🚀 go-pugleaf

"Daniel F. Duffy" <dduffy@valleynet.com> wrote:

>Just thought I'd bring this to the group's attention in case anyone else
>is considering MCI as a carrier or for any type of service so that you'll 
>reconsider before giving them your business or you may be very sorry.

>Around December of last year we started planning to add another T1 from a
>different provider than our primary.  We researched, called, ordered a
>Cisco 4700, etc - you know the routine.  Finally settled on MCI around
>January.  Since we were fast approaching saturation of our primary link, I
>needed a company that could give me an install date by March since that
>was when we expected to surpass our available bandwidth.  Since I had also
>had a very bad experience with another carrier who's name I won't mention
>but which rhymes with "sprint" (they committed to an install date and then
>kept pushing it up for months until I finally went with Net99 who has 
>served us well, but we're looking for dual-homing) I was *VERY* cautious
>not to have the same thing happen again.

>On January 11, after many verbal committments to a 35-day install, I
>ordered the line and was *committed* an install date of February 20th by
>David Cahayla in MCI's Sacramento office.  Then on January 29th, our
>representative, Kim Pickerell called and told me that our install
>wouldn't happen until March 1st.  I said "Kim, you told me 35 days and I
>also told you if there were going to be delays, I would go with another
>carrier".  She said sorry, blah, blah, blah, sorry, blah.  I told her,
>**IF THERE WILL BE ANY MORE DELAYS - TELL ME AND I WILL GO ELSEWHERE**.
>In true salesperson fashion, she swore up and down there wouldn't be any
>more delays.  I let her know this was critical to our businesse's
>continued survival.

>Well, last week on 2/22 good old Kim showed up to sign paperwork but had
>no idea on when our install would happen so I asked that she call me the   
>next day to confirm our 3/1 install which she said she'd do.  She didn't.
>So I called Monday - no return call.  I called Tuesday and finally caught
>her in the office and she said "oh yah...Daniel....uh, ya I've got bad
>news - I just got email that said MCI won't install anymore lines until
>the end of March".  I wanted to go ballistic but tried, as calmly as
>possible to explain to her that this was unacceptable and would cause us
>a noticeable loss of revenue, and affect our reputation and levels of
>service.

>The next day I got a hold of her Branch service manager, Kelly Fisher who
>told me even worse news - MCI wouldn't even finish their network upgrade
>until *4/15* and they couldn't even *GIVE* me an install date.  I said
>"surely you must have known about this coming congestion well in advance"
>and she said, "well, we've known about this cancellation for at least a
>week and a half".  Hmmmm.....I said "why couldn't you at least have called
>me so I could've made alternate plans?".....silence.  I said "what would
>you do if you were me?"  She said "go to another carrier".  I told her     
>that would take at *LEAST* 45 days from today and again she had no
>response.  I can appreciate the fact that the big brass at MCI didn't want
>to continue bogging down their network by adding new accounts but why
>didn't they do this *before* they accepted ours and all the others I'm
>sure they accepted and committed to along with us?  Is that too much to
>ask?  Couldn't their network gurus have forecasted this a long time ago
>and in January said "OK guys, we cannot install any new circuits after
>February so stop accepting new accounts now or at least tell customers we
>will not be turning circuits back up until April".  Would that have been
>unreasonable?  I think not, so we had our attorney zip off a letter to
>those MCI scumbags today.

>The bottom line is this folks: these are unscrupulous people and if you
>want to get screwed, order from MCI.  They knew about this problem well
>in advance yet they continually insisted that they'd meet their committed
>install date and waited until the very last minute to tell me otherwise -
>AND, I had to call *them* to find out since they didn't give me any notice.  
>I *really* hate to see companies that do business this way prosper so I
>hope you take my experience into account when you're shopping.    

>Daniel F. Duffy                                                  _\\|//_
>Vice President/Founder                                           (-0-0-)
>---------------------------------------------------------------ooO-(_)-Ooo----ValleyNet Communications - Central California's Premier Internet Provider 
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------Voice: (209) 486-VNET (8638) or (800) 426-VNET          2300 Tulare, Suite 100
>Fax: (209) 495-4940                                     Fresno, CA  93721-2226
>Data: (209) 495-4950                                  http://www.valleynet.com
>==============================================================================
We are having the same problem, here's our story:

I placed an order for a dedicated Internet link from MCI in November,
1995.  I had planned on starting a local access Internet Service
Company and required this link to provide my customers with Internet
access.  We were provided with a February 1, 1996 due date on the
circuit and proceeded to build our company.  We purchased modem pools,
dial tones, channel banks, servers, software and advertising that
announced that our new service would be online February 15, 1996. We
experimented with decaff, Mocha, Enre`s special blend, expresso and a
few blends that required a license to distribute.  We hired staff,
purchased Tagamet  and began accepting pre-release orders.  Things
were looking very promising.

During the last week of January, MCI informed us that they were having
a problem filling our order and that we would be up around February
15, 1996.

On February 8th we were informed by MCI that they were "out of ports"
on their Internet backbone and would not be able to fill our order
until, no promises, around April 15, 1996!!!  As you might expect we
were furious. We immediately requested an escalation list of the
people in charge so that we may be able to resolve this most serious
problem.  We were denied the names of any managers beyond the local
office and have yet to speak with anyone higher than the branch
manager.

As of today, we have not yet received a firm due date for our order.  

Our investigation, certainly not complete at this time, has revealed
several interesting explanations as to why MCI has fumbled on this
one:

Local MCI sales office theory #1- "We are out of Internet ports on our
routers and there is not a single port for you anywhere in the
country".  "You are number two in the queue". 

Local MCI sales office theory #2- "Because Sprint's network is
crashing due to over sales, MCI was scared that they may be
overselling too and have stopped adding dedicated customers until they
can upgrade".  Funny that NetworkMCI business access customers aren't
being denied service!  Hmmm.

A different MCI sales office- "We have 10 ports available in our
Washington POP.  If you sign an order today I can guarantee your
service in 22 business days!"

The grapevine-  
	MCI is re-thinking their backbone strategy. They may be quitting that 
	   business.
	MCI is over-congested now and can't keep up with sales.
	MCI is offering free Internet access via 800#s to test their new
	    dial-up access service.  Why would they want to provide service 
	    to their competitors?
	MCI is a second rate carrier, could I have an AT&T rep call you??

So, today I wait.  I could initiate an new order with a different
carrier (45 to 60 days installation interval), wait on MCI (I need a
shot of confidance to consider this one) or go searching for Whoopi
Goldberg with a gang of 140 agitated, irritated, instigated winsock
wielding, IRC hungry usenet  want-a-be's and let nature take it's
course!

I think that a unified action against MCI may be our only way of
getting their attention this late in the game.   Although it may be
too late to affect the due dates that we all were promised, I feel
that MCI can offer other satisfactions.   I have already made contact
with several others budding ISP's that are in the same boat.  

Another approach may be to unite together as an association, pooling
together our purchasing power under a single contract, strengthening
our legal clout with one resonating voice and influencing the
regulatory environment with our version of reality.  Our young
industry must consider the risk that the big providers pose to us and
the opportunity that a willing provider also represents.  Actions such
as AT&T's subsidy of their ISP services with the nations highest LD
rates is just one of the ways we smaller carriers are jointly at risk.

I'll get off my soapbox now and listen for other opinions and facts on
this subject.  Please feel free to comment.

Sincerly and hopeful,

Ray


Raymon A. Bobbitt
One Call Systems
Po Box 1091 
Ashland, KY  41105-1091

V/F 606-329-9919

rbobbitt@ramlink.net