Most excellent and timely service.
By katerina
@thea09 (18305)
Greece
October 19, 2009 5:23am CST
I often remark on, but accept, the slow pace of getting things done over here in Greece. The most common phrase is 'meth avrio' which means the day after tomorrow. I've adjusted really well to the three hour wait at the bank, the slow service in cafenions, the constant strikes, the endless beurocracy, it's all just part of life.
Last week one of the storms knocked my land line out, but I'm not sure what day, as when I took calls it was on the mobile whilst out (no reception on that in the house). I didn't realise until after 2 pm on Friday which is too late to get anything done till after the weekend, but did report it, and was told that the engineers would be round between 8 and 1l am today, Monday. They don't need directions to my isolated place as are regular visitors after bad weather, and despite many people I know waiting one to two weeks when told Monday, I knew mine would be fixed as the first time I had a problem I had a well connected Greek report it so since then have always had a bit of nepotistic service, all in who you know. Anyway the phone was ringing again by 9am. So most excellent service.
How long do you waste waiting in for people to turn up to do these things, do they turn up when they are supposed to or are you left taking an unneeded day off work?
6 people like this
13 responses
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
19 Oct 09
We now have our phone through our cable company and we have had only 1 outage since we went to this type of phone over a year ago. The time it went out I was still able to use the internet so I could "talk" with the company with instant messenger and within a few hours they had the phone back up and working. It was a system wide outage and they never did say what happened to cause it.
2 people like this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
Hi Zeph, it's always much easier when it's system wide and every one gets hit at the same time as there are more people all complaining about it at the same time. I've lost count of how many times I've had them round now to fix mine, the slightest bit of lighening (which is usually a recurring daily event in winter), throws the line out. I do unplug the modem though these days as I once left the computer on through it and the motherboard exploded, we actually heard it above the thunder.
1 person likes this
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
19 Oct 09
thea, long story! Here goes; one of my clients (lawyer, Fed. Gov't) lives in Vancouver, weekend home here on Galiano with NO phone...NO cell reception! Husband has stroke due to blood infection. She (Heather) arranges with Telus to have phone installed. A Thursday! Telus must have access. She asks me to be there, as intallation, anytime between 12 noon-5p.m. Leaving home @11:38, Telus phones, installation is already in @ outside of house! What the hey...I've cancelled everything else for the day! But Heather wants them to hook-up the phone inside of the house ($19.00 for every 15 min +++)! They will be there Tuesday a.m. at 9....rush down there from my early morning job....wait, wait, wait, it is pouring rain, cold...Telus never arrives! Have to come home to phone them (no reception--cell phone) there! Answer; "oh, well...we'll get there sometime today." That was basically TWO flipping days, I lost for NO reason!
What really pi$$ed me off...T.J. had taken me to Victoria, to see specialist, re my bottom jaw! 2 1/2 hours wait at Dr.'s...sent for X-rays at a hospital....Wait there for 3 hours, only to find out they did NOT have the proper equipment, and sent me on to another larger Metro hosp., where equipment available! By this time it was so late in the day, the X-ray line-up about 4-5 hours! Couldn't wait, as couldn't miss the Ferry home....due to the obligation of the phone installation the next day. ONLY TO FIND OUT I DIDN't NEED TO BE THERE FOR INSTALLATION!
Hence, I still HAVE NOT had the X-rays done, as it means about another $100.00 in Ferries & gas....Another whole missed day of work. And they can't operate on my jaw until they rule out Osteomylitis.....all missed because of a phone installation! Meantime the pain...the infection running around in my body, hence I have ANOTHER cold...shizzen! And the stress! I'll bet you're sorry you started this discussion..NOW, but thanks, at least I got to vent. Take care & HUGZ!
1 person likes this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
Hi Shirley, it seems as if you have every reason to vent, that's terrible, especially with all the expense of getting to the mainland, plus the waiting. I'm not very good at waiting and despise unpuctuality so I rant with you on that one.
