My DSL gateway went dead at approximately 4:00pm yesterday. So I call tech support. Even though THEY couldn't see the gateway either, I had to go thru all the regular questions for dumbasses. I didn't even check my shit, I just told them the right answers... and all they could say is "we'll have to call you back tomorrow and check your settings some more."
So I decided to call 611 and asked for a line check. The dude said "yeah, I got a sync" meaning my modem was working properly... and before I could even ask him about the gateway, he said "your gateway is down. I can't get a ping or a traceroute. I'll write up a trouble ticket and we'll get it back on line for you."
THAT'S WHAT I WAS TELLING TECH SUPPORT ALL ALONG... AND THEY KNEW MY GATEWAY WAS DOWN!!! SO WHY THE FUCK DID THEY MAKE ME GO THRU ALL THE OTHER BULLSHIT???????
Anyway, here's a tip - if you have DSL problems and you know damn well it's the phone company's problem, DON'T CALL TECH SUPPORT - call 611 and ask for a line check.
God bless the REAL technicians!!!