Comcast Tech Accuses 74-Year-Old Man Of Stealing Cable Service

Pretend you’re a Comcast tech who has been asked to transfer Ally’s account and internet service to her 74-year-old grandfather’s house. Your work order shows that Ally ordered only internet service, but when you shimmy up the pole, you see that the house is also set to receive cable service. Do you:

• A) Connect the internet service and leave.
• B) Connect the internet service and check to see if the 74-year-old man has a separate account for the cable service.
• C) Accuse the 74-year-old man of stealing cable, and declare “I don’t want to see your fucking bill” when the granddaughter tries to explain the situation.

Ally’s story, after the jump…

So here’s my story with Comcast:

My girlfriend and I were living in an apartment where we had Comcast Internet, Phone, and Digital Cable service. After our lease was up, we decided to move into my grandpa’s house for a year or so to save some money to put down on a house. Anyways – I called Comcast and set a disconnect date at our apartment. My grandpa has basic extended cable through comcast, and for us, that’s good enough. So I asked them to cancel the cable and phone line for us, and asked if they could just transfer the internet service and set an appointment for a tech to come out and hook up the internet at my Grandpa’s. All went well. I was told a tech would be at my Grandpa’s the following Tuesday between 10 and 1pm.

As most of us know, Comcast techs don’t normally show up until about 2 minutes until that window is over, but this time – the guy actually showed up at about 10:05am. Great, I thought. I don’t have to sit at home all day waiting for someone to show up. He pulls his truck into the alleyway and comes into the house to see where we want the line hooked up. I proceed to show him the spare bedroom where I’ll be connecting the router. He obviously noticed my Grandfather watching cable tv in the living room.

He then tells me he’s going outside to check the line on the poll. I go upstairs and about 5 minutes later, I come outside to witness my grandpa and the Comcast guy in a screaming match. The Comcast tech is threatening to leave and I ask “What the heck is going on?!” Well, my Grandpa starts telling me that he disconnected his cable and says we do not have a cable account with Comcast and basically accuses my Grandpa of hijacking cable. Okay, last time I checked, most 74 years old probably don’t know how to hijack cable. So my Grandpa gets really upset and starts back for the house. I’m trying to find out from the Comcast tech what is going on and my Grandpa comes back out 2 seconds later with a Comcast bill in his hand. He goes to hand it to the Comcast tech and he rudely replies “Sir, I don’t want to see your fucking bill. If you don’t go back in your house and quit disrespecting me, I’m going to just leave.”

Meanwhile, I ask my Grandpa to try and let me straighten it out and go inside for a minute because I could tell at this point he was getting really upset. So I continue to ask the guy what the hell is going on all the while he is telling me he isn’t going back in the house to hook up my internet because he doesn’t appreciate my Grandpa “disrespecting him”. Well, from what I saw, my Grandpa didn’t really deserve to get his cable turned off and treated in such a way. I finally talk him into hooking up the internet (I needed it for school as my homework is submitted online). But the issue still remains with my Grandpa’s service. So I ask the tech why he thinks we don’t have cable. He replies “When I look up the phone number on the account, it only shows internet, no cable television. That’s a red flag mam.”

So I immediately figure out what’s going on. I tell him calmly “Okay, well you are looking under MY phone number. And yes, I only have internet service in my name seeing as I cancelled the phone and cable service. My grandfather has a SEPARATE Comcast account from me, on which he only has extended cable. If you would have let him show you the bill, maybe you would have noticed it is two separate account numbers!” I wanted it that way so then the internet bill comes in my name. It’s just easier that way when paying bills.

He then rudely replies with “Mam, I don’t really care. I’m doing my job, and I’m not stupid. Comcast will not allow two different accounts at the same address so I already know you are blatantly lying to me.” Well obviously this was news to me. And he proceeds to just leave without turning back on my Grandpa’s cable, which he PAYS for.

We have a Comcast center about 2 minutes from our house, so we drive over there. The lady proceeds to tell me she can’t turn back on the cable because the account was flagged.

Alright, well obviously he saw 2 accounts if he specifically flagged my Grandpa’s.

About six calls to Comcast later, and I finally get someone on the line willing to fix the situation. He tells me he has no idea what he was talking about and there isn’t anything saying 2 Comcast accounts can’t be at the same house. He turns my Grandpa’s cable back on and gives him a $10 credit, which in all honesty, is kind of insulting for the crap the rep and the center gave us. Not only was the tech wrong, but he treated my Grandfather like crap.

Who the hell is Comcast hiring these days?

Update: Ally writes:

The Comcast Corporate office called me this morning, and I’m more than happy with the way they are resolving the issue. They have credited or accounts for a period of time, and I have received a verbal apology from every single person I have spoken with.

Then a little while ago, I also got another call from the local Comcast branch apologizing as well as stating they are interviewing the tech about the situation.

To those telling me to switch – this is the ONLY issue I have ever had with Comcast. I’ve never had an issue with their service other than a few outages here and there, and last time I checked, you’ll get that with any service provider from time to time. Any other tech I’ve ever had come to my house has always been more than polite and did the job they were there to do. The way the situation is being handled is fine with me. It was more an issue with a specific tech than with Comcast service. As of right now, I’m giving Comcast the benefit of the doubt and trusting they handle the situation.

Several of the people from Comcast I spoke with openly stated there are things that need improvement. They didn’t question me, and did what needed to be done to resolve the issue. As of now, that’s really all I wanted.

(Photo: Getty)