You lost me with the $19 dollars, do these people actually charge to insall their products?
The queues out here for hospital appointments can also be horrendously long unless you know someone to get you in faster. 5 hours for an xray sounds extreme though, they usually offer those immediately. It sounds like you need to make the xray a priority before winter weather cuts the ferry off and get rid of that nasty infection once and for all. Yitses (what we say here when someone sneezes). Hugs back.
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
19 Oct 09
Yes, dear girl! Telus...our only supplier of land line, satellite, & ISP charges $19.00 per every 15 minutes that they are in your home, that is exclusive of any wires, connectors...they might need!
I have PM'd you! Cheers!
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
19 Oct 09
The last time I can think of is when my mother and father in law had decided to get time warner. It took them awhile to get out here, we kept having to call back, and I mean weeks maybe months, but then when they did get out here they said they'd have to run lines, so that took awhile... When it finally was done (the lines) it was their turn to wait as we were getting married (my husband and I) and had given out our home phone number to RSVP... Of course we didn't get any calls, maybe one or two, and they were almost last minute calls as well.
In any case, we did finally get everything settled, and the first time we had a technical problem, though a little unneeded phone call, we did get a technician out here when scheduled.
My husband never had to take a day off work personally for this as it is his mother and father's home and their purchase... However I assume when we have our own home that if we need to take a day off work we would rotate it...
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
19 Oct 09
Or, and I meant to add, have one of his parents stay at our home until they got done with whatever needed to be done.
@SomeCowgirl (32189)
• United States
19 Oct 09
There is Warner Brother's Television, that is a film company. Time Warner Cable isn't our default cable company, we actually changed from to this. But yep, we live with the in laws, I have for two years now. We're saving up / goofing off and spending to get our own car / place.
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
19 Oct 09
kNOCK ON WOOD, I DON'T HAVE PROBLEMS LIKE THIS TOO OFTEN. i AM NOT A PATIENT PERSON & don't like on waiting on people period. T he phone co. to me is the biggest pain in the butte around here. I have had alot of problems over the years w/them. I don't have to be bothered w/them much since i'm not in buisness anymore. I would be very ill if i did have a problem w/them because not only would it be my phone but it would also be my internet & my cable is through them to.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
20 Oct 09
Hi Aunty, I'm not patient either which is why it's always best to have a coffee before going out for a coffee as it can take so long to arrive in the cafenions.
Our telephone company cleverly puts two lines in, one for the phone and another for the modem and usually it's only the telephone line which gets hit for some reason. I say clever though as they get to charge for the phone and for the internet connection, new companies have been phoning trying to sell their cheaper packages than the main supplier and the quote maybe a few Euros cheaper but they don't include a phone line and when one raises the matter of a phone line as well and points out how much more expensive that then makes the wonderful new cheap package they tend to hang up pretty sharpish.
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Sounds as if your phone co. is about like mine, %$#@$%^%^%. I hate to have to have any dealing w/them at all. I hope u & hugo have a great tuesday. Take care.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
21 Oct 09
Thanks Aunty, trust me not to see this till Wednesday. The sun is shining, the mud is drying up, and the phone rings. I'll take my litte chap out for a bit tonight I think and when the mud dries up again we can start our after school walks along the tortoise trails, picking herbs as we go. HAve a lovely Wednesday.
1 person likes this
@jellymonty (2352)
•
19 Oct 09
Oh I hate waiting big time.. In South Africa where I used to live the service is beyond horrible and slow.. You ring up someone to come fix something and they wont respond to you until like a week after.. When I moved to London, well am glad the service here is much faster.
Although I would like a taste of the Greek lifestyle (not the waiting thing though) other than that it sounds like a lovely place to live
1 person likes this
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
Hi jellymonty, somehow I didn't have you down as the waiting patiently type. Have you not needed a Lomdon builder round yet then?
Greece is a lovely place to live and has many good things going for but there are drawbacks everywhere. I'm just lucky with the phone that although I lose it quite often they must still have a notation against my name on who reported it in the first place, and he does wield a certain influnence, otherwise I'd be phoneless for weeks like most are.
