Another Time Comcast Ruined My Night
Our internet has been slow all week. By slow, I don’t meant it’s buffering a few times while watching endless animal videos on youtube. By slow I mean it’s taking me allllllll night to do a few internet errands. What should be taking me 20 minutes takes hours. Who has the time?
Not this gal. Last night I put on my big girl pants and made the call. The call I had been putting off all week b/c I knew it would just get me angry and frustrated with no resolution in sight. Conversing with the least-trained workers of the least customer-oriented company in the world. Obviously, I’m talking about Comcast.
If you have no sympathy for me b/c I choose to do business with Comcast, let me be clear: we didn’t choose Comcast as much as it was forced on us. We chose Verizon Fios for our cable/internet service. Unfortunately, Verizon Fios chose not to do service in our area. Without getting a dish, Comcast was the only other choice (“trust-buster” Teddy Roosevelt is turning over in his grave).
After dealing with the automated system and being on hold for twenty minutes I finally get an actual person. She clearly hates her life, and why shouldn’t she? She’s working for the worst company in the world. All day she’s listening to people complain about their shitty service from her shitty company. While I don’t hold her accountable for that, I do hold her accountable for the shitty customer service she provided. Which was exactly one minute of “troubleshooting” before putting me on a “brief hold.” Where I was then transferred back to the main menu.
After holding for another five minutes, I get another customer service rep. I’m more than a little irritated by this point and ask if it’s the same girl who was just helping me. I can tell by her voice that it’s not. She can tell by my voice that I’m going to bitch at her, so she dumps me back to the main menu. Where I’m on hold for another ten minutes before my call is lost.
I take a deep breath and call again. I’m going to go with “you catch more flies w/ honey than vinegar” on this call, b/c clearly being an irate customer isn’t getting me anywhere. A guy answers and introduces himself as Mario. I’m hopeful b/c I can actually understand him. Maybe we’re finally getting somewhere.
Oh, Brig. Have you learned nothing after being aforced loyal Comacast customer all these years?
Mario is cheerful at first, asking about my day while we wait for the signal to our modem to get resent and for my laptop to boot back up. He’s optimistic for the first 20 minutes of the call. He remembers to take my phone number down in case the call is lost. Which is it. He keeps up a good customer service act, but by this point, we both know there’s nothing he can do to help me. He’s saying the modem signal is really weak. But I’m assured that it’s an easy fix: I simply bring it to my local Comcast support center anytime Mon-Fri between 9-5. Oh right, b/c there’s no other commitments I have during those times.
I ask if they can send a technician over to look at it.
Mario: Sure, we can schedule a tech, but there’s going to be a charge associated with that if he finds the problem isn’t with Comcast equipment.
Me: You just said the problem was the modem. Which is Comcast equipment.
Mario: Well, we don’t know that for sure. That’s what it looks like, but the tech might find something different.
Me: So let me get this straight...I have to leave work early one day so I can get to your support center that may or may not even have the modem I need, or I can schedule an appointment with a technician who will show up at the very end of his three-hour window, if he shows up at all, with a new modem, which even though it’s Comcast equipment and should be part of my package, he’ll charge me for?
Mario: You can add service to your plan for just $3.95 a month, which covers all service appointments.
At this point, I had to hang up before Mario and I got into it. For all his confidence and troubleshooting, Mario just worsened the situation. What started as a sluggish internet connection ended with a nonexistent one.
Oh, and, Comcast? If your customer service number is always experiencing a “high call volume” and “increased wait times,” it’s not unusual. Time to wake the fuck up and do something about it.
Not this gal. Last night I put on my big girl pants and made the call. The call I had been putting off all week b/c I knew it would just get me angry and frustrated with no resolution in sight. Conversing with the least-trained workers of the least customer-oriented company in the world. Obviously, I’m talking about Comcast.
If you have no sympathy for me b/c I choose to do business with Comcast, let me be clear: we didn’t choose Comcast as much as it was forced on us. We chose Verizon Fios for our cable/internet service. Unfortunately, Verizon Fios chose not to do service in our area. Without getting a dish, Comcast was the only other choice (“trust-buster” Teddy Roosevelt is turning over in his grave).
After dealing with the automated system and being on hold for twenty minutes I finally get an actual person. She clearly hates her life, and why shouldn’t she? She’s working for the worst company in the world. All day she’s listening to people complain about their shitty service from her shitty company. While I don’t hold her accountable for that, I do hold her accountable for the shitty customer service she provided. Which was exactly one minute of “troubleshooting” before putting me on a “brief hold.” Where I was then transferred back to the main menu.
After holding for another five minutes, I get another customer service rep. I’m more than a little irritated by this point and ask if it’s the same girl who was just helping me. I can tell by her voice that it’s not. She can tell by my voice that I’m going to bitch at her, so she dumps me back to the main menu. Where I’m on hold for another ten minutes before my call is lost.
I take a deep breath and call again. I’m going to go with “you catch more flies w/ honey than vinegar” on this call, b/c clearly being an irate customer isn’t getting me anywhere. A guy answers and introduces himself as Mario. I’m hopeful b/c I can actually understand him. Maybe we’re finally getting somewhere.
Oh, Brig. Have you learned nothing after being a
Mario is cheerful at first, asking about my day while we wait for the signal to our modem to get resent and for my laptop to boot back up. He’s optimistic for the first 20 minutes of the call. He remembers to take my phone number down in case the call is lost. Which is it. He keeps up a good customer service act, but by this point, we both know there’s nothing he can do to help me. He’s saying the modem signal is really weak. But I’m assured that it’s an easy fix: I simply bring it to my local Comcast support center anytime Mon-Fri between 9-5. Oh right, b/c there’s no other commitments I have during those times.
I ask if they can send a technician over to look at it.
Mario: Sure, we can schedule a tech, but there’s going to be a charge associated with that if he finds the problem isn’t with Comcast equipment.
Me: You just said the problem was the modem. Which is Comcast equipment.
Mario: Well, we don’t know that for sure. That’s what it looks like, but the tech might find something different.
Me: So let me get this straight...I have to leave work early one day so I can get to your support center that may or may not even have the modem I need, or I can schedule an appointment with a technician who will show up at the very end of his three-hour window, if he shows up at all, with a new modem, which even though it’s Comcast equipment and should be part of my package, he’ll charge me for?
Mario: You can add service to your plan for just $3.95 a month, which covers all service appointments.
At this point, I had to hang up before Mario and I got into it. For all his confidence and troubleshooting, Mario just worsened the situation. What started as a sluggish internet connection ended with a nonexistent one.
Oh, and, Comcast? If your customer service number is always experiencing a “high call volume” and “increased wait times,” it’s not unusual. Time to wake the fuck up and do something about it.
Comments
Please feel free to contact me, include the phone number and address associated with the account and a link to this page as a point of reference.
Thank you,
Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations
We_can_help@cable.comcast.com
Now you have to take of work early, go downtown, and kiss their ass.