Gary Shapiro Slams Warner Bros. Chair On His Congressional Remarks

Plenty Of People Hate The Phone Company, But This Is A Bit Much

from the yeow dept

Fri, Feb 9th 2007 7:08am — Carlo Longino

There are plenty of horror stories about poor customer service from cable companies and telcos, but thanks to the low level of competition in the market, customers typically don't have much recourse. Some localities are trying to change things, but there's always a more extreme option consumers can take, like, say running out of the house naked and threatening some AT&T techs with a shotgun, before going for a joyride in their truck and crashing it into a piece of construction equipment (via Broadband Reports). That's what an 19-year-old guy in Ohio did, and for his trouble he's been charged with aggravated robbery and is being held in a medical facility for (presumably psychiatric) evaluation. No word, though, if they AT&T techs got his U-Verse service working.

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20 Comments

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Bumbling old fool, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:05am

Now taking wagers...
How much you wanna bet this guy is a fan of the GTA series?
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Simon, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:29am

Re: Now taking wagers...
Jack? Is that you?
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StinkingKevin, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:41am

Re: Re: Now taking wagers...
LOL good eye, Simon. JT = "Bumbling Old Fool" -? sounds like a perfect fit to me....
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StinkingKevin, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:41am

Re: Re: Now taking wagers...
LOL good eye, Simon. JT = "Bumbling Old Fool" -? sounds like a perfect fit to me....
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not another one., 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:43am

Re: Now taking wagers...
the name fits. I bet you are one of those idiots that believe games are responsible for peoples actions. While this kids actions are similar to what one could do in the series, he is still responsible for his actions.

This isn't the place for the debate but I hate it when people say stupid krap like that. Maybe it's because I had PARENTS that taught me the difference between right and wrong.

Still I think the whole situation is with the at&t truck is funny.
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Bumbling old fool, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:45am

Re: Re: Now taking wagers...
No, no, no..

Good ole JT would be implying that the rockstar made him do it.

I'm merely implying that someone likely to steal a car and go for a joyride would also enjoy a video game primarily based on stealing cars and going for joyrides.

With a hint of chasing people with shotguns to boot!

And I'm a fan of the GTA series, so I cant be JT...
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Bumbling old fool, 9 Feb 2007 @ 8:46am

Re: Re: Now taking wagers...
I bet you are one of those idiots that believe games are responsible for peoples actions

nope, you'r ethe idiot who made the ASSumption.

Good going!
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erica, 9 Feb 2007 @ 9:20am

Re: Now taking wagers...
Good thing he wasnt a Rainbow 6 Fan...
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Baddog357, 9 Feb 2007 @ 9:37am

Crazy is as crazy does....

I'm betting this guy didn't need any help from games, movies, ETC.
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comboman, 9 Feb 2007 @ 9:38am

Naked man with a shotgun?
Hey don't point that thing at me!
And put down the shotgun too.
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viewfromthenorth, 9 Feb 2007 @ 9:49am

That's what ya get when ya buy used
I don't know how many of you are aware that the big telco's in the US bought all the old analog and ''old'' digital switching systems that out Telco's up here in Canada, were throwing out..lol what a deal We got new state of the are equipment, so even the guy way out in the sticks gets super telephone service (read few problems with the service) and the Big Telcos in the US got cheap crap to service the americans...look at the switches if you ever get a chance most say Northern Telecom on them..lol and are dated from the 70's.
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Anonymous Coward, 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:15am

Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
Does your "State of the are equipment" include a spell checker? Jokes aside, this is pretty funny and all the more reason for me to remain landline free. 10 years going strong and haven't missed it at all!
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krum, 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:15am

Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
Does your "State of the are equipment" include a spell checker? Jokes aside, this is pretty funny and all the more reason for me to remain landline free. 10 years going strong and haven't missed it at all!
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Cold in Michigan, 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:22am

Landline free....the way to be!
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Simon, 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:24am

Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
So the US Telcos are like Canadian Military?

I hear the Brits have some more 'previously loved' submarines they are looking to shift.
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Pysco in New Yawk, 9 Feb 2007 @ 10:24am

duh which way did he go??
This is a very funny story. But as far teleco's go it is a monopoly- but not a monopoly.....
AT&T today- SWB tomorrow...
They have years slowed down progress and the eqiupment problems are because they don't own it- someone else does- to top it off they don't want to pay for upgrades eithier. They are waiting for free money from Uncle Sam then they will. Of course guess who pays for it alllllllll.....
It ain't Nancy (queer) Pelousi......
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Dam, 9 Feb 2007 @ 11:22am

Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
Back in 1977, I had a small white phone made by Northern Telecom. It was a touch tone, but not completely compliant with standards. It was missing the * and # keys. They weren't broken - they were never part of the phone.

So how do you Canadians work your voicemail without * and #?
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josh bogart, 10 Feb 2007 @ 12:53am

Re: Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
we just lift up the phone and blow
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Daniel Long, 10 Feb 2007 @ 2:10pm

That kid's my hero!

Can't tell you how many times I have wanted to go after those AT&T/Viacom/Comcast mongrels!
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exAT&T, 21 Feb 2007 @ 8:45am

Re: That's what ya get when ya buy used
The probable reason for buying used switches is for spare parts. The AT&T long distance network is driven by 140 plus switches built in the late 1960's and early 1970's. There is no TCP equipment built today that can replace these dinosaurs. It woould take so many routers the routing tables would be unworkable. Its the size of the American long distance network that is precluding new switches.
Best part of this is that they are planning to keep the old stuff for another 10 years but the bozo's running the old AT&T who didn't understand the network decided the ols switchs were going away and laid off all the old timers who knew how to maintain and expand this stuff.
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