INTERNET INCOMPATABILITY

Prior to converting to an Internet cable connection, I had AT&T’s DSL service.  It was infinitely faster than the dial-up I had been using and I was delighted with it.  However, you know there’s always something.  When I tried to access my American Express account with this speedy DSL, I couldn’t.  That was very strange because I could open just about every other site I wanted.  So of course I called AT&T’s technical support. I think I must have spoken to about three extremely nice, knowledgeable fellows who tried their best to make it work but no dice. The last one suggested I contact American Express.

I usually write letters to presidents with complaints but this situation required a conversation. So I called American Express. Now this company has terrific Customer Representatives. I have found them to be courteous, competent and they never called me Diane. I’m old-fashioned and think that strangers should use your last name. I know that concept is virtually passé but when a stranger on the phone calls me by my first name, the hairs on the back of my neck bristle.

Back to the problem. The reps tried to be helpful but they had no success either.  The last person I spoke with gave me the name and number of a gentleman in the Chairman’s office in Florida suggesting that perhaps he could do something. Without wasting any time, I called him and he was the nicest, most hospitable and helpful person. Coincidentally, as I was explaining this peculiar problem to him, my other line rang and there was the techie from AT&T calling to learn if American Express could solve the problem. 

Well, since I’m no techie but not a dummy either, I conferenced him in with the fellow at AmEx since they talk technical lingo and I quietly listened. The AmEx fellow couldn’t understand why it didn’t work but he had a super technical department in his area and so he conferenced her in. We now had a four-way conversation. It was rather amusing. The two techies talked to each other in that foreign vocabulary of computers and they couldn’t figure out why I couldn’t open the site but the bottom line was I couldn’t. No one understood it. Bummer.

The AmEx gentleman was really perplexed by this and terribly sorry I had gone through all this agita to access their site. As a consolation gift, he gave me a credit on my account and suggested I take myself out for a good dinner.  Now wasn’t that amazing?  This spectacular service, his efforts and the quality of their Reps places American Express in my Good Guys Hall of Fame.

           

PS.  Happily, I converted to a cable connection and guess what? No problem opening the AmEx site.  Apparently, on my old PC, DSL and AmEx were simply incompatible. As the King of Siam said, “A puzzlement.”