Telecom Proposal - What's It All Mean?
This weekend I got the reply from Verizon - a “Telecommunications Proposal” for the office move. I had to really scrutinize it for a while before I was sure they planned out what I asked for. For one thing, the items and subtotals don’t group together visually - ignoring the headers and working furiously with my pencil, I found a way to draw boundaries that made some kind of sense. So it’s ten times more complicated than it has to be because of poor layout.
I had the thing printed out to show to the General Manager, but this afternoon was my earliest opportunity for us to meet and go over it. He balked - he couldn’t understand any of it. It was at that point that I decided I had better take a harder look at it: The two major sections have subtotals at the top, and the full totals are at the bottom. Line spacing is effectively random and background colors are deployed mid-item. I eventually discovered the rhythm of the line content… (From:, Speed:, Description, Channel Termination) I don’t remember covering this level of obfuscation in the Excel class I took. Sheesh.
But he’s right, 100% - he ought to be able to glance at the thing and see what is intended. Or what it actually costs us… I mean, for one thing, what is the fixed cost of outlet installation and main-office circuit switching, and what is the monthly bill. You know, for that matter, I couldn’t figure out what our bill is currently. And I was looking right at the bill, too!
So, I’m going to let it percolate in my head - thought I’d do a little author event module coding for the website. I’m way behind on that - and formulate my questions to ask the account rep tomorrow. The charges are all for one or both of “MRC” and “NRC”. Isn’t it customary to give a legend for such acronyms? I guess I won’t complain about “USOC” which is probably linked to the Office codes (which are clearly a DC, an Arlington, and an Alexandria) and Carrier companies (all Verizon… duh).
And just so you know…
Early Termination fees may apply. Prices quoted are tariff rates and subject to change. Prices are good for 30 days; taxes and surcharges not included in quoted price.
Posted by Evan Bittner Mon, 08 Sep 2008 22:08:00 GMT
