Comcast Installer Also Installs Mud, Body Odor, In your Apartment
How do you tell your Comcast installer that he's stinky if you can't stay in the same room with him? Jessica wrote in this morning,
He is actually still here I as I e-mail you — I hate to be mean, but the BO is so bad, I am seriously choking. He left to get some parts out of the truck and the smell is so strong in my apartment I am going to need to open all of my windows for the rest of the afternoon just to get this smell out.
Update: Working together, Jessica and Frank Eliason of Comcast were able to fix the problem.
I wasn't sure who to e-mail about this, but someone needs to tell Comcast to tell their installation guys to 1). wear deodorant and 2) avoid tracking mud all over my carpet!!
I was given a new modem 1 month ago by Comcast, which has already broken and I am left with no phone or internet (and I resort to stealing wireless). They sent out a guy today (after a whole week of trying to get someone to come out) and they can't fix it but are still refusing to get me a new modem even though they've already told me it's broken.
He is actually still here I as I e-mail you — I hate to be mean, but the BO is so bad, I am seriously choking. He left to get some parts out of the truck and the smell is so strong in my apartment I am going to need to open all of my windows for the rest of the afternoon just to get this smell out. Secondly, he stomped in with muddy boots and there is literally a TRAIL of muddy boot tracks across my living room carpet!!! Too bad my camera is broken or else i would love to e-mail you guys a picture of these mud tracks.
so... not only am i paying to have them fix a modem that was faulty in the first place, I now have to pay to have my carpet steam cleaned. great.
Jessica, maybe you can tweet Frank Eliason at comcastcares? Surely he knows someone at Comcast who can reach the guy via walkie-talkie and point out that there's some minimum appearance/cleanliness requirements. After he's left your apartment and you've opened the windows, of course.
(Photo: Zanastardust)
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Comments:
@Segador: That's not Duvel, that's a Flickr cat named Stinky. And yes, he's hissing in anger at how bad the Comcast installer smells.
I have this same problem with the maintenance guys at my apartment complex, every time they come over its like "oh hey sorry for spraying you with lysol, it was completely an accident!"
but truth be told, Americans are way too smell sensitive. I don't know what evolution has in store for us, but I'm betting that we will look quite freakish
Problem:just had the cable guy here the other day to rewire .. (and i can't stand the smell of stinky cigarettes which this mans' pores and clothes were reeking of) Solution: Opened windows..and Febreezed the entire area!! Effectiveness: Priceless..and the house smells even fresher :)
My brother had Comcast over on Sunday, and made the installar take off his boots because they were so filthy. What is with these guys?
Well, at least it's an apartment and not your house.
"I hate to be mean, but the BO is so bad, I am seriously choking."
I may well be the only one, but I immediately thought of the Cheetos commercial during the Superbowl. I love a sinister Chester Cheetah.
@GretaDandradeine: I was on the bus yesterday and there were a few open seats around me, including one next to me. I spot a guy coming out of the metro station and he's smoking like a chimney, and proceeds to stand outside the bus smoking for the next five minutes, so I know he has to reek of smoke by then. And as he gets on the bus, I beg and pray and plead that he wouldn't pick the seat next to me. He didn't, but as he walked by, I almost gagged.
Economy and job competition being what it is, you as the consumer have the opportunity to exercise your right to demand appropriate presentation and service in a contractor and to expect follow-up. Speak to his manager.
@Radi0logy: There's sensitive, and then there's encouraging people to just clean themselves. With soap, not just standing under running water. It's about personal hygiene! Wash that grime off you, please!!
/once had a very, very smelly roommate whose side of the room was bombarded with Lysol every single morning and night when she wasn't there, just so we could cover up the smell a little and actually live in there. Seriously, she was not only personally smelly, she never did laundry the three months she lived in our room until we got her moved. Three months. No laundry.
@MrBryan: When I had FiOS installed ages ago the installer wore booties over his shoes so he wouldn't track in dirt. That was pretty awesome in my book. And he did a good job.
JERRY: Boy, do you smell something?
ELAINE: Do I smell something? What am I, hard of smelling? Of course I smell something.
JERRY: What is it?
ELAINE: I think it's B.O.!
JERRY: What?
ELAINE: It's B.O. The Installer must have had B.O.
JERRY: It can't be. Nobody has B.O. like this.
ELAINE: Jerry. It's B-O!
JERRY: But the whole apartment smells.
ELAINE: So?
JERRY: So when somebody has B.O., the "O" usually stays with the "B". Once the "B" leaves, the "O" goes with it.
@Segador: Indeed, my cat would just sit there sniffing the dude making that weird face that looks like he's holding an invisible mouse in his mouth.
The mud is something that they should talk to the guy about but you can't force people to wear deodorant
@pecan 3.14159265: Now that you mention it, I do remember my FiOS guy wearing booties in my house, too.
