Hugh's Knot or Just up a [Dirt] Street

Hugh's Knot

or

Just up the [Dirt] Street

I am so fascinated with attitude.  What interests me the most is how much more control I have over my emotions now, than I used to.  My internet went into slo-mo today, for no fathomable reason.  If I call Hugh’s Knot, I will end up talking fruitlessly, to a person seven thousand miles away, after first listening to the hideous tape on the Fair Act Policy.  The first time I made the call, I geared myself up for the inevitable tech frustration, and was rewarded handsomely.  After all, one of the definitions for "knot" provided by my Webster's NewWorld Dictionary is that of a problem, difficulty or entanglement.

“Good morning, sir. My name-uh ees Ralph.  How ees eet that I-uh may help you?”

“Good morning, Ralph.  There is something wrong with my internet service.”

“Can you eh-describe-uh to me, what eet ees that the uneet ees doing-uh?”

“Yes.  It is slow-about five minutes to access a single site.”

“Yes, sir.  I believe that you have-uh violated the Fair Act Policy.”

“How did I do that?  All I was doing was some emailing.”

“Have you been uploading videos or  downloading museec? That will treegger a slow down.”

“No, I have not.  I use words, only.  I have not downloaded, uploaded or unloaded any videos, movies or trucks.  Please make the necessary adjustment.”

“Let me check your heestory, Sir.  Yes, I can see that you have done nothing that would treegger a slow down.”

“Then you can fix it?”

“That I cannot-uh say, Sir...”

And so it goes when you call the tech-support personnel at Hugh’s Knot.  Each time I call, I end up systematically breaking down over the course of the exchange, out of frustration.  The first time I called, I was outraged that I was unfairly impacted, through no fault of my own.  I was very demanding, and would not settle for anything other than immediate resumption of normal service.   Shockingly, I got it.

  I do not download music or videos.  I deal in words.  Words take up a fraction of the memory that videos and music take.  Yet, once a month, as regularly as I get a bill from Hugh’s Knot, I get the dispensation of service.

How can a company get away with bad service?  They can because we live in a rural area.  Because we do not have the numbers of an urban setting, they can rake us over the coals.  If you don’t like it SIr, just try the provider up the [dirt] street.

That is why I no longer take the time, nor expend the energy, to place a call to a company with such low concern for its customers.  Now when I encounter the slow-downs, I swallow my irritation, focus on my word processor, and use the net only when I need to post a piece on my blog, or make a comment on another.  

When I decide to invest the time to use the net during a slow down, I resign myself to five minute delays, between steps in the process.  Therefore, I do not sit in front of my laptop; I occupy myself with another task, such as clearing off everything from the pool table.  Work five minutes, drift back to the computer, enter another command, and return to the pool table.

Is it annoying?  Sure, it is, but it is also a lot better than either getting mad, or not being able to access the net at all.  The point I am trying to make, is that it is all in my head.  I can make the determination that I am going to embark on a course of action that allows me to stay as relaxed as possible, with no room for variation, and have a smooth go of it.  Or I can attempt the impossible, by getting Hugh’s Knot to make the necessary adjustment in the shop, to allow me normal access to the net.

Unfortunately, the first time’s success sent me the wrong message.  if  I call up and work hard to assert myself, I get what I want, but I pay a steep price.  If I take the road of less resistance, I end up with poor internet service all day.  Well, at least I have a choice, and I choose to go the easy route, even if it seems that Hugh’s Knot gets the better end of the deal.   

Besides, if I play my cards right I get the pool table cleared off.  Maybe the next time I get a slow down, I should finally clean out the attic.  It needs it.