Metroliner telephone article 4108

That has to be just about the most ridiculous argument I've ever heard in regard to the "We're the Telephone Company" problem.

You expect a guy who climbs poles to wear a suit and tie when he knocks on your door? And you think that because he doesn't, that he can't fix problems that *you* don't even have the ability to understand? Wow.

The problem with telephone companies is *not* related to either the clerk that answers the trouble phone (and despite how so many people want to get the best them in a technical argument, that is *not* an accomplishment) nor to the less than elite nature of the average pole climbing telephone line installation person, who likewise was not hired for technical expertise.

The problem is with *middle* and *upper* level management, which is just about as far removed from clerks and pole climbing boots as one can get. In particular it is with management of operations, and engineering is right behind. Sales people might be either right up close, or actually have a few clues.

What I always found absolutely astounding was that marketing dwebs, as much as operations folks despise them, in the telephone industry often have a much better perception of where it *should* be going than all the rest put together.

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