I've Been Punk'd

The NPR story below is about the Verizon workers strike that's currently in effect. Of note - not that they explain it - is when the reporter mentions that Verizon claims to have suffered sabotage at striking workers hands. I wish they made more of this, because I can attest to it. I got punk'd by a Verizon employee, and because of it I haven't had phone service since Sunday and don't know when I will have phone service!

Or... maybe I didn't get punk'd by a striking worker. Maybe it was one of the managers left on duty that messed up my phone because of incompetence. Which is it? I'm not sure. You tell me.



So, as we're about to rent out our house, I've been doing lots of small (and large) projects around the house. One thing I'd noticed was that our phone junction box had come a bit loose and was missing a screw. I called them last week and asked for somebody to come buy and just secure the box properly. Appointment was set for Monday.

On Sunday I was surprised to find a Verizon van showing up. A day early? Well, all right, I thought, nothing wrong with that. The guy was, in retrospect, a little ill at ease, but he was a Verizon employee and I had put in for a service call. So I thought nothing of it. It took him all of five minutes to do the work, and then he left. Fine, right?

Nope. Later I tried to use the phone. Nothing. No dial tone. Not a sound on it. Let me be clear. My phone service was fine before the guy came out; when he left, it didn't work. Not only didn't it work, but I also can't call Verizon because the people who answer the phones are on strike too. I'm screwed. For all I know, Verizon doesn't even know that my phone is out, though I've tried calling, emailing and requesting service online. Nothing really seems to work.

Of course, I didn't know about the strike until after they guy left. Now it seems possible that some workers, like him, were on missions to disrupt service and turn the screws on their bosses. Thing is, the only one suffering in this case is me. Who knows when I'll get my phone back? And the timing couldn't be worse as I'm leaving the country in a week. I have phone calls to make! And I have renters coming in that are going to want a phone. For that matter, I'm pissed because I feel actually endangered. My house in the woods doesn't have cell-phone service. If there's an emergency... If I have a heart attack or something, I'm screwed.

Now, I don't plan on doing that - have a heart attack, I mean. But the point is that that worker didn't know anything about me or my family when he guaranteed disruption of my phone. If that's what happened it's stupid. Annoying. Ironic, too. I'm the type of guy that supports workers rights, that's pro-union in general. I want these employees to have decent pay and healthcare, etc. I also want this employee to come back to my house so I can punch him in the belly.

Or... maybe I'm wrong. I have doubt. You see, I just went out and saw some Verizon workers picketing. I stopped and had a chat. I explained my support of their complaints, and told my story. The guys I spoke to assured me that no union worker would do that stuff. They say they were all off work all day Sunday, since the strike went into effect before that. What they think happened is that one of the managers came out to the house instead. This manager, not really knowing what he was doing, caused the problem. Snapped a wire. Made a mistake of some sort. Seems kinda plausible...

So now I'm left not knowing what to think. I just wish I could pick up the phone and voice that annoyance to somebody! Get somebody to fix it!

Boston Business Journal on the Issue

Boston.com as well