SMART BRO: Broken Promises

Filed Under Technology

It’s my fourth day today with no SMART BRO connection. Sad for some, but I’m furious! I’m paying for this unreliable service for nothing but I can’t terminate it because I’m bound with the one year contract. Else, I’ll have to pay the termination fee. So what’s choice left with me? File a complaint with NTC and that’s just what I did. Now, I’m praying that the NTC and DTI will act on this. It’s a long shot but there’s no harm if I try.

If you happen to be a Smart Bro subscriber, here’s what the standard CSR response you’ll gonna get. There maybe some variations but basically, that’s it.
1. What’s your IP address? To check if valid.
2. Can you ping your antenna? (IP addr is 10.0.0.1)
3. Can you ping your gateway? (check your network connection)
4. Can you ping Smart Bro’s DNS Server? (Most likely, this is where you gonna fail)
5. Please Repair Connection. If first time with Step 5 (upon restart or boot-up), go back to Step 1 else, proceed to Step 6.
6. Restart your computer
7. Go back to Step1 if you are still not fed up. Else, go to Step 8.
8. No choice but get mad with the CSR who knows nothing but these steps (can’t even help me with linux!!!)
9. CSR will apologize for the inconvenience caused. Will tell you that you can file for a rebate but not for the lost business, unanswered client query and potential clients. There goes your money!!!!

What I can’t understand is that I’ve been telling the CSR that I can’t ping their DNS server numerous times. I’ve been talking on the same CSR for 1 hour, and then another 15 to another CSR and then another 30 minutes in yet another CSR but all they can offer is to do the steps I’ve taken since their technical people from the base station insists that there’s no problem with their setup! It took them 3 damn days in order to admit that there really is a problem!
The other day, Jun 21, I waited the whole day for that ‘higher technical support’ that the CSR told me the night before to call me for additional support and/or updates. Nobody called, of course! And when I called CSR again last night, it was then that I found out that the there’s a base station upgrade. Maybe, those ‘higher technical support’ realized that there really is something wrong with their damn system!

So, for those thinking of signing up with SMART BRO, I beg you… please DON’T!!!! It’s for your own good and our good, too. If you sign-up, you will be added to yet another client that will clog their already overloaded network. If only they use the money they spend for those multi-million peso tri-media ads into upgrading/stabilizing their service, then we’ll be happy. But they have other EVIL idea and that’s get more and more subscribers just as Satan tries to get more and more soul to Hell.

Do you still remember who I shall curse? I’m cursing him already… CURSE HIM!!!! CURSE HIM!!!!
CURSE HIM!!!!