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techrecoveryOne.... year....
One... FREAKING.... YEAR
One year ago, I was working where I am now; on a BlackBerry program for a government agency which shall go nameless. At the time, we were running the 957 models, which operate on the quite antiquated analog Mobitex network. One year ago, they had us investigating next generation devices; that being devices which operate on the modern digital CDMA/GSM networks. They wanted us to find out which carrier was the best option to go with.
At the time, we had under 400 users.
Now we have a little under 1000.
That's 1000 next generation BlackBerries out there.
One year ago I, me,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hoffman_log, said that we should use a two-pronged approach; I said we should use T-Mobile BlackBerries for our clients which frequently travel overseas (since T-Mobile has the best international coverage) and Verizon for clients which never travel overseas (since Verizon has the largest network in the USA, but doesn't work outside of the country).
My manager at the time, loved the idea. LOVED IT. He proposed it to our government customers and said that it would be in the best interest of the users to use two providers.
They came back and said we had to choose ONE.
We chose T-Mobile since it's better to have international coverage and spotty US coverage, than great US coverage and no overseas coverage.
We chose T-Mobile. We recommended it.
They went with Cingular.
They went with Cingular because they "already had an existing telecommunications contract with the company".
This was one year ago. One year ago they spit in the face of our research and went with a company that was recognized by the wireless industry as the "worst provider of BlackBerry Wireless services".
As insulting as that was... today I almost died.
My new manager was on the phone with our government customer. I say "new" manager, because within the course of one year, we've gone through three new managers because nobody could tolerate the working conditions. Why am I still there? That's another story for another day. He's on the phone with our government customer, and the customer is ripping him a new one about how "unreliable the blackberry network is".
Excuse me? Cingular's crappy coverage isn't our f*cking fault. Obviously I didn't say this, as I was sort of eavesdropping on the speaker phone conversation. Then I hear him drop the bomb.
Our government customer says "Well, what if we changed carrier? What if we had more than one carrier? You know... Like T-Mobile for frequent travelers and Verizon for those who don't travel overseas?"
The sound of a whip cracking in the air came from my mind SNAPPING CLEAR IN HALF.
This is the same guy who told us to pick ONE carrier!!! This is the same guy who decided to screw all our research and go with Cingular because of a pre-existing contract! ONE YEAR LATER, THIS IS HIS "BRILLIANT IDEA"!??!?!? IT WASN'T EVEN HIS!!! ONE YEAR OF FRUSTRATED CUSTOMERS HAS PASSED BECAUSE CINGULAR CAN'T DELIVER WHAT WE NEED!!!!
So what's involved in switching to a two carrier system!? Well, first we need to find out who travels overseas and who doesn't, then we need to establish accounts with the carriers, then we need to purchase the units, then we need to recover and replace ALMOST 1,000 BLACKBERRIES.
Look, I'm a graduating college senior. I'm an intern and NOT supposed to be serving as the Assistant Manager of a huge government contract, but I am!!! Think I'm sticking around when I graduate? F*CK THAT! I'm not going to put up with a customer who I try to save, but they're so intent on screwing themselves over only to come back ONE YEAR LATER and suggest WHAT I ALREADY SUGGESTED without any recognition that it's what was originally recommended!!
Sorry for the rant... It's been a while since I posted in here, but I just had to get this crack-monkey of dispair off my back...
So the next time you have a friend or buddy who wonders how our tax dollars are at work...
POINT 'EM HERE!
_MaH
One... FREAKING.... YEAR
One year ago, I was working where I am now; on a BlackBerry program for a government agency which shall go nameless. At the time, we were running the 957 models, which operate on the quite antiquated analog Mobitex network. One year ago, they had us investigating next generation devices; that being devices which operate on the modern digital CDMA/GSM networks. They wanted us to find out which carrier was the best option to go with.
At the time, we had under 400 users.
Now we have a little under 1000.
That's 1000 next generation BlackBerries out there.
