I'm currently running at 62k download speed, and a 500k upload speed. I checked absolutelly everything on my end, and then decided to call charter.

Wow. This is the first. Mark my word. The FIRST time I've ever got a clearly speaking american person's voice.

And they knew what they were talking about.

Joe, his name was, answered all of my questions, realizing I myself wasn't a blathering idiot. He didn't ask me to check my internet settings, he didn't even ask me to do anything. I told him I used speakeasy, he knew what it was, and DIDN'T make me use the charter up/download test. He took my word, and he knew what I was talking about.

He talked to me like a fellow informed techy. He had just gotten a call from someone in my area having the same issues, however, he couldn't access the administration powers in my area because it's run by a smaller branch of the company.

But seriously, this guy KNEW what I was talking about. He wasn't typing as I talked to him, looking up the term "windsock." He was informed, logical, and overall friendly.

Is the idea of CUSTOMER SUPPORT slowly changing these days? This is the first time I've ever called a company to be greated by someone that knew just as much, if not more than me. The person wasn't reading a script, and he wasn't treating me like a bafoon.

In either case, living in near 56k connections is a pain I hope none of you cable users will EVER have to experience.

Tell about your GOOD tech support stories, or, of course, the bad ones.

M-M-M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILLLLLLL.

That's good news, man!

Wow, I didn't know people like that still existed.

Seriously, try calling up Dell tech support and you get "Heylo, Dell Taech Sah-port, how may I be of serwice Sir! Please hurry up and get off the line, I have a wife and ten mouths to feed in my poor little third world country that is being taken advantage of by giant American corporations, because I'll work for dirt, thus making the company richer and depriving Americans of jobs..."

>_<

This one time I called tech support, and I got an Indian (from India) lady on the line, and I couldn't understand her.

Wait, that was every time.

...

When I called Dell I found their tech support to be very good.

I still returned the laptop though.

Local computer work shop, guy named Joe. Yeah, he is AWESOME. Helped set up our Direcway, realized I was watching everything he did in a curious way to see what he was doing, and explained a few things. Even invited me to a LAN party that he invites people to monthly, but didn't go because I had other things.

Joe is just awesome.

Joe is the character i have used in every story since grade 5
[full name Joe Albert Kerbobsky, Currently resides in poland]
[not real, Fictional character]

Yeah but Zloc isn't polish.

No, I'm German. And I'm in America. So you lose.

Oh, and I'm not kidding about this Joe I know. He seriously was awesome.

You still aren't Polish...

Unless Germany is doing something and not telling the world about it.

My iRiver stopped functioning once, well over a year outside the warranty for it.

I got online, started looking for ways to fix it, figured I'd take a shot and sent the support an email.

The NEXT DAY they had an RMA number for me, and my iRiver was heading back for repairs. The were unable to fix it, so they gave me a brand new unopened package of the device (complete with fancy new firmware features, and more headphones and USB cables, woohoo), for free, and I only had to pay shipping TO them.

I received the new package only 2 weeks after I sent it away.

If iRiver ran for president, I'd vote for them

YAY! Joe got it fixed for me immediatly! 1536kb/s is BACK!!!! Oh sweet mercy.

Aaaaaaaand the point of this is?

I had the same experience with Wacoms tech support when I got my tablet. The driver installer wasn't working, so I called them up.

I got connected to a techy working from a home office about 30 miles from me. I let him know EXACTLY what was wrong, and what I had tried and what I thought might be the problem. By the time I finished explaining it was clear to him I knew what I was doing so he said he would try and replicate the issue since it wasn't a common one. This took about 5-8 minutes, during the time we made small talk about the new nvidia cards and photoshop. During the time he was replicating the issue, I solved it myself. I let him know what had happened (a currently running process was interfering with the installer, so I had to end it) so he could note it. Then we parted ways, after I thanked him for being awesome despite him not getting to help me.