Thursday, May 24, 2007

Another Comcast Story.

For months I've been getting offers from Comcast Cable to upgrade my current phone service to their new Digital Phone Service. I haven't seen any need. My main resistance is - I just want to go two months without having to deal with them somehow.

Plus, my phone service works fine - when I'm not having an outage. Since all my services from Comcast go down at the same time, I don't think upgrading to Digital Phone Service is going to make any difference for me.

So - today I get an automated phone message from Comcast saying they were "discontinuing" my phone service. But wanted to thank me for being a Comcast customer. Not sure if they were going to transfer me to the new service or just cut my phone, I figured I should call.

When I reach a Comcast support rep., she immediately starts giving me a sales pitch.

At the first point I can make verbal entry I tell her " I don't know why you are trying to sell me on the product - I don't have a choice". She giggles and replies " yeah - thats right.. you don't have a choice". Not in a snotty way..but what else can she say? Unless I want to change phone providers, I don't have a choice.

The phone rep asks me if I want to upgrade to the new service. Which, I know they have to do because of federal law or something. So I agree. She then tells me "well, for you - we are waiving the installation fee". Um yeah. Thanks, but thats a really good thing, because I don't have a choice. When I tell her this, she again laughs nervously, and repeats "thats right, you don't really have a choice". This happened 5 times.

And I will try not to be irritated she asked me what number I wanted to upgrade - when to pull up my account I had to give her my phone number.

Finally she puts me on hold to book my appointment. Yep, thats right. Comcast has to come to my house. I'm overjoyed.

A new interesting factoid is when Comcast comes out now, they apparently ID check you. When I asked why I had to have my ID she asks "this is your account right'?

No - I just gave you the answers to all the security questions because this isn't my account. She goes onto say "well, someone could be at your house and take off with the new equipment, and you would be billed for it".

Really? Someone is going to steal my phone equipment? And BTW - you can see how long I've been a customer. I bet you can probably see my house is jam packed with your equipment. Thats okay...I have to prove myself to you.

Honestly - I don't mind so much proving who I am, but don't give me a ridiculous story about it. Oh yeah, and if the person on the account can't be there, someone else over 18 can - as long as they have a copy of your ID. So much for someone else stealing the equiptment.

But - thats okay Comcast - expect your tech to be unhappy. Because I'm not letting them run the phone line through my carpeted floor like when I moved into this house. Back then I was so stressed about everything else it wasn't work haggling over. This time your tech gets to get into my really tight crawl space.

I might have been a little more flexible if your company wasn't a constant source of irritation.

6 comments:

  1. The tight crawl space with the ZOMBIES?!!?!?!?

    I managed to get the same Comcast tech each time I needed one. I remembered him because he had the most horrendous case of Plumbers Crack, and he remembered me because he was deathly afraid of my dog.

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  2. "The tight crawl space with the ZOMBIES?!!?!?!?"

    OMG! You remember EVERYTHING! Zombie crawl space would be a picnic. Even if the zombies were there and terrorized the hell out of the tech.

    No - this crawl space is enough to make even the most secure person claustrophobic. It is basically a series of one way passages between the beams. No room to turn around. No landmarks.

    When we did our computer closet and re-ran the cable they sent though the floor - the only way my husband could find the right area was because I beamed that really powerful laser pointer through the hole we made in the wall.

    "I remembered him because he had the most horrendous case of Plumbers Crack, "

    You know the thing about plumbers crack? I'm completely horrified, but I can't stop staring at it.

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  3. I don't understand how Comcast can cut off your phone. Have you been using their VOIP service instead of AT&T? I keep getting the same offers, but there is no way that I'd ever pay $33 a month for phone service. I have my cell phone on a prepaid plan that costs me .10 cents a minute. I'm saving at least $25 per month and I've got cellular service. When I'm at home I use Skype. Don't pay them more than you have to, even the basic phone service at AT&T is only $10 per month.

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  4. "I don't understand how Comcast can cut off your phone."

    If they don't offer that service anymore, I guess thats what they do.

    "Have you been using their VOIP service instead of AT&T?"

    I think that is what they are transferring me to.

    "Don't pay them more than you have to, even the basic phone service at AT&T is only $10 per month. "

    Thanks for the advice. It certainly does make me re-think what I'm doing. Next week when I can think more clearly I'll figure out what to do.

    At the time, the service I had was a good deal. Since I was moving - I was able to get a new subscriber deal. Even though I was locked in for a year.

    I've been resisting switching providers, because Verizon "allegedly" is starting a fiber network in my area.

    Comcast has been trying to lock customers into a year contract to stop churn. I'd likely switch to them.

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  5. We have Vonage, and though I have heard many a horror story about them, we've had them for a year with no problems.

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  6. Comcast doesn't offer a 1 year contract, only 2 years. And that 2 year contract is only offered in areas that have FiOS. So if you have a guaranteed price for 1 year then you are still free to switch providers.

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