Poor TMNet Service

The reason I missed a lot of posts (add in the fact that I forget things easily) is due to the absence of a proper, stable line. Ever since I came back on the 22nd November, I've been relying on Vodafone Broadband as my Screamyx was out of order. For most of you who are familiar with it, the yellow LEDs on the router were not all lit up. WLAN ok, DSL yes connected, and the last and vital LED the Internet was not lit up. So that means no internet.

Calls upon calls were fruitless. Below are the chronology of how we tried to fix the problem:

Week 1:
Call #1: Calling 100, we were told to cabut this and that cable, splitter and all those shit. But I'm no idiot. From past experience, if the router can connect to the server DSL in Semenanjung in less than 10 seconds, Internet should be okay what on condition you have paid the bills.

Troubleshooting #1: Despite the busyness of the week like renewing passport and stuff, my sis and dad helped send the whole router and bills to solve the problem at the local TMNet (bill as proof of payment and router just in case it was the problem). Then we were told it was the router as it wasn't used for the past 2 months (away for semester, most use broadband due to traveling). The dude fixed, reset the password and settings thingy and said it was good to go. Went home, same shit. Last LED the internet was not lit.

Call#2: Just a simple call to local TMNet telling about the problem, and was told the complain has been sent and pending response in 2 days.

Call #3: Called the 100 again, same shit about splitter thingy etc. And then was told "underground cable putus" "5 other people complained and faced the same thing". ... ... ... Should've told this earlier. But asking where these complainants were from to find out if it's a local problem the answer was "tak tahu"... I suspected that can't be the problem because loads of other dead-free and bored Sibu friends were online and playing Facebook happily. Called it a day because 'the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing'...

WEEK 2
Troubleshooting #2: Local TMNet again, with the same frustration. Upon being told about the same problem, we were told the complain will be resent and pending reply in 2 days. Again.

Troubleshooting #3: Went to Medan Mall with the router to see if it was really the problem. Like most stuff going to repair, it worked magically in front of the tauke and made us waste time only. But it did not work on our home account. Confirm something is wrong with the account. I suspected the payment confirmation was not verified by the office in the Peninsular. In other words, one of the workers slacked off and forgot to activate the account. Why? Look at Call #4...

Call #4: At the same place and time at Medan Mall while the tauke showing off to me a Yahoo page with Obama on the headlines using our router, my Big Boss made a stern call to 100. I asked the tauke to try again using our home account. Miraculously, it worked. I signaled a thumbs up to my Big Boss as he continued to blast the TM dude on the phone.

Aduh headache la this Malaysian office culture... I'll reluctantly quote one of my juniors' wise sayings (because I'm Malaysian, he's Malaysian and sadly the culture is deeply embeded);

"If there is a Malaysian working in the admin, there's always problem..."