Move Services?

I am in the process of building a small barn on my property. It seems that where I want to put it is directly over the underground utilities from the phone pedestal and the DP&L transformer. Today I attempted to arrange to have the services moved in order for construction to begin. I must say, dealing with DP&L and Verizon surely was like day and night. After answering the questions on the “phone menu” with DP&L I was able to speak with a live person and in about 5 minutes it was a done deal. Very pleasant trans-action.

Now, on to Verizon. Today I learned the sole job of two-thirds of the people employed at Verizon is to ask you your name, confirm you phone number, and transfer you back to the phone menu that does not offer and option for the problem you have at hand.

It went like this:
Phone menu---without an option for the problem—choose change of service option.
More phone menu with option to speak to rep. Choose that option.
Listen to 5 minutes of elevator music.
Phone rep answers, verifies name and number---I explain problem.
Rep. Transfers me to “proper” department. —I go to original phone menu.

Choose line trouble option. More phone menu with option to speak to rep. Choose that option. More elevator music.
Rep answers. --- verifies name and number. I explain problem, rep forwards me to “proper” department, listen to static, return to original phone menu.

Finally, and I don’t remember how, I get to talk to another rep and with a great deal of agitation the deed is closed and sometime next Wednesday I will have the distinct honor of paying $12.00 for every 15 minutes work to have my phone line move approximately 24 inches.

This entire process took nearly 40 minutes, and in the end the entire arrangement (after getting a rep that could actually assist) took less than 5 minutes.

DP&L will move their service the same distance for free.

Isn’t life wonderful?