Frustrations of a technology slave

Like basic utilities such as electricity and water, technology has crept into our everyday lives in such a way that we have become so dependent on it even when we know that it's not a perfect system.

If you make a random survey of the things that people can't live without, you're likely to find a cellular phone on the list. A fellow IT journalist, Riza Olchondra, argued a very good point when I asked her that question. She said she can live without her mobile phone if all the people around her do not have a cell phone as well. "It's no longer a luxury, but a necessity," she told me.

If Riza cannot exist without a phone by her side, the opium for me is the Internet. Although I can live without the Internet for a day or two, it's an entirely different matter if you don't have access to it for almost a week. The situation becomes even more unbearable if your job is dependent on it.

This is what exactly happened to me over the last few days. As an IT correspondent who works mostly on a freelance basis, I don't have my own office. I submit stories to my editor, and I'm paid for the number of stories that comes out on our paper. More often than not, I write my stories (and this blog) at home using a wireless broadband Internet connection provided by Philippine mobile operator, Smart Communications.

A unique service, Smart Bro as it called, uses an antenna to obtain a signal from the nearest cell site, which is then transmitted down to the subscriber via a copper wire. This ingenious set-up has allowed Smart to rapidly expand and provide Internet access to far-flung areas as long as there is a cell site. It has become quite successful that it recently offered a pre-paid version of the service.

I was one of the few pilot users of Smart Bro when it was launched about three years ago. I was initially impressed with the set-up and the decent speed of the connection. And so, after the test period ended, I decided to formally sign up for the service. But it was a mistake; it was downhill from there.

I can't recall the number of times I've had to call the tech support hotline just to have the connection restored. Often, the helpdesk agent on the other end of the line would require me to conduct a number of tests. If my PC is indeed not getting any signal, the agent would then ask the higher-level technical guys to call me just to check if my connection was indeed busted.

And, Smart customers better answer their call or else the operator's helpdesk agents would indicate in their report that your phone rung but no one answered it, and that you're not interested in having your connection fixed.

It is only after all of these steps are done that a third-party contractor is sent to check or replace the antenna. And when that happens, you should make sure you're at home to greet him or you'll have to go through the whole process again.

Late last year, out of desperation, my sister and I decided to just get another wireless broadband service from Smart's main competitor, Globe Telecom. But alas, more than a month after we paid our subscription, not a single soul from Globe even bothered to call or pay us a visit. Disgusted, we asked for a refund which we got two or three months later.

And so, we ended up staying with Smart Bro, which I must say was not a wise decision either. I should have searched for a provider of a "wired" broadband connection after we got our refund.

The past six days without Internet connection have been extremely frustrating for me. Adding to the woes is Smart Bro's hotline number, which has been experiencing technical difficulties over the last few days. Today alone, I had to call six or seven times just to get through to an agent. And once you get hold of an agent, the line would be suddenly cut off and there's no recourse but to repeat the agony all over again.

The last agent I talked to promised that a contractor will be sent to our house on Wednesday morning to fix the problem. I hope that's true.

I recognize the fact the no system is perfect. But problems like these have been recurring for a long time now--again and again. Smart Bro is allowing itself to become a repeat offender, and it needs to do something to stop resolve this problem.

Meanwhile, I'm writing this post in an Internet café while reading a story on how my favorite team LA Lakers was again beaten by the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the ongoing NBA finals.