Possible solutions:
1. You wear a surgical mask
2. Offer your female deodorant
3. Shout "Comcastic"
@Saboth: Wow...a little elitist, aren't we? Are you suggesting that all people who rent live in sloth because "it's not your house?" I'm not sure how rent v. own matters here. She still has to LIVE in the apartment, and she has every right to be pissed that some disrespectful asshole tracked mud all over her carpet. It doesn't matter if you rent or own--you can still have pride in keeping a clean dwelling.
Telling someone that they stink is one of the most awkward conversations you can have. I don't envy the supervisor that has to tell this guy to buy some soap.
@NYGal81:
Well, it's not really her carpet, so she won't have to worry about replacing it if he ruined it. I'd still be mad but...
@edwardso: Right, but you can ask people to present themselves in a way that wouldn't be considered offensive by the "average person's" standard. BO that lingers in your home is not something that should be considered acceptable. Then again, we ARE talking about Comcast...
@edwardso:
Agreed. They should have to pay to clean the carpet they soiled.
If the guy smells bad, that sucks, but it's not Comcast's fault.
@Saboth: regardless you still have to clean the carpet, and as edwardso says, the security deposite.
@conquestofbread: I rather think it is. The installer should be presenting a professional appearance. Horrible body odor is not exactly professional.
On the other hand, I'm sure there are plenty of non-smelly installers that have to go in to homes that are not-so-fresh.
I had a similar problem with a Charter contractor. The smell was awful and he dripped persiration on everything. I cringed when he actually laid down on my carpet to access a jack that was near the floor.
And after he went back outside, he removed his shirt and wrung it out like a wet sponge all over the sidewalk. It left a stain that lasted until the next rainfall.
YOu should have sprayed the cable guy with Febreeze. Nothing like a subtle hint...
@NYGal81: If I mucked up the carpet in my apartment I would have to pay for it! Either by loosing my deposit or by being charge above and beyond my deposit for "damages."
Apartment dwellers have to take care of their things too, ya know.
@tobedetermined: Did you read the post? She's choking so hard on the BO she probably can't shout out "Comcastic!" ...she should instead go outside and while getting fresh air, pay a neighborhood kid to stand outside the open window and shout "Comcastic!" for her. But then again, if she were to leave him alone in her home, he might take her roll of quarters and gun.
@RecordStoreToughGuy: Caveat: Might not necessarily be their fault, per se, but they would be in a position to tell the guy to pay attention to his hygiene, as he is representing the company.
We used to have a older gentleman come into the Supermarket I worked at in NJ years ago in who REEKED so bad that people would almost retch as he passed by. Customers would come up to the booth to complain after running into him in the aisles. Even his money smelled after he gave it to you. We would bag it and stick it in our deposit envelope just to get rid of it. I still get stomach stirrings just THINKING about it. But he left a lingering odor as well. Sadly, over two years, and many managers, not one could figure out how to broach the subject. Either that or they didn't want to be that close to have a quiet convo.
If I can throw in some advise.
Call the company immediately. Issues like this are best addressed while the contractor/installer is in the home. The CSR you reach can talk to the dispatcher and get someone new out OR can arrange a damage claim.
Make sure to get your receipt with a tech number for follow up. And follow up if nothing is done to remedy the situation to your liking.
Go on Comcast.net and file a complaint. Those go directly to a VP level office who makes sure it gets addressed.
Coming to the web to complain fixes very little. Make sure the company is aware of the problem and give them an opportunity to fix the problem. Comcast (and everyone else) knows how important customer rep is, which is why I think things like the twitter team and their new "guarantee" are being pushed.
/just finished a period working for research
This happened to me recently, but with Dish Network. The smell coming from this guy was absolutely awful. Stale cigarette smell with BO! Plus, he had trouble setting things up, so it took more time than usual. I had to open all the windows and light a candle to get the smell out of the house. I sent an email to Dish Network and they did not respond.
I am wondering how much control Dish Network has if they use third party contractors.
@RecordStoreToughGuy: Isn't that the truth? You smell badly, you take care to shower twice a day or use more soap or alter the type of clothing you're wearing. If you're prone to sweating a lot, walking to the office in summer heat isn't doing you or your coworkers any favors. I knew people who were so concerned with personal hygiene they kept toothbrushes and deodorant with them, just in case.
If his stink actually had to be aired out my guess is he was probably sick, explaining his sub par service (even for Comcast standards).
@YardanCabaret: LOL. I love that face! I always get the impression that a cat making that face is wanting to eat my face.
@pecan 3.14159265: The Comcast guy that I had over several months ago also wore those booties - he visited several times to fix a problem that was consistently happening. Wore em each time.
I guess its just not being done consistently, which is definitely an issue for them.
Is the photo of Captain Duvel Moneycat hissing angrily at the installer? (please say yes)