Two big problems going on with us right now!
Problem 1. The server that hosts our online store database is having problems. The rest of the website seems to be working fine (for now!!), but the online store is erroring out.
You’d think it would be easy enough to pick up the phone and call us on our free number to place your parts order, right? Not so fast, Sunny Jim 
That brings us to…
Problem 2. High winds in NJ on Thursday night have played havoc with our phone lines. This always happens when we have high winds here. Line 1 has a lot of static with the talking. Line 2 sounds like Doctor Who’s arch nemesis, the Daleks, every time some one speaks. A tech from those lovely people at Verizon sent some one out on Friday. He told me he had fixed the problem, only for me to test the lines and find we had absolutely no line 2 at all. No dial tone or anything. He fixed that, but still the Daleks were present, hijacking human voices. (Actually, on his way back from running an errand Gene caught the guy in his Verizon van, seat reclined all the way, napping, when he had told me he was looking at the main switch box!! He was working on our phones for about 2.5 hours allegedly. I had sight of him for about 15 mins. I wish I could take nice long naps at work- Hey Gene, how about that?).
The tech then told me that he couldn’t fix the problem on his own and would be back at noon on Saturday with a work mate, as he couldn’t fix the problem at all on his own. By 1.30pm on Saturday, he still hadn’t turned up, and a call to Verizon showed that the wonderful man had actually booked the problem as all fixed. So, they send another guy, who really was genuinely nice. He takes one look at the lines outside and says he can see the problems, but he needs a cable guy with a bucket to test the connections at the top of all the poles.
So, no fixy today, and I have the joy of dealing with Verizon for a 3rd day. It gave me a headache dealing with them all day on Friday, mainly from banging my head against the wall ;) When I first reported the problem, the call centre said they would do a line check. When they called me back they informed me that their tests showed there was nothing wrong, I answered them, and they actually told me they couldn’t tell what I was saying because of the crackling, but still said there was nothing wrong. Doh!
I have no idea when the database for the online store will be available either, but you can bet I’ll be keeping a close eye on it.
-A
Update at 5.45pm EDT, Sat. March 22. Thanks to the wondeful Phiya at Dreamhost, the Online store is back up and running, AND as a bonus, this smart tech gave me tips on how to fix it myself next times it happens. I love that kind of help. You reading that Verizon?
Anyway, if you notice anything else odd going on with the website, leave me a comment on the blog. I get the comments on my cellphone. See why I need naps at work now? ;)
-A