One year ago I, me,
hoffman_log, said that we should use a two-pronged approach; I said we should use T-Mobile BlackBerries for our clients which frequently travel overseas (since T-Mobile has the best international coverage) and Verizon for clients which never travel overseas (since Verizon has the largest network in the USA, but doesn't work outside of the country).My manager at the time, loved the idea. LOVED IT. He proposed it to our government customers and said that it would be in the best interest of the users to use two providers.
They came back and said we had to choose ONE.
We chose T-Mobile since it's better to have international coverage and spotty US coverage, than great US coverage and no overseas coverage.
We chose T-Mobile. We recommended it.
They went with Cingular.
They went with Cingular because they "already had an existing telecommunications contract with the company".
This was one year ago. One year ago they spit in the face of our research and went with a company that was recognized by the wireless industry as the "worst provider of BlackBerry Wireless services".
As insulting as that was... today I almost died.
My new manager was on the phone with our government customer. I say "new" manager, because within the course of one year, we've gone through three new managers because nobody could tolerate the working conditions. Why am I still there? That's another story for another day. He's on the phone with our government customer, and the customer is ripping him a new one about how "unreliable the blackberry network is".
Excuse me? Cingular's crappy coverage isn't our f*cking fault. Obviously I didn't say this, as I was sort of eavesdropping on the speaker phone conversation. Then I hear him drop the bomb.
Our government customer says "Well, what if we changed carrier? What if we had more than one carrier? You know... Like T-Mobile for frequent travelers and Verizon for those who don't travel overseas?"
The sound of a whip cracking in the air came from my mind SNAPPING CLEAR IN HALF.
This is the same guy who told us to pick ONE carrier!!! This is the same guy who decided to screw all our research and go with Cingular because of a pre-existing contract! ONE YEAR LATER, THIS IS HIS "BRILLIANT IDEA"!??!?!? IT WASN'T EVEN HIS!!! ONE YEAR OF FRUSTRATED CUSTOMERS HAS PASSED BECAUSE CINGULAR CAN'T DELIVER WHAT WE NEED!!!!
So what's involved in switching to a two carrier system!? Well, first we need to find out who travels overseas and who doesn't, then we need to establish accounts with the carriers, then we need to purchase the units, then we need to recover and replace ALMOST 1,000 BLACKBERRIES.
Look, I'm a graduating college senior. I'm an intern and NOT supposed to be serving as the Assistant Manager of a huge government contract, but I am!!! Think I'm sticking around when I graduate? F*CK THAT! I'm not going to put up with a customer who I try to save, but they're so intent on screwing themselves over only to come back ONE YEAR LATER and suggest WHAT I ALREADY SUGGESTED without any recognition that it's what was originally recommended!!
Sorry for the rant... It's been a while since I posted in here, but I just had to get this crack-monkey of dispair off my back...
So the next time you have a friend or buddy who wonders how our tax dollars are at work...
POINT 'EM HERE!
_MaH
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-08 06:49 pm (UTC)Gov contractor
Date: 2004-10-08 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-08 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-08 10:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-08 10:41 pm (UTC)a) You did your job the best you could under the circumstances
b) You have nothing to be ashamed of (see item a)
c) In the end, it's not your money. Well it is taxpayer money but it's not *your* money.
You just let go and finally understand what that older guy was saying to you when you were young and passionate about doing a good job and frustrated with all the morons you had to work with(you know, the goobers you thought you left behind in high school). He told me, "It all pays the same".
no subject
Date: 2004-10-09 06:47 am (UTC);-p
Geek Compulsion
Date: 2004-10-11 01:52 pm (UTC)Re: Geek Compulsion </geek>
Date: 2004-10-11 01:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-09 09:14 am (UTC)You will need to get used to it.
That said, I feel your pain. Greatly.
no subject
Date: 2004-10-09 09:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-09 10:03 am (UTC)_MaH
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 07:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 07:54 pm (UTC)_MaH
no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 07:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-11 07:57 pm (UTC)Guess that's not it :-P
_MaH
no subject
Starts with a C . . . From here on in it shall be known as Crap Corp. ;-)