnash my teeth and froth at the mouth but I feel like it's comin' on. So, first some history.
Last October we had a DSL line installed. At the time we were told the only speed available to us was 768 kps, because we were too far from the HUB. My girlfriend had bought her grandfather's old house and the cable had been paid in advance for several months. Girlfriend wanted to keep that until it ran out, so, grumble grumble, we took the 768kps.
Now we live in a decent size town in Connecticut and there is an ATT center maybe 4 minutes away. But I understand, lines don't always take the shortest path and once upon a time this neighborhood was a little secluded.
Finally though, 768 got intolerable (don't mess with my gf's love of Farmville. Just don't.) She marched down the road and around the corner to the att store and complained. Well, squeeky wheels it seems. Suddently we could have the 1.5 mps package, and apparently the cost was exactly the same. But we couldn't have faster because they weren't upgrading something or other because UVerse is coming. Ooookay. Cool. We can live with 1.5 until Uverse arrives.
A couple of weeks ago, her mother was looking into UVerse and was told they aren't running the lines to her neighborhood. The best she can hope for is the UVerse satellite package. Oh, sorry, forgot to mention, her mother lives next door to us. Literally next house up the shared drive. I game. Satellite no beuno. Oh and nevermind that there is a VRAD on our street, between our house and the first major crossroad in that direction. But I guess that UVerse isn't for us, it's for... other people.
A few weeks ago I noticed a pattern with our service. Every time it sprinkles, the connection gets bad. If it full on rains, it gets horrible. It's one of those things that a lot of folks might not quite catch. They might go, jees, this page is going slow. But as I said, I game. I have a constant ping monitor on my screen saying, "Hey bud, go ahead and press a button. It should resolve... in 5 or 6 seconds if you're lucky and aren't dropped."
So I went investigating. I learned about NID boxes and how the company is supposed to install them because that is their equipment and outside the actual house. And I learned sometimes they have a bad seal and water gets in. So I went looking for it. I did not find one.
What I found was the cover to some sort of box lying 3 feet away in the grass. And the connection, is not an NID. It is just the wires off the line into a much older style coupler to tie them to the lines inside the house. Now I had read that while certainly not ideal, especially for DSL, it should still work and figured that for the most part it was working, just not when wet. I cussed, I swore and I called for divine wrath upon the tech who left the cover off. Then I put it back on, waited for things to dry out and went about my busines.
Today it rained again. And the internet went to crap. I checked. The cover is on, and snug. So I got curious and went looking about. It turns out there is another line on the garage, that doesn't even have a box. Just wires and some plywood and screws. I'm not even kidding here. There used to be an office in there, but we don't use it and that line should be deactivated. Scary to look at, but I think to myself, that can't be the problem. It doesn't feed back into the house line. So I look some more.
We live on a hill and have quite a ways down to the road. As such there is one pole that has the lines for all the homes and another pole to support the line to our house. I look on that second pole. Lo and behold, halfway up the pole is a connection "box" with a similar connector as to what is on the house: just connecting the regular lines to the run of wire heading off our way. And there is no cover on it. Or lying anywhere near it that I can see.
Two bundles of exposed wires have been borking my DSL connection since installation, and both are outside the home and the responsibility of the installer. For you viewing enjoyment, some pictures:
First, a dramatic re-enactment of the wires into the house, as I initially found them. In fairness, I took the cover back off to take this photo and put it back on afterward. This is merely to illustrate my points that A) This should have been covered and B) This isn't even a modern NID by a long shot.
Next Up, the garage: I don't think this line is actually connected to anything at the moment but well, I think it speaks volumes in and of itself in the "Who installed this, isn't this the phone company's job?" department.
And last but not least, the newest discovery on the pole leading to the house. Now I don't know if this is THE problem. But it certainly doesn't look good.
So, work with me here AT&T. Tell me how we, and by we I mean you, fix this. My understanding is, all these things being on the outside of the home and on a pole, make them your responsibility. Not mine. I can of course go to the Connecticut Department of Utility Control for a definitive answer on that if you prefer. I mean, if I'm wrong I'm wrong you know? I wouldn't want anything to be ambiguous.
I'm giving you an opportunity here, to make me a happy customer (hint: the wording there implies that I am in fact, not a happy customer. This presumption would be quite correct.) The ball is in your court, go for the three point shot, stun us all.
PS: If you could do something about that whole crappy DSL speeds because UVerse line upgrades that aren't apparently actually coming, are coming, thing that would be great. I'm not great at holding my breath though.
TLDR Version:
I've been putting up with crap speeds based on an effective lie about eventual UVerse in my neighborhood AND I have been putting up with crappy delivery of services because of an exceptionally poor job on installation and equipment maintenance. Fix it.
