Today, we are working with Fair Point on yet another outage. This time it’s a T1 line from Brandon to Middlebury, Vermont. After the standard “It’s customer
equipment” line (which we now believe is a standard response), and a full day of down time, Fair Point finally dispatched a technician…. to the wrong end of the T1. I realized this only when he was asking about “the other T1 line” in the router. When I said “there’s only one line” I realized he was looking at the Brandon router, not the Middlebury one.
Here’s how I imagine their troubleshooting process looks:
More Love for Fair Point
Today I decided that, since we never use it, it was time to ditch our toll-free phone number. Why should I continue to pay $30/mo for something we never use? So I called Fair Point and after re-reading the account number twice was able to get the account canceled “on one end.” However, I was told I needed to call another number to finish up the cancelation.
First question: why do I have to call two numbers?
So I called the second number and, when it asked what number I was calling about I keyed it in. Of course, there was no record of the 800# in their system.
After being on hold for 16:55 minutes, and repeated “Thank you for holding. Someone will be right with you,” messages, I finally got through to someone. I was very careful not to give out my main phone number, for fear of them disconnecting that instead.
Conclusion: Fair Point is overworked/whelmed by the northern New England Verizon acquisition.
Social Engineering Win, Hotel Security FAIL
This weekend I checked out of the hotel I stayed at in Boston. Thinking I wasn’t going back to my room, I left my keys and other miscellaneous (non-personally-identifiable) paperwork in the room. Among said paperwork were a few complimentary drink coupons, which I realized I could use for coffee at breakfast. Continue reading “Social Engineering Win, Hotel Security FAIL”
Heartland and RBS De-listed From PCI List
This Tech Target article explains that RBS and Heartland have “got some splainin’ to do.” Continue reading “Heartland and RBS De-listed From PCI List”
Fair Point and Noise on the Line
Something about this post seems really familiar, but I can’t place my finger on it. No really, it reminds me of something. I could swear I’ve ranted against the phone company, whether it was Verizon or Fair Point, before… why could that be? Continue reading “Fair Point and Noise on the Line”
Dell System Analyzer Is a Waste of Time
While looking for hardware upgrades for a client’s server this morning, I decided to run the Dell hardware analyzer via their website to save myself the time of digging up the Dell Service Tag or running a one-line PowerShell command, I watched as the system installed an ActiveX control in the browser (always a pleasent feeling…)? and identified the server as…
a P703w All-in-One Printer
OR
V505 & V505w All-in-One (PRODUCT) RED (tm) Printer.
Uhm. Okay. Right… That was helpful.
GCFW: GIAC Certified Firewall Analyst
As of the time I’m writing this, you can see I am the newest GCFW. From the GIAC website, this means I now
- “…have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to design, configure, and monitor routers, firewalls, and perimeter defense systems.?
Combine that with my GSNA
from last year, which states that I
- “… have the knowledge, skills and abilities to apply basic risk analysis techniques and to conduct a technical audit of essential information systems”?
and it seems that I really need to get back to work with these skill thingies I’ve accumlated!
Windows XP is Still Available, Says Amazon
Amazon.com just sent me an email telling me that Windows XP is still available. Well cool! I’ll definitely be using a couple more copies of Windows XP Home or Windows XP Professional.
Comodo's EasyVPN Landing Page is an Attack Site?
After listening to a recent episode of the Data Security Podcast, I was intrigued with Comodo’s free VPN product. Continue reading “Comodo's EasyVPN Landing Page is an Attack Site?”
Are We There Yet?
This weekend, thanks to my friend’s small child, I had a brilliant suggestion for auto makers and after market car whiz-bang installers: Stop installing DVD players in the back seat (which just perpetuate the military industrial entertainment complex) and GPS receivers in the dashboard (which lead to distracted drivers and accidents).
Instead, put the display for the GPS in the back seat. What does this accomplish?
- Drivers are no longer visually distracted by GPS maps. Instead, they can ask the kid in the back seat, who will be more than happy to provide navigation functions.
- Drivers are no longer distracted by the sound of “are we there yet? Are we there yet,” from the back seat.
- Kids learn the value of being helpful, which both pleases the parents and speeds the journey.
Obviously a person driving solo can’t use a GPS display in the back seat, so maybe you need two, but still, skip the DVD player.
Think about it.