@Sandra1952 (6047)
• Spain
19 Oct 09
Hello, Thea. Well done on that one. 3 weeks after the flood that almost brought my bathroom ceiling down, we're still waiting to get it fixed. In the meantime, it's turning blacker and smelling worse every day. We had more rain on Friday which found another entry route, so I went marching up to the builder's office, and said if they weren't here pronto tomorrow, I'd come and haunt them, even though it isn't quite Hallowe'en. I've been told they'll be here tomorrow, but I'll believe it when I see it.
This 'Manana Syndrome' is one of the few down sides of life in Spain, but the plus points more than make up for it.
@hora_fugit (5859)
• India
19 Oct 09
The land line service in my area is quite pathetic. For at least 15 days in a month it's 'not working'. Why we still get high bills is something to be suspicious of... if only my father didn't blame us for it!
Call them to fix it, they outright say they are too busy. Busy doing what? And once a man turns up, he will tell us how we are unable to solve it ourselves... well it's fixed at least. Up to next week...
Call them to fix it, they outright say they are too busy. Busy doing what? And once a man turns up, he will tell us how we are unable to solve it ourselves... well it's fixed at least. Up to next week...
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
19 Oct 09
Hi Thea,My TV Aerial has been hanging lopsided from my chimney for over a Year now since having a bracket broken in high winds that long ago..I've been calling around local aerial installation guys to get it fixed ever since and have been regularly fobbed off with promises to get it looked at "soon"that never call back,and there's a new online fix it site that promises to link you up with a reliable tradesperson in your area..I've submitted my details,and they mention something like 12 candidates in my area..the criteria includes MY estimate of the cost of the Job (How much I'm prepared to Pay)..If I knew how much it was going to cost,would I be phoning and emailing for a quote or estimate?! In My estimation,I'm not paying over £250 for a guy to go up a ladder and replace a bracket when a satellite Installer can put in a new Dish for £50..I have ben left hanging for somebody to call with a delivery,though..good to hear efficiency happens somewhere!
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
I have to ask ShepherdSpy, did you go out and take that delightful picture of a TV aerial just for me, or do you always keep one handy? And I hate to ask this but as a guy why don't you just get on the roof yourself to fix it? I've never dared to have an outside aerial installed, it would probably blow off if fitted by a Greek. Just got the useless little thing inside the house which is probably why there's never a clear picture.
But presuming you have good reason not to hop on the roof and fix it yourself, don't your local tradesmen actually need any work out there. Still look on the bright side, it's only been one year so you might as well wait until this winter is passed before bothering as it will only most likely get broken again in the winds.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
19 Oct 09
The houses on both sides of Me are currently Empty,I don't know my other neighbours well enough to ask them,and No way I'm going up a ladder on my own to try and fix it,although if I had a roofing ladder too I'd be game to try..I don't want to fill the house and shed with expensive tools and equipment that are only good for a one off job..I'd rather pay somebody who knows what they're doing who'd be able to do it much quicker..btw,I took the photo to post in support of my submission on the trade job site!
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
Actually I was so busy looking at your sad and lamentable aerial that I failed to realise the significance of the roof. It isn't flat. Many roofs here are flat as is my own. Probaly it's best not to go up alone in case you were to fall off and injure yourself. Having the right tools around is also a burden, my indoor step ladder won't nearly reach the roof, and although one friend did offer to climb up on mine via the step ladder and then tiled roof portion of the sun terrace, I hastily pointed o
ut that this was aGreek constructed and would probably collapse under his weight
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
22 Oct 09
2 hours maximum..and i'm usually quite angry by the 2nd hour.
most utility companies around here only give a window of time,say "between 6 am and 9pm" never an exact-because they're never even close to one.
but i can't usually waste the whole day,i have to do things for mom.
i do try to find something around the house to do though.
