A cheeze alert, but not quite blatant incompetence with oak leaf cluster, just your plain old everyday unserviceable consumer electronics crap.
A couple years after my horrid experience with AT&T when the slammed me to a more expensive DSL plan, they just let me go without dial tone for a week. Remember, The Law is conducted on paper, so start your paper trail early.
Many years ago I became convinced that customer service departments are useless and the only real way to get any action is to write the legal consul of the company that wrongs you.