Comcast Customer Service
I have friends and relatives who experienced problems with their Internet company. Let's call that company something interesting, like Comcast.
Each called Comcast to sort it out. It was hard sorting it out.
The Comcast customer service rep didn't seem to care.
One argued for days that Comcast was throttling back his speeds. No, we aren't, they replied. Yes, you are, he insisted. They finally admitted, oh, you're right. We accidentally throttled back your speeds. He wanted a credit for his issues. It had been days. I've been inconvenienced. You didn't live up to the agreement. We can't do that, they told him. Well, I'm going to quit, then. Go ahead, they replied. Would you like to complete a customer satisfaction survey?
I am not making that up.
The other two actually terminated their service with Comcast, one immediately, the other after skirmishing for a few months. Guess who called a month later, asking what it will take to get them back and offering deals? If you guessed, Comcast, reward yourself with something nice, like a Hershey Kiss, or a new car or a trip somewhere. You deserve it.
Two of the three are in their fifties and the third is in their upper forties in age. All were amazed by the representatives' attitude. This seemed so contrary to the many, many, many years of customer service experiences where the customer service was actually trying to help you. Each reflected that they're not surprised, customer service is getting worse, in their opinion. I could have fed their fires regaling them with my tales of frustration but they needed none, from Comcast to smart phone contracts to airline travel, but that was unnecessary. I just listened and laughed, as they were funny, the way they related their tales and amazement.
I'm not aware if this is a trend. As far as I know, these are just three anecdotes about Comcast customer service that began as conversations about Internet issues. Were they indicative of a greater problem? I don't know. I just think it's odd, startling in its coincidence, that I learn about this from people in three different parts of the country, on three different days, information each gave without prompting, because their experiences left legacies of frustration and exasperation.
In other words, I'm just saying.
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About Michael
1956 - I was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Some other things happened that year, too. Moved around the country as a military brat before finding anchor in Pittsburgh, PA. Lived there 8 years, moved to southern West Virigina, graduated high school and...
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I'd say it's a trend.
We're in the NC mountains, a little isolated, and our only internet/cable/phone company in Charter. There's Digital TV (satellite), which some use, but they and Charter set prices. (I won't say outright what the charges are, because they're horrendous - but you can ask, and I'll cough it up.) The original lines were put in some 12-15 years ago by Verizon. When Charter bought up their internet, etc., business here, they put in fiber optic lines, but left all the ancient routers, transformers and the like. So whenever we have a good rain, or even a stout wind, we start having trouble, especially with the cable TV.
When we call to complain, their agents (who are somewhere else in the world) try to run interference. So mr. niceguy has taken a hardline approach of demanding service reps come within 24 hours and demanding a full week of credit for no/poor service. They do in fact come, and I do get my credit. The problem is the intermittent transformers are old and they're fragile. They complain that each one they replace costs over $600, so they're pretty resistant to change them out - although they will, grudgingly.
They apparently have decided that there's some magic point at which they will replace things, but up to that point it's more cost effective to deal with complaints and give credits.
I hear exactly what you're saying ~
Those sort of decisions to update part of a system but leave aging components to fail drives me nuts. Yet we're impotent to do much about it. As you say, just like Ford's famous Pinto gas tank cost/benefit analysis, they've done the math, and the customers endure the fail out.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Cheers
Michael, I highly recommend...
this book by one of our authors called Your Call Is Not That Important To Us by Emily Yellin. She tells a story about a woman whose internet and phone weren't working because of Comcast. She called them, no luck. She and her elderly husband went there to talk, they waited for hours but no one helped her, plus it was incredibly hot and there was no air conditioning. They went through the weekend without the phone. Then on Monday the woman took her husband's hammer. Walked into Comcast. Procceded to destroy a customer service rep's keyboard, the monitor, and a telephone. There should be a folk song written about her.
Jennifer Gibbons, Red Room
Thanks for the recommendation ~
I will check it out. That story is just amazing. What a hoot. I laughed as I read it - don't mess with the elderly. I admire them, too. Yes, there's a song there.
Thank you for reading and commenting. Cheers
Can't go there.
Oh wow, you do not want to get me started on...that company. My kids will go hide in the closet if I bring out my Comcast stories. ;)
Those are stories that I want to hear ~
"The Comcast Stories", sort of a ripe off of Studs Turkel "Working" or "The Good War", verbatim stories about Comcast's poor customer service. By happenstance when I was at The Beanery today, I overhead the manager mention problems with their Comcast Internet service. "You're having issues?" I asked.
Expression darkening, she rolled her eyes. "We're always having problems. Don't get me started."
Seems like the stories are everywhere. Thanks for reading and commenting. Cheers
I got rid of Comcast cable
I got rid of Comcast cable years ago because of their attitude. I ended up with them for internet service because ATT couldn't get my internet to work correctly.
Comcast is always very helpful and polite around here, but I honestly think it's because of fierce competition in this particular market. ATT has UVerse and I just read someone's long rant about their customer service today.
Customer service is so spotty these days. I've spent years dealing with homebuilders, utlilities, food service, hotels, airlines, stores, and banks. I can get stellar, old time, "our job is to make the customer happy" to screw you.
It's a crap shoot,
Annette
Spotty is the word ~
Mom went through that too, cursing and abandoning Comcast in her market area a few years ago, and then returning to them because everyone else was worse and Comcast called and offered her a deal.
It is a crap shoot.
Thanks for reading and commenting. Cheers