Dullroar

I buy wireless Internet service from Telerama so I can surf the web from coffee shops. I get the student rate, and of course, they want to see my student ID to verify that I'm still enrolled. Here's where things get ugly. My ID expires every 6 months, and CMU gives me another little sticker to put on to renew it. Around the same time, Telerama sends me an email. It says, to paraphrase: "Your ID has expired, we've suspended your account, and you're a deadbeat. If you have a new ID, scan it in and email it to us, or show up at our offices in person with it." I don't have a scanner, so I usually take a picture of my ID and send it in. That's what I did yesterday evening. This morning, I received a reply saying "we couldn't find a scan of your ID attached to your last email."

Sigh. Is dealing with customers really such a subtle art? First, it would be helpful if the email that said "we couldn't find your ID" would explain why it couldn't be found. Did the attachment not get through? Or was the picture blurry? Or are digicam pictures not acceptable? Second, why can't Telerama send out a reminder email a week before the expiration date? Student IDs expire right before the new semester starts, just when life is most hectic. This is not the week to expect me to remember I need to renew my wireless.

Argh. Just received yet another email from Telerama support: They still can't find the attachment with my id in it. Perhaps I'll just send them to this page.