Started Yesterday:
So um, RantWoman promised to check back today about her billing issues
with Beloved Telecomm provider.
RantWoman called the 800 number burned into her brain after years as a
faithful customer.
RantWoman punched the button for Billing and Payment.
RantWoman listened to hold messages exhorting her to try a website.
RantWoman listened to an automated voice telling her it would be at least 3
minutes before she talked to a human. RantWoman chewed a couple mouthfuls of
lentil stew and...lost patience. Internet is back. RantWoman should bloody well
try the internet.
RantWoman was at home, using Windows 8.1, Zoomtext 10.1 and JAWS 15.
RantWoman thinks it it is unlikely that all of this minutia will be useful to
every reader, but it matters to RantWoman. For instance, RantWoman’s new Lenovo
laptop keyboard does something eveil with the F7 key which RantWoman really
needs with JAWS. There is an alternate key that RantWoman has to invoke.
RantWoman means either to do a more persistent fix or to try her Bluetooth keyboard.
RantWoman did not want to take time for that just to deal with billing.
RantWoman tried Internet Explorer
11. RantWoman tried Crhrome. RantWoman did not try with Firefox because
RantWoman already knows that Firefox and ZT 10 do not play well together.
RantWoman has had previous unsatisfactory experience with Chrome and JAWS and
did not want to troubleshoot that either.
RantWoman fired up her browsers and pointed them at Beloved Provider’s
website.
In Explorer, Mr. JAWS started to work reading a whole bunch of links
RantWoman could not see. That’s odd. Usually developers might do a link or two
of something only of interest to screen readers but a whole screen full of
things of general interest that are invisible to most users seemed odd. If
RantWoman had persisted she probably would have found links to do what she
needed, but RantWoman needed her F7 key to do that easily.
So RantWoman tried Chrome. Chrome does not play well with previous
versions of screen readers AND RantWoman does not know all the keyboard
combinations for things sighted users do with the mouse. So RantWoman even
being willing to go there for a billing transaction is a STEP. RantWoman
clicked on the link for Residential customers and saw visuals for all the links
Mr. JAWS had been reading in Explorer.
At some point RantWoman also clicked on the link for residential customers
in Explorer; RantWoman thinks she saw the links there too. One problem:
RantWoman does not remember whether the text was black on white or pale green
on white or one way in one browser and another in the other browser. Pale green
on white flunks contrast accessibility. RantWoman remembers that in one browser
there were some pale green design elements which do not matter one way or
another. But the text size does matter. Even with 3.5x enlargement from
Zoomtext some of the fonts seemed teeny to RantWoman.
But onward: RantWoman has evidence that she either needs a filter or
needs more virus protection than she has. Hold that thought.
RantWoman found various links to look at her account. What account/?
RantWoman tried the username she tends to use for everything. RantWoman tried
the username and the Forgot password link. No not recognized. RantWoman tried
the email address Beloeved Telecomm company does in fact send RantWoman email
to.
Digression: the same email every month. The same timing. RantWoman
figures it’s the same issues about the billing cycle. Does RantWoman READ this
email? Ummm… RantWoman does find the Chat online link but does not want to chat
online just then.
RantWoman remembers some hardware specific sign-in on old laptop. RantWoman
remembers sometimes needing this for instance when hard drives were about to
fail or RantWoman would reinstall the DSL software, read the EULA telling RantWoman
what a relic she was working with…
RantWoman remembers when Qwest became Century Link and RantWoman
declined some opportunity to add an@centurylink.com
email to her library of email addresses. So maybe RantWoman is responsible.
Urk.
At work, Windows 7, ZT 9.1, IE whatever, Firefox whatever, Chrome whatever, JAWS 14 or 15, RantWoman is
not sure, but the keyboard works as desired AND there is a screen at a height
more ergonomic for RantWoman than crouching in front of her new laptop.
At work RantWoman partly gives up on JAWS and goes after what she needs
with various vertigo-inducing manipulations of screen and screen enlargement
focus. RantWoman finds the links about seeing what is available in her area.
RantWoman is amused that the website presents her with a list of all the
apartment numbers in her building and then, upon choosing her own as if she did
not already have service to learn that she has two sets of choices:
1.5 MbPS, phone and Direct TV, but Direct TV is a separate charge.
3.0 MbPS, phone and Direct TV with Direct TV extra.
RantWoman also has two pricing choices all of the above for either
89.99 or 99.99 / month with Direct TV extra.
Oh.
Okay.
Skip the Direct TV. Little Sister’s household likes Direct TV. Brother
in Law likes watchingthe N Guatemala soccer channel and the S Guatemala soccer
channel and, you get the idea even if RantWoman maybe possibly exaggerates.
RantWoman already has more content than she has time to get to!
Yet more opportunities related to RantWoman’s neighbors for digressions
not necessarily central to RantWoman and billing good graces.
Late last night, RantWoman received email exhorting her please to have
a live chat. Sounds like a good idea. Just as soon as…
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