@Hatley (163772)
• Garden Grove, California
19 Oct 09
hi thea well I get really teed off when I call the TimeWarner Cable company because their snafu on their lines cut off my cable internet service. so yes they will send a repair man between 7 and 7 at night.and I am going but I have to go to the bank today, so she snaps well I can send a man tomorrow between 8 and ten. but he will call first.well I gave a big sigh.a two hour window is great they usually tie you up all day. So then he comes without the prelim call, and first thing he says is , if I have to come out here just for this the next time it will cost you,all you needed to do was pull out this cable and put it back in, then pull out this one and put it back in. well yeah the lady with the german accent on the trouble shooter line said all you have to do is blah blah the blah line, then blah the blah and it will be refreshed.well since I did not understand any of the blah words, and I am not tech saavy I was not about to pull out something and put something back in. being a klutz I would probably have put the wrong cable in the wrong hole, so yes I w anted a tech to do it.Anyway he took five minutes and had me back on line then stood there gabbing for thirty minutes.,if I had to have paid him I still would have had him do it, as I am not computer saavy at all.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
20 Oct 09
Hi Hatley, we are both computer klutzes but I pass as a techniphobe as not only do I not have a clue what I'm doing the whole thing bores me rigid. Don't even start on those call lines which attempt to tell you what to do over the phone, the only solution they ever give is to unplug the modem which promptly disconnects the telephone call which I'm sure is their plan to get rid of me. I'm still amazed though that these people actually charge you for coming out to fix their things, my telephone chappies come along for free which is just as well the amount of times they've been here. Pergammano said it was $19 dollars for 15 minutes there.
Just remember if he comes again and wants payment to hurry him up and don't speak to him at all or the bill will go up.
@Bluepatch (2476)
• Trinidad And Tobago
19 Oct 09
Time wasting and long waiting used to be the norm here in Trinidad but according to what I read here Greece is obviously much worse. I used to read something about this in the books about the war I read when I was in school during the 1960's when we used to books in Trinidad detailing the experiences of Englishmen in Greece. The time factors you are talking about are much worse than Trinidad. That I must say.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
19 Oct 09
Hi Bluepatch, that may be true but there's something rather nice about not everyone being in a rush, the laid back life style. Give me a three hour queue at the bank any day over a call centre with pre recorded options. There are always ways around the queues, by the ticket method. Personally I don't relish the inevitable changes which will come as if the things we complain about now speed up, so will everything else, and I still rather like that we have the unusual thing of a nice man putting petrol in ones car and blowing up the tyres and washing the windows, rather than a life of self service and bank managers hidden from public view.
You suprise me though, I imagined Trinidad would be rather laid back like here.
@ladym33 (10978)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Most of the time they come during the time frame stated but say they will be there between 12 and 5 they will come at 4:45. Which is still within the time frame so I can't really complain. One time though I had the exact opposit problem, the guy said he would be here between 11:00 and 2:00 and with out even calling to let me know he came at 9:00. I had not showered I was still in my night clothes, my hair was a mess, I had laundry all over the place. I was really, really embarraced and uncomfortable.
@thea09 (18305)
• Greece
20 Oct 09
Hi ladym, I hate it when they do that. My frind the tiler turned up two weeks late after promising to check the pipes from the shower to see if they were dripping into the electric sockets as the phone engineer had said they may be. So he finally turns up at 8am on a Sunday morning, lie in day, while I'm not even up, hair everywhere, not even a coffee inside me AHHHH. And I couldn't shout at him much because he was doing it as a favour.
@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Sometimes, life moves too fast, no doubt about that, and we should all learn to pace ourselves. And then again, there is what you've described above...which, for me, would be devastatingly slow...too slow! I've have health issues that would make standing in line at a bank that long impossible.
Do they have adequate seating?
:)))@PeacefulWmn9 (10420)
• United States
23 Oct 09
So there IS a method and a system. That is good!
The astonishing thing is that people were so recently allowed to smoke at the counters. Here in the US, it seems as though public smoking is now next door to a hanging offense. : )