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Shaw Cable had a melt down today and out Internet access and phone service went down at 1 p.m.  The Interwebs were down!

This is a Very Bad Thing, as we are launching a big Web site tomorrow.  Having no Internet access is a bad thing generally.  Having no Internet and no phone midday on a Monday—that’s very n.s.g.

Calling the Customer Service line; got a busy signal the first three times.  Not even voice mail—busy signal.  You remember busy signals, don’t you?  Very 1989.

But the best part was the the song playing when I finally got through to be put on hold. It was “You’re out of Touch,” by Hall & Oates.  I can’t think of a more perfect hold music for this situation.  Someone has a good sense of humor.

You’re out of touch/
I’m out of time/
But I’m out of my head when you’re not around

Followed by, and I kid you not, “Red Red Wine,” by UB40.

Red, red wine
Go to my head
Make me forget that i
Still need her so

Red, red wine
It`s up to you
All I can do, i’ve done
...
Red, red wine
Stay close to me
Don`t let me be alone

Oh Shaw, you post modern wry pop culture hold music player, you.

Update: I got through, they said, basically, “Yeah, there’s a big outage, we don’t know how long or why.”  Service came back 35 minutes later at 1:35 p.m. And shortly thereafter, Shaw customer service called me back, unbidden, to make sure things were working O.K.  I forgive the busy signal.



 
 

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Comments

 

 

 

 

 

Shaw wouldn't have chosen specific songs for their on-hold music. It's just canned.

 

Posted by gillian
  at 1:19 pm on Sep. 18, 2006

 

 

 

Really? What happened to the good old days when companies even had que jockeys?

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SMG/is_n17_v12/ai_13073093

 

Posted by Travis Smith
  at 1:36 pm on Sep. 18, 2006

 

 

 

i was on hold with shaw once for over 45 minutes. when i finally got to talk to a human, i told her i had realized why it was they played kenny g and other awful hold music: it makes people hang up!

 

Posted by heather
  at 2:01 pm on Sep. 18, 2006

 

 

 

I had the same thing happen to me at home. Good to know that I wasn't alone.

 

Posted by John Bollwitt
  at 3:13 pm on Sep. 18, 2006

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