This morning I got busted by Sorenson.
A couple of weeks ago I was notified that the Sorenson rep would be here "Sunday morning" on August 19th. Then more recently I was contacted and told to be ready at 9:00 a.m. with phone numbers of the hearing people that I call. ' 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning!? Hello? We finally compromised on 10:00 a.m. ~Sigh~
Yep you guessed it, I have to start using VRS. I just never got around to it before, I am like a cat and wary of big changes, so I just kept on using what I was used to. I admit that I do like VRS much better than anything else I have tried. My daughter tells me that it is a welcome change to be able to leave out the "Ga and SK".
But 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday? I don't even wear a bra until at least Noon! And who am I going to dig out of bed on a Sunday morning to use for a lab rat?? Thankfully my daughter answered the phone in a good mood and did not hate me for interrupting her beauty sleep.
Lantana (who is going to bed early tonight!)
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Oooooooo.... this really makes me boiling mad! No, no... FURIOUS.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right, to call Sorenson as THE GESTAPO!
They have a gall to tell you what to do with the VRS? Making you to wake up 9 in the morning to make calls to hearing people via VRS, and you had to negotiate with them for a "reasonable" time? Jeez!
This is why we get 'FREEBIES' from Sorenson, then we had to obey their rules that we need to make calls?
I rather to purchase a product (videophone) then I can be a better consumer. I began to wonder about getting a free videophone, and does it make us act all happy and grateful for Sorenson, and obey them that I need to 'start using VRS'? Oh lordy....
That is not a wise corporate move, it is a very paternalistic of the corporation to treat us, their consumers as children!
They can train us how to use VRS, but making trainees to come to your house, and asking you for phone numbers of hearing people, and standing next to you to watch you to make calls?
That is not right!
It happens a lot lately to other households...
Thank you for sharing this with all of us.
Amy Cohen Efron
Well, Sunday morning? In the modern times, we are not in the "Sunday Blue" anymore. Amy, relax and face it....we still are going to the shopping on Sunday mornings.
ReplyDeleteHowever, they shall respect people who are going to the church on Sundays.
Things have changed.....don't let Sorenson control you. You must make the choice to pick the days, not Sorenson's pick for you!
White Ghost
I don't know if this is legal, but I don't think so. You may want to contact FCC and follow up on this. I have not heard of any company doing this to their customers, especially if the products were given away free. Their tactics are disturbing and shouldn't be tolerated, imo.
ReplyDelete"But 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday? I don't even wear a bra until at least Noon!"
ReplyDeleteI'm rolling on the floor!! Ha! Ha! :)
~ LaRonda
Yeah, who are those gestapos? They need to be shot at the dawn the next morning for putting that poor lady through hell!
ReplyDeleteThat's audism!
Odd I haven't experienced this yet! How interesting.
ReplyDeleteBe prepare with your bra next time! lol
"Sunday Blue" (Anonymous): The people I know and use Relay with are hard working people and they cherish their Sunday mornings. Have you ever heard of a Sunday Nooner? Heh, heh.
ReplyDeleteActually I had just returned from being away for 4 nights and returning my grand daughters to their parents. I was in a big mess here (my definition) with luggage yet unpacked, my hanging baskets thirsty (and needing my TLC) and a house where my husband, a parrot and a cat batched for 4 days. (You women will understand what I mean). It took a little doing, but I was ready for Sorenson when he arrived! I squeaked by and even managed to be civil!
Actually the rep is a nice guy and I like him alot, he has nice manners and I know that he was only doing his job and what he was told to do. I just feel that "business is business" and should be delt with in a business-like way. "Never On Sunday"!
Lantana
I don't like being told by anyone what to do. They can't keep us from going to church. If I were you I'd wear crooked false teeth belonging to JohnABC, put on a wig belonging to Seek Geo, wear a bathrobe with stuffed bras to look like size 44eee, dirty slippers, green mask on my face, a boogy hanging loose from my nose, borrow a rotweiler from Aidan in order to scare the Sorenson trainier away. Or my husband would be happy to take my place. LOL!
