- Joined
- Jan 27, 2000
- Messages
- 615
It has been a very long and tortuous four weeks offline. One day I'm going do just as I promised my cable company I would do, and document what has transpired over these last weeks. They darn near put me into bankruptcy and out of business, since my business is 99% Internet. In fact, I doubt that the cable company even knows I'm online tonight.
The only reason I am able to make this post is because a fellow who works for the company and found out about my situation, came over here on his own time (after work) and ran a new line from the pole out back to my house, then belly crawled through insualtion in my 140 degree attic to put in a new drop to the office where my computer is.
Anyway, a big thank you to Nick and Jeff for posting my dilemma on the various forums, and a huge thank you to the folks that called me and took their orders now to help me stay afloat.
I've learned a great lesson from this ordeal. The majority of my clients don't give their phone numbers when they place an order. That's what really bit me. It's very frustrating to be sitting on a couple of years worth of orders and not be able to contact one's clients because all you have is an email address. Of course I am to blame when you get down to it. My background as many of you know, is in computers. I have long preached that we as a society have become way too dependant on computers, and then I went and cut my own throat. Ironic isn't it?
For those who have emailed me in the last four weeks, please try to be patient with me on the replies. I use two email addresses. When I got back online I found that I have 350 emails to my primary address and 60 to the secondary address. Admittedly a large numer will be some meathead trying to give me a good deal on Viagra, or a great interest rate on a new mortgage, but I've got to go through all this stuff and filter the chaff from the business related emails, then start replying.
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart to those who helped me get through this thing.
The only reason I am able to make this post is because a fellow who works for the company and found out about my situation, came over here on his own time (after work) and ran a new line from the pole out back to my house, then belly crawled through insualtion in my 140 degree attic to put in a new drop to the office where my computer is.
Anyway, a big thank you to Nick and Jeff for posting my dilemma on the various forums, and a huge thank you to the folks that called me and took their orders now to help me stay afloat.
I've learned a great lesson from this ordeal. The majority of my clients don't give their phone numbers when they place an order. That's what really bit me. It's very frustrating to be sitting on a couple of years worth of orders and not be able to contact one's clients because all you have is an email address. Of course I am to blame when you get down to it. My background as many of you know, is in computers. I have long preached that we as a society have become way too dependant on computers, and then I went and cut my own throat. Ironic isn't it?
For those who have emailed me in the last four weeks, please try to be patient with me on the replies. I use two email addresses. When I got back online I found that I have 350 emails to my primary address and 60 to the secondary address. Admittedly a large numer will be some meathead trying to give me a good deal on Viagra, or a great interest rate on a new mortgage, but I've got to go through all this stuff and filter the chaff from the business related emails, then start replying.
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart to those who helped me get through this thing.
I reckon that would be zone hardening.
