Dave Chakrabarti Footnotes in Technivism

The solution, of course, was simple. I eventually took pity on the Sunrocket CSR and explained: you set up a fixed ip address on your machine, access the router switch to dhcp, go back and tell your tcpip connection to get an ip address from the dhcp server again, and then repair the connection in XP.

So now he's confused, and knows he's screwed up. Unfortunately SR has no system for escalating calls other than to send it to tech support. This was a call center in the Philipines...if you're lucky enough to get one here, you might have better luck.

Anyway, so he hangs up on me, on the pretense of transferring me directly to tech support, so they won't have to call me back. I call back again, and get a new breed of idiot, who makes me jump through the same hoops. I refuse halfway, and demand to speak to a supervisor. She says no. Reminding her that I work in internet marketing, have several blogs, and will share my experiences with the BBB, FCC, my organization (a network of community technology centers and advocates) and God, she changes her mind.

Supervisor arrives, we go through the same process. He's marginally more intelligent, and has received my angry emails on this matter. He apologises. Swears he'll call me back in 15 minutes at the number I give him, which he also says he has on his caller ID.

It's now 2 days later. I haven't heard from SR via phone. The first and second techs both said they would email me if they couldn't get me on the phone, and i haven't gotten an email from them, either.

To be fair, I plugged my friend's into her router, tried it, and it was working perfectly in a couple of minutes, with no problems.

My recommendation: If you aren't seriously involved with networking, stay AWAY from SR. It's totally hit or miss if it'll work for you or not, and if it doesn't, Dante would be proud of the ensuing purgatory.

On the other hand, you'll be cleansed of any sins you (or your family, ancestors, friends, neighbors, race, etc) may have committed. And there are girls who like those holes on your scalp from tearing your hair out, too.

I'm currently waiting for a response from Sunrocket, either via email or telephone, and will be trying to get them on the phone again at some point soon. It's hard to find time to deal with this when you're working insane hours for various nonprofits and trying to find time for a social / personal life on the side...