ReplyDeleteSunday morning at 9. Unearthly! God forbid! Never on Sunday. Never, ever! I am in my pajamas, between drinking coffee and reading the newspaper! The Gestapos? Yesyesyes, Bush's wiretappers Albert Gonzales and gang!
ReplyDeleteYeah I would think this is not legal. Report this to the FCC, and next time if this happens.. go NUDE! :D
ReplyDeleteSUNDAY??? Almost if not all of those executives at the Sorenson headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah are real MORMONS! It's a BIG NO-NO for any real Mormons to implore non-essential employees (e.g. iinstallers or Gestapos) to perform any work during that one day!
ReplyDeleteDamn, I never used Sorenson services and products!
Huh? Is this for real, not a joke?? I've never heard of that but if that's not a joke, then it's hell scary and patronizing! I agreed with Amy C Efron about contacting FCC about this. Next time, the rep shows up, kick him/her in the bottoms for being gullible to follow Sorenson's orders to work on the weekends!
ReplyDeleteI think these installers value their jobs. I have no problem with the installer himself, he is warm and helful, why should I punish HIM for following orders? I think we need to go deeper to the head honcho even if we have to call him/her out of (their) Mormon church on SUNDAY!
ReplyDeleteThe installer was nice enough to compromise and not arrive until ten a.m. Heh, heh.
Lantana
That's the Sorenson Missionary. Just slam the door on their faces just like I do whenever deaf mormon missionaries pay me a surprise visit.
ReplyDeleteYou could tell them that you work between 4am and 11pm every day, and they are welcome to come between midnight and 3am. LOL
ReplyDeleteAll those comments about Mormons are very uncalled for and has no basis whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteThe management are not all Mormons.
Few, but not many.
Most of installers are not even LDS/Mormons for that matter.
I use Sorenson VRS from the beginning.
What I see is this particular installer may be up to no good to begin with.
The installers do NOT ask for phone numbers of the hearing people at all. And they aren't allowed to know.
So again, it is THAT INSTALLER who is up to no good, not the company.
Going to FCC without contact the Sorenson main office about this particular installer will not solve the problem at all. The FCC will refer the matter to the company headquarters to investigate.
Hmmm... but why Sorenson would want the phone numbers of hearing people? It is none of their business.
ReplyDeleteWhat is going on here?
Let FCC know... or if you don't feel comfortable, ask someone to do it for you. I know the installer was nice (my husband used to work for Sorenson two years ago, as an installer also and he was instructed to encourage deaf people to use VRS... but not to the point of threatening to take away dlinks or demanding the phone numbers... I guess that occurred after my husband quit Sorenson.)
I wish to make it PERFECTLY CLEAR here that the installer that came to my house is a gentleman. I have no issues with HIM. I do have issues with whomever suggested to him to show up on a Sunday morning at an hour when most of us are enjoying some family time.
ReplyDeleteI did not bring up the Mormon topic. The fact is, I have friends who are Mormons, two of them have graduated from BYU and they are wonderful people.
Please stick to the topic at hand when making comments. The Devil himself could come into my home to help with my VP if he came at a decent hour and had good manners.
'Nuf said.
AND no one "threatened " me. The installer had been well versed in what words to use, he left alot of words in between the lines.
ReplyDeleteThe list of hearing people that I use Relay with was necessary so we would have someone to call to "practice" on. The installer did not take my list with him, but he did "help" me place the numbers on my contact screen so that I would do it appropriately.
Why do I feel the need to defend myself on my own blog? I think I made everything perfectly clear on my first post.
Thanks to everyone who responded here,I appreciate your support!
Lantana
Hello, Lantana...
ReplyDeleteI've read all of the comments until I came across to the second to the last of comments. Actually, I disagreed that Sorenson told a trainer to set the exact time. That is not true because it is the responsibility for the trainers to request a date and time that would be very easy for you to choose, not the trainers themselves. So it is that trainer who set up that time, not Sorenson. You should fault that trainer, not Sorenson.
Keep in mind that all trainers are independant contractors.
I would never impose the time for any reclutant customers. It is a wrong practice.
I would recommend you to contact Sorenson by using feedback and explain what was transpiring between you and the trainer.
