France AntiTelecom Revisited

I had another chat with my friends at France AntiTelecom this morning. I prepared myself not to expect any cordiality, and reviewed my case as I waited in the phone queue. A mere 15 minutes later, I moved into lead position. My 'problem' today as I defined it, was that our illimite linge (unlimited phone line through the internet livebox) was apparently not activated. Of course, we have now discovered this after making numerous calls to the US during peak times. Whereas, in my ideal world, I imagined being refunded for these more than likely very trop cher calls, that idea evaporated quickly.



I reiterated that I wanted the same services as last year. My customer service representative told me I could not have that. Pourquoi, I politely question? Because you can't. But, I must now make a decision immediately. From his viewpoint, I needed to switch from this plan to that plan, from a secondary resident to a permanent resident, then do this and that; and I must make a decision NOW. I'm thinking, but too afraid to ask....Or What?



Last year, we actually had two phone numbers. A landline, and a mysterious VOIP (voice over internet protocol) number that allowed us to make long-distance calls for cheap. When we used the latter number, we had to physically switch a phone connection, and then remember to switch it back. It was called the ala carte Menu, and I plodded ahead to confirm that this plan was indeed no longer available. I guess he already confirmed this and wasn't going to go over it again. I needed to make a decision now.



Although I really just wanted to tell France AntiTelecom to shove it, I knew that my name would be blacklisted for life. I told myself to grovel, praise him for his kindness, and beg him to go over (once again) the details of the new arrangement. Ah, it works. Could he do anything about the charges we racked up while we assumed the VOIP line was working? I knew I just went too far. Non, it is not possible. I have been taking up too much time. Desole. I checked my watch---it wasn't anywhere close to lunch. But I needed a drink.