Auto-Dialers or VoIP for Joe Public Part II

Why I hate these auto-dialers are quite simple:

1) Installation
Usually, when they install the auto-dialers, they do it without your knowledge because you do not matter to them. In the end, they will install as they please and this compromises the PBX system. So, most of the time, when the customer calls us for troubleshooting, it turns out to be the fault of those auto-dialers. You would have to have one auto-dialer per line and if the customer has 40 lines, you can guess the mess in there. And I hate messy cabling. Although the auto-dialers are designed to be stackable, they are not. They prefer to topple like Jenga blocks if you do not install some sort of mounting frame for them.

2) Lightning protection
Ha ha ha. Most of the time, these auto-dialers are installed "in front" of the PBX system and before the Terrokom lines. So, when there is a lightning strike or surge of some kind, these little buggers get it first. But the bad news are:
a) There is no dialing tone
b) Your phone bills went "up"
c) Sometimes your phone does not ring
d) You can't dial at all
e) No one can hear you or you cannot hear them.

Yeah, and the customer calls us first instead of them. Bastards

3) Cost
The cost of these little buggers are not cheap and the "VoIP" companies would only invest in
them if your phone bills are high. However, with everyone trying to outdo each other, the auto-dialers would come free. However, there are cases where we are engaged by the auto-dialer companies to re-program the customer's PBX system to divert your calls to their Gateway. I hate doing this because most PBX systems have some "customised" programming done and we have to get the customer to compromise a lot of things. In the end, we told the auto-dialer people to stop fucking up other people's Phone system and use the Goddamn devices instead. Which is also easier for the customer because if they do not like the first company, they can try the next one. Pity the first auto-dialer who went in there because they have to invest on the cabling for the auto-dialers.

4) Troubleshooting
Most of the time when we were called, the problem was usually because of the stupid auto-dialers. And also, because of the shoddy installations.

Tomorrow, I'll tell you when you need these auto-dialers.

If you see these, the place is quite old.
I was called to troubleshoot an incoming line. Found out some bugger screwed the wires so hard that it got cut.