Anonymous VRS Trainer
I will do nothing, at this point. If it happens again, then I will show my "distaste" and come out shooting!
ReplyDeleteThanks again guys and dolls,
Lantana
Actually, I think it is because VP installers are doing this weekends or evenings. You might have been unlucky to be stuck with a Sunday morning, but could have asked for a different time. They have regular jobs 9 to 5 like most of us and installing VPs is their second job.
ReplyDeleteI was NOT given a choice. He asked for 9:00 a.m. on Sunday the 19th (this was on the 18th and I wasn't even home, I was out of town and on my Blackberry). I replied, NO, how about 10:00 a.m. and he accepted that without an argument. This was NOT for a repair, but just to make sure that I realized I was supposed to use the VRS, not just the VP itself.
ReplyDeleteI must add here that our installers come to us from Portland, Oregon which is a good hour and a half drive. So as a rule I do not turn their visits down because I know it is a hardship!
I must repeat that I have the utmost respect for "my" installer. He had a long day ahead of him, which included heavy traffic on a Sunday afternoon.
Lantana
You sure are funny...however you guys all ought to know this. Whenever an installer comes to do an "update" or training, it's actually called VRS training & the trainers gets paid $50 for doing the vrs training & each hearing number you add, the trainer will get $1.00 extra. Wanna know why you get VRS training??!! Cuz Sorenson actually keeps an eye on how much relay calls you make per month. If it's below at least 50 minutes, they will order a trainer to go to your house to do VRS training to make sure you USE their Sorenson relay. They will also use that tactic to lure those customers who already have vp100 to continue using relay & watch their relay minutes to see if they are worth a customer to be qualified for an upgrade to vp200. Smart business move eh??? But actually a BIG turn off! Since it actually does violate your privacy rights when using a relay service.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anon, you have clarified something that we all suspected from the beginning. Big Brother Sorenson is spying on us and his poor installers are calling it "earning a living". 'Sad that this is happening to us deafies and in the United States where we are supposed to be free.
ReplyDeleteI never tried to incorporate the VRS because I am perfectly capable of reading and writing and using a regular relay service. I am not dependent on ASL, not by a long shot.
What are the alternatives to Sorenson? For those of us who can afford to purchase our own equipment, where do we go?
It is perfectly okay to email me privately. Several people already have.
Thanks again,
Lantana
I post a sign for the door knockers at the gate:
ReplyDeleteMy Deaf dog eats Joe and Moe's! The door knocker knows what this means.
Joe = Jehovah's Witness
Moe’s = Mormons (LDS)
I am happy with the new Florida law and if the Joe and Moe's open my gate bypassing the “No Trespassing” sign my second amendment right comes to play. *grins*
This is SO not legal. Please contact FCC to file a complaint. No way does our free market economy allow for us to be forced to use a specific VRS, regardless of the equipment that is installed in your house.
ReplyDeletePlease stand up for your rights as the FCC oversees the funds that make it possible for us to have equal access to the telecommunications network- it is not intended for companies to shamelessly make a profit by any means possible, including requiring one to make a call at a specific time. That's like my long distance carrier coming to my house to force me to make a long distance call.
This really creeps me out when large mega corporations use fear tactics to create a profit- ugh!
Say no to Black Boxes-
Time to close this blog since nobody is speaking.
ReplyDeleteI want to thank everyone here for their input. I would like you all to know that I received a very courteous email from our district installer trainer. He was very concerned and asked me questions and showed that he cared. I am satisfied with his apology, if you can call it that. One learns something new every day.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add here that since this is my own blog, I do not need anyone (anonymous or otherwise) telling me what to delete and what to keep. I am well qualified to make my own decisions.
Lantana
Above all is true, they're all an contractor, which they get a work orders and making appoitments with client, The reason they ask you for 5 hearing number because these minute are paid by FCC for our usages through out the VRS, if we all never call a hearing people at all then we all wouldn't be having an videophones at all.
ReplyDeleteNot true. The installer do not need 5 VRS contacts, but just one VRS contact to make a call. We are now at war with other VRS providers like Ojo, Sprint, or HOVRS.
ReplyDelete- The Thinker