Hi Arla:
Sorry, I've been away too.
If you cannot "ping" download.microsoft.com using the "Network Utility.app"
on your Mac and get a display similar to this:
Ping has started ...
PING main.dl.ms.akadns.net (144.135.8.185): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 144.135.8.185: icmp_seq=0 ttl=56 time=10.940 ms
64 bytes from 144.135.8.185: icmp_seq=1 ttl=56 time=10.403 ms
64 bytes from 144.135.8.185: icmp_seq=2 ttl=56 time=9.195 ms
--- main.dl.ms.akadns.net ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max/stddev = 9.195/10.179/10.940/0.730 ms
Then nothing we can suggest will work. You must engage the support staffat
your ISP. Tell them you can see their home page just fine, you can seewww.microsoft.comjust fine, but you CANNOT access download.microsoft.com.
That means it's their problem, you know it's their problem. You might
state, calmly and unemotionally, that you need this problem solved, because
you cannot effectively use your computer until it is. Do not threaten to
leave them for another ISP, the person you first speak to would really
rather you did
Almost certainly, what has happened is that their anti-spam or anti-piracy
activities have disabled an incorrect address, and they do not realise this.
Chances are that it affects ONLY the people who connect to your specific
terminal server, and chances are that means as few as 250 of their customers
are involved and the other 249 haven't noticed the problem
Chances are
they have thousands of "terminal servers" on their network, scattered across
the world, and the bad setting is in only a handful of them...
You need to understand that most large companies set up their "Support"
system as "A way to avoid phone calls." That's its purpose: to get rid of
you, because talking to you costs them money. Each time you ring, you talk
to a different person. Each of the people you talk to was in the
unemployment line last week, and are now on the minimum wage. Each of the
people you talk to is paid at least partly on commission, dependant on how
many calls they "handle" per day. So there is huge pressure on them to dump
your call as fast as they can so they keep their call rate up and their call
hold time down. This means they will do almost anything except "think" to
try to get you off the line.
You have two choices: You can continue to allow them to charge you for a
service they are not providing, or you can turn the tables on them. If
would rather not go through life in a very undignified position (!) you can
decide to make them fix this! Here's how:
You first need to understand how call-centres work, so you can use their
system against them. I know all of this because I recently used to work for
one of the world's largest ISPs, so I know how things work on the inside
The first thing you do is ring up and explain what is wrong. It is utterly
crucial to avoid giving them "too much" information. They are working down
a "decision tree" script on their computer, reading out pre-written
questions to you. If you give them too much information, you enable themto
turn your call into a different problem. They computer will automatically
gravitate towards problems it knows how to solve, and your call will fall
out the bottom with a solution that does not fix the problem.
So tell them: "I cannot access a particular URL on my computer." Then say:
"I can access any other URL: for example, I can access your home page, and I
can accesswww.microsoft.com." Try not to give them any more information
Those three facts are quite sufficient to diagnose your problem
However, the call centre jockey you are talking to does not know that (and
never will, because they know almost nothing about networking, or anything
else on the computer).
What you have said is sufficient to prove that the problem CANNOT be on your
computer, it MUST be on theirs
There is one exception to that: your HOSTS file. If the person you are
talking to asks you whether you have a HOSTS file, say Yes, you do, but as
far as you know, it's the OS X default. If they want to know any more, ask
them to tell you where to find it. If they can tell you where to find a Mac
OS X HOSTS file, you can trust that person to resolve your problem. It's
not difficult, but you have to know how to do it: I will be astonished if
you meet a call-centre person who does
I won't explain it here, because
before you go to that place on your computer, you need to have someone who
knows networking very well on the phone, because a wrong change here will
cut your computer off the network completely.
Now, from this first contact, ALL you want to achieve is the Job "Ticket
Number". If they do not offer it, ask for it, and keep a careful record of
it. This is the digital ID that ties your calls together. Without it, each
time you call, that's a "successful call". Everyone gets paid and you don't
get your problem fixed.
Ring them again tomorrow, and cite the job ticket number. Immediately, you
have triggered an "exception path" in their system. Immediately, money is
being deducted from the accounts of the people who should have solved this
for you, and immediately your call becomes flagged as a hot potato that they
will be looking to hand-off as fast as they possibly can! They will offer
to refer the call to "Second level support". Agree to that, as sweetly as
you can, and ask the second-level person to call you back (they won't, but
it sets another flag in the system...)
Ring them again the day after, and cite the job number again. This time,
you have a fighting chance of speaking to someone who knows a little bit
about networking. Repeat your original description of the problem. The
person you are speaking to this time will know enough to know that this
cannot be your problem, it must be theirs, and if you get really lucky, they
will be able to solve it for you in a couple of minutes. Usually, however,
they will have to escalate your job to the only people in the company who
have the authority to make the change needed, so do not expect immediate
results.
Call again the next day ...
You see the pattern I am developing here? Each time you ring back, cite the
job number. What has happened previously is that each time you call, your
contact has been marked "Fresh call, simple problem, resolved, job closed.."
They get a green tick and you get no service.
By trapping and citing that job number on each call, you "re-open" the job,
and each call, it "escalates" to a more senior staff member. Trust me, they
WILL solve the problem long before it escalates to anyone senior enough to
realise that they have a) screwed up, and b) been treating you badly for
weeks. Because that is a bit career-negative for people who are not on the
minimum wage, and do have families and mortgages to support
Sorry, I know it's frustrating. It means you have to call at least three
times before anyone is even going to look at the problem. But that's the
way call centres work, and it's the only effective way to turn their system
against them so it (eventually...) provokes some action.
Hope this helps
--
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http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltdhttp://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Sydney, Australia. S33°53'34.20 E151°14'54.50
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:
[email protected]
