Internet and Jakarta: Another First Media experience

I've already blogged once about my unsavoury experience with the Finance Dept at First Media. My complaint email to them on their corporate website was never acknowledged, let alone answered. Their bills and monthly magazine continue to arrive late. However, I've signed up for the e-billing alert which does come on time and have been paying my bills promptly ever since.

A few weeks ago, my neighbour chucked out her Internet provider. It was running some free-for-all promo on weeknights and resulted in her bandwidth shrinking to zero. When she mentioned to me she was looking for a new Internet provider, I recommended she go with First Media since our compound was already wired up for their service. All they would have to do is bring along their modem and plug it in.

So she called their office. Only to be told, "Sorry ma'am, we don't service your area." She demanded incredulously, "What do you mean you don't service my area??? My neighbour subscribes to your cable and Net service!" They re-checked and apologised, "We have checked, ma'am. No service in your area."

Furious, Neighbour calls me up and asks for my address so that she can ring back First Media and rip them to shreds. I obliged, she did and still they insisted they didn't service our area. Boy, was Neighbour hopping about in fury.

Then we found out the truth. My unit was built a few years earlier than hers. When they built the section my unit is located in, First Media did indeed come and lay the cables for their service. When they built Neighbour's section, the compound asked First Media to do the same. I am not sure what happened here but First Media did not lay the cables for the newer part of the compound. The end result is that I sub to First Media while Neighbour, who lives two cars width away, can't.

Wow. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and deprived of Facebook and email. She called in another service called Speedy. She'd spotted one of their service vehicles in our area and took a chance dialling the number painted on the side of the van. By afternoon, she'd gotten her Net back. Speedy was speedy indeed.

She hasn't had any complaints about her Net since so if you'd like to check it out yourself, log on to the Speedy Internet site.