Please send this off.

Friends, followers, I include below a Facebook gripe, somewhat related to Vermont. I'm trying to get this out to as many venues as possible, hoping the proverbial spaghetti will stick somewhere and be heard, seen, heeded. Any help in this endeavor will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Dan

Faceoff with Facebook

My name is Dan Butler. I’m an actor and writer, among other things. You may have seen me around, on film, stage, or the tv show, Frasier. First, I’ll begin with the positive. Until September of this year, I have appreciated Facebook’s services. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with old friends; been grateful to have a forum to get the word out on a varied mix of political, professional, and personal issues; been glad to wish others well on their birthdays, anniversaries, to support their endeavors, generally happy to have an additional way to stay connected to the world.

When it comes to a gripe about Facebook, I don’t have the name value of Salmon Rushdie, but people know who I am. I pull some weight. Granted I’ve never had death threats from Fundamentalitst Islamic hordes (that I know of); however, I suppose that my openly gay status really burns some American Fundamentalist soup.

On September 2nd, both my gmail and Facebook accounts were hacked by a money scheme conglomerate. You know the ones: “I’m in London/Madrid/Hackensack and I’ve lost all my money, please send via western union as soon as possible … etc.” Technically savvy these hacking folk, though their obtaining lucre schemes seem pretty transparent. They seized control of both accounts (I unwittingly had the same password on both gmail and Facebook), inundated my friends with the “I’m stranded, send money” scheme, and in the process changed my account from a …gmail to a …ymail account, trashing my account and my contacts, and then making it seem as if that account had never existed. After several frustrating days using the limited avenues both Facebook and gmail provided, I was able to regain control of my gmail account. How? I spoke to a customer service representative over the phone. A LIVE PERSON HELPING ME!!!! I still have no idea how this happened because I’d been pleading with them to provide that service for about 4 days to no avail. Even an employee friend of mine rather high up in the Google ascendancy was flabbergasted by my having spoken to a live human being. “That never happens,” he said. All obstacles to regaining my account which seemed insurmountably impossible over the past few days were erased in 10 short minutes. It was simple, easy. A connection with a customer service representative and almost immediate success. Go figure.

No such luck at Facebook. For over 2 months now I have attempted and reattempted every avenue they provide to address a hacking incident, which is scant. The exact description of my situation does not appear in their choice of selections – namely that my e-mail account has been altered and so my original e-mail does not show up as having ever been an account, no past passwords apply, and that the hackers have changed my security answers. There are no sites available in their “Help” area to file a report to include this new twist on things. All responses from Facebook are automatonic, seeming to come from a machine rather than a person. Twice I have attempted per their instructions to reclaim my account by choosing 3 friends from my contacts list, apprising Facebook of my choices, and then Facebook sends 3 separate security codes out to each friend, I phone them, get said codes and then enter them in provided spaces, send them off to verify I am who I am, and am given an opportunity to enter a new password. The first time, I did as instructed and when I entered the codes, I was told they couldn’t process this at this time, to try again later, and then later, for some unexplained reason, the codes and new password weren’t accepted. When I made a second attempt a week later using 3 new friends, it interrupted that process by bringing up my 3 original friend choices saying a security attempt was already in progress. Then both groups cancelled one another out. Living in Vermont as I do, lining up 3 people easily available to get security codes from is a time-consuming enterprise, and when it doesn’t go through TWICE, in rather drawn out episodes, it makes me question spending so much time trying to retrieve a convenience, a connection to a social network.

At every juncture, in every way I can think of, I’ve urged, cajoled, begged Facebook to provide a customer service rep to call or who could call me, citing how easily the problem was eradicated at Google given the same circumstances. Hearing nothing back regarding this from Facebook, I’ve combed the internet and have become aware that there are many people in the same boat asking for a representative at Facebook, a LIVE PERSON, to help out. These too are people who have employed every tool Facebook has provided to regain their accounts. It seems ironic to me that a social network whose main ethos is connection with other people is really showing through their actions that they are about disconnection, controllable distance, a cold remove. To hearken back to Mr. Rushdie, God I’d love to be given the opportunity to provide a passport or license to prove I am who I say I am and get my account back. To add insult to all this, lately I’ve been receiving countless invitations from Facebook to become a first time customer – sent to the e-mail account they no longer recognize as having an existing hacked account!! I would think Facebook would want contented customers and proponents. This is not working. Admit mistakes, make the service better.

Okay, a simple birthday wish. My birthday is this coming Friday, December 2nd. It would be amazing, fantastic to have my account back by that time and be able to receive birthday wishes from my many now disconnected friends. Don’t you think that would be possible?