Customer service here leaves much room for improvement

I use the same provider for my mobile and broadband services. I shan't mention the provider name lest I get struck by lightning sued, but it is represented by *cough* a numeral.

So anyway, I chose provider Numeral, simply because most of my friends in Australia are attached to the same network, therefore allowing us a limited amount of free calls.

From the start, I had many minor grievances with Numeral. International calls have a flag fall, meaning each time you ring someone and it gets through, you get charged on top of your cost per minute. I regularly got cut off, forcing me to redial. Worse still, when you did need technical assistance, their representatives couldn't speak/ understand English and panicked easily.

But anyway they had a decent deal on broadband. X, who is not particularly internet savvy, was contented with dial up, but that arrangement drove me to remove fistfuls of hair. So I popped over to a nearby mall and signed up at the same shop. The shop assistant who lived nearby, was a bit sweet on me and even rang up my cellhphone (it was on the form). He was also immensely helpful and answered all my questions satisfactorily.

And then last week, my internet USB donger kept malfunctioning. I kept getting disconnected, even without moving the laptop. The next day, it refused to connect at all.

Even with the leg all bandaged up, X and I made way to the same shop. I got tired of hobbling, so we snuck away one of the public wheelchairs. The same assistant was there and I'm pretty sure he recognised me. X began ranting and raving at him, but he wouldn't budge. No, sorry, I can't give you a refund/ replacement. Yes I can get it fixed but it'll take two weeks. No we can't give you a loaner etc etc.

Thankfully, he did manage to suggest a solution in which I would use my current C902 phone as a modem. I signed the relevant forms before we left. After X and I got home, however, I discovered the sim card was not in the box. Annoyed at myself for not checking and at the assistant for being so careless, I called the shop while X made homicidal threats in the background.

The guy was cool, completely unapologetic and even though he'd once told me he lived "nearby", refused to send it over. Poor X, who was already not having a good day, had to drive all the way back to get it.

Conclusion: If you want good service, leave the boyfriend at home.

Update: They won't fix it on the account of "physical damage"! (insert multilingual swear words)