Private Lines
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Private Line covers what has occurred, is occurring, and will ocurr in telecommunications. Since communication technology constantly changes, you can expect new content posted regularly.

Consider this site an authoritative resource. Its moderators have successful careers in the telecommunications industry. Utilize the content and send comments. As a site about communicating, conversation is encouraged.

Writers

Thomas Farely

Tom has produced privateline.com since 1995. He is now a freelance technology writer who contributes regularly to the site.

His knowledge of telecommunications has served, most notably, the American Heritage Invention and Technology Magazine and The History Channel.
His interview on Alexander Graham Bell will air on the History Channel the end of 2006.

Ken Schmidt

Ken is a licensed attorney who has worked in the tower industry for seven years. He has managed the development of broadcast towers nationwide and developed and built cell towers.

He has been quoted in newspapers and magazines on issues regarding cell towers and has spoke at industry and non-industry conferences on cell tower related issues.

He is recognized as an expert on cell tower leases and due diligence processes for tower acquisitions.

« TDMA networks to CDMA | | Telephone History Circa 1952 »

January 17, 2005

Posted by Tom Farley & Mark van der Hoek at 03:34 PM

Dealing with customer service

Q. I'm having a terrible time dealing with Verizon's customer service. This is about *288. Any advice?

A. From J.R. Snyder Jr.:
The writer doesn't state which option he is pressing on *228. After keying the digits the user has two options: pressing 1 to reprogram the phone, or pressing 2 to update its roaming capabilities.

Option 1 usually programs the phone with a changed telephone number.

Option 2 updates the PRL. As Mark van der Hoek has said previously, *228 updates the mobile's PRL, the Preferred Roaming List. That's a list of what channels and what operators the phone can use, and affects your ability to roam. If the PRL isn't right, you can have problems. Telling a customer to do a *228 has become a shortcut way for customer service to get you off the line.

It would be fair to say that most Customer Service Reps are pretty clueless. These are the people who answer the phone on Verizon's 611 or 800 numbers. They are not Tier 1 anything, not Technical Support anyway. Their objective is to get you off the line so they can sell, sell, sell. . ." continues here ---> (internal link)

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