On , Feb 21, I wrote this post about our cable company merge with Comcast, which is supposed to be 'Comcastic' for us. Well, apparently when you vent about Comcast and other service giants on your blog, you sometimes get comments from the actual corporation like the one I got that day from Comcastcares. Thanks for you kind words, Mr. Comcastcares. Your response to my blog when I am not actually trying to reach your company is impressive. Maybe you could trickle down your human resource clout to the people who answer your phones.
When we signed up with Insight in July, I bundled our new package to include phone, Internet and HD TV with DVR service. I got an introductory rate for a year and was told after the year, each service would increase by $5 ot $15/month. I figured by the time the year rolled around, it would be more like $6-7 with the rate at which service providers increase their rates for a total increase of more like $18-20/month.
We got our first bill from Comcast the other day that was surprisingly $10 lower than our regular Insight monthly bill, but had some alarming adjustments on it. Numbers like this: (28.75) for cable service (4.95) for Internet and (10.00) for unlimited long distance and (10.00) for phone service. I didn't think anything of it. Well, I did, but thought not to worry, they are just trying to make it look like they adjust prices for bundles that make it worth your while. Then I got a notice in the mail today stating that in order to give us the incredible service only Comcast can give, they have to raise rates. The numbers on the paper coincide with the adjustments on our last bill. I am under a contract agreement until June, so I should not be affected by this rate hike effective in April, but I wanted to understand what this may mean to us after our contract. Do we get a discount for our bundled services? When will this rate hike affect us exactly? Are we going to get like 500 new channels and some shares of stock to make this rate hike worth our while? etc?
After 30 minutes and 18 seconds of being on hold and never actually talking to a live person, which is an eternity when you are feeling like dung and want to be curled up in bed but can't because you are responsible for two other human being who can't pour their own milk without spilling, I hung up the phone and now I have some advice for Mr. Comcastcares.
- On days when you send out a notice about rate hikes taking effect in 4 weeks, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH COMMON SENSE TO STAFF YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES TO COVER THE LARGE INFLUX OF CALLS YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY RECEIVE ON SUCH A DAY!!! Freaking technology geniuses that you are!
- Secondly, since you specialize in the phone, TV and Internet industries, do you think it possible someone in your brain tank of human resources could figure out a way to convert old email addresses with a different ending than comcast dot com so the little people of the world (like me) don't have to change our email addresses? FREAKING TECHNOLOGY GENIUSES THAT YOU ARE!
- If you are going to attempt to make my half hour of phone wait time tolerable by playing smooth jazz and new age zen music, please not not interrupt it EVERY 27.8 seconds to REMIND ME THAT ALL OF YOUR AGENTS ARE STILL BUSY WITH OTHER CUSTOMERS BUT MY PHONE CALL IS IMPORTANT TO YOU AND WILL BE ANSWERED IN THE ORDER IT WAS RECEIVED!!!!!!!!!!
- Please tell me that I am unjustified in this worry and trouble and that my bill is NOT going to increase by $53.70 up to nearly $200/month for Internet, phone, and cable service with no premium channels and only 10 HD channels, and I will write a full retraction. Pretty Please. I don't want to switch to satellite, but I will.
- Lastly, at the very least, please answer your PHONES.
To the person behind me in the cue. You're welcome.
KEEP BELIEVING
Arrrrgh. How frustrating was THAT!
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I say, customer service is dead. Time and time again I am disappointed myself.
You go! Customer service is a joke for most companies...it's a shame.
ReplyDeleteAMEN, AMEN, AMEN!! I am so sick and tired of these huge jerks treating customers like this. If they don't take care of you, dadgummit, I'll switch to satellite, too! We've been mad at Comcast for a LONG time.
ReplyDeleteYou go, girl!
I loved this!! This is brilliant and we all need to do this - it would take far less time to address the problems we've been having lately with our cell phone company on my blog (like you did) than it takes to deal with them on the phone - good Lord!
ReplyDeleteHope you get another comment and some serious action! See ya - Kellan
And here is where I would have done some more of that crying thing.
ReplyDeleteYour preaching to the choir. I spent several hours (waiting & on the phone) for our cable company last week. I must say the installer who was at my house from 5 - 9:30 (!) on Friday night was quite a pleasant guy.
ReplyDeleteWow - 200 a month? I can't believe that it would be that much!! But jeesh, if they answered the phones at least you would know for sure ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information on the website - I'll check it out!!
you're a genius! i just wanted to pop in and say hi and thanks for visiting my little "blawg."
ReplyDeleteyour post rocks, and so do you!
Just think of all the things you could have accomplished while you were on hold. I bet you could have read at least 13 different blogs and left comments. :)
ReplyDeleteI hate the constant interruption of the great music they play with the reminder that "my business is important to them and they will get to my call as soon as a representative becomes available"
Whatever!! If my business was really that important they wouldn't hike up their prices!!
Christina
I wish they would've answered. After the posts about the outbursts and other symptoms you've been having while ill, I would have LOVED to hear how that conversation went. And you could have put Grant on the phone to have it out with them.
ReplyDeleteNow, that's funny....I don't care who you are...(Larry the Cable Guy).
ReplyDeleteTry Dish. You get a bunch of channels and it only goes out during a hail storm.
And for about 58 bucks you get 200 channels.
I see you don't yet have another comment from the Comcrap guy. Probably won't either, unless you choose to use that email address he included in his last comment.
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I was thinking about getting AT&T's U-verse thing, but I spend so much time in the blogverse that I'm not at all sure it'd be worth the money. Or the aggrivation.
Keep up the steaming out your ears thing. It'll kill the flu germs faster! ;o)
And THIS is the problem with BIG business. My daughter had problems getting her deposit back on a receiver and after 2 years of the company continuing to refund her money onto a closed credit card account and telling her that it was up to her to find out where the heck they sent her money - she finally just told them that it was ok... keep the money... their competition was bound to care more about her story than they did... and perhaps it would make a good commercial.
ReplyDeleteResponse? They refunded the money yet again to the closed account - which was at a bank that had changed names and account numbers and told her to call them and get her money from them.... aAAGGGHHH!
It was Dish Network (who now seem to use all U.S. customer service reps, for which I'm grateful). They are great as long as you don't confuse them by requiring them to override anything stored in their computers... then all bets are off!
I support all that was written. If you visit my blog, you will note that I too have been contacted by Mr. ComcastCares (it actually feels as if he is stalking me on the internet now).
ReplyDeleteAnyway, the only way to get better customer service is to do something about it. Blogging about it and making others known is just one way.
Check out comcastmustdie.com for a whole host of other issues with Comcast and their lack of customer service.