This Comcast Rep Should Probably Not Be Talking To Customers
Hannah needs some more training, because her knowledge of Comcast's bandwidth cap is less than Comcastic. We also think calling her an "analyst" is maybe stretching it a bit.
user AssistedBuyflow has entered room
analyst Hannah has entered roomHannah(Tue Apr 14 18:36:05 PDT 2009)>Hello AssistedBuyflow, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Hannah. Please give me one moment to review your information.
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:36:09 PDT 2009)>A Comcastic day to you! How are you today?
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:36:15 PDT 2009)>Hi
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:36:32 PDT 2009)>I have AT&T DSL and voice now
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:36:40 PDT 2009)>Hello. How can I assist you today?
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:36:55 PDT 2009)>I understand you are now in my area with higher speed internet access
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:37:14 PDT 2009)>I have a couple questions about the cable internet and telephone services
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:37:42 PDT 2009)>1) Do you have a download cap on the internet service, and does it vary depending upon the package?
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:38:14 PDT 2009)>Thank you for that, please give me a moment to check on this now.
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:41:59 PDT 2009)>Okay, thank you for that.
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:43:14 PDT 2009)>Have you visited our website for our services and packages?
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:43:21 PDT 2009)>yes.
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:44:00 PDT 2009)>I see my choices, but none speak of a data cap. I've seen news that indicates there is a cap of 250GB a month. Is that true and does it vary if I buy a higher package?
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:46:39 PDT 2009)>Are you referring to the download and upload speeds of the internet packages that we have?
AssistedBuyflow(Tue Apr 14 15:47:12 PDT 2009)>not download speeds, but the amount of data you are allowed to download in a month. Just curious.
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:48:03 PDT 2009)>Oh, that is unlimited per month.
(Thanks to David!)
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Comments:
The manager that forces CSR to say COMCASTIC...should be taken out and shot!
What the hell is a Comcastic Day? Does that mean I hope yours is as terrible as mine for having to work at Comcast?
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:48:03 PDT 2009)>Oh, that is unlimited per month. Would you like fries with your order today?
"This Comcast Rep Should Probably Not Be Talking To Customers"
Are you kidding. She was probably specifically trained in this bait and switch.
Well, assuming she's neither being dishonest nor ignorant, she did give you an answer (unlimited). Although, I wonder, did you press her for an answer on the 250 GB cap after her answer?
A Comcastic day to the customer, and a Consumeristic day to the CSR.
Maybe if a rep has a high voice, we could refer to him as a Comcastrati. Or maybe if a rep has a sour tone, we could call her Comcaustic. Maybe when my internet is slow, I could say it's Comstipated.
She sounds like a robot, is that part of the "training"?
Hannah(Tue Apr 14 18:48:03 PDT 2009)>Oh, data caps? Yes, those keep your data from leaking out. Have a Comspastic day!
I don't see anything wrong with how the CSR handled this, other than sounding very robotic.
The word "Comcastic" is about to become the new token phrase to define that which looks good on the outside, but once you remove the surface, it's absolutely horrible. To this I say to comcast.......Hey "WHERE'S THE BEEF?" Really.....where is the substance of the product that supports your advertised quality?
@GMFish:
9 is just the minimum. They only have to wear 9, but you don't want to do the minimum, do you?
Thank you for that. Thank you for that. How could you do a thing like that, I thought we were friends. I thought we were friends... friends... coffee... how could you do a thing like that?
Save the conversation, open an account and don't look at your bandwidth, when they complain, or even if they complain, claim that conversation as a company promise. It's not your fault they don't train their people.
@Ameer Hashw: You mean aside from lying to the customer? Deliberately misinforming the services they provide? Yes, nothing wrong at all.
Next they're going to be saying they won't throttle your bandwidth for BitTorrent.
Well remember, the world "unlimited" is subject to interpretation in the world of internet providers.
Whenever I hear the word "Comcastic" I think "craptastic".
I think she just got a legally binding answer from an agent of the corporation. :) Congrats! No cap for you!
Aren't these chat CSRs overwhelmingly located off-shore? It's not surprising, then, that they would adhere strictly to a script.
I wouldn't wish a comcastic day on my worst enemy.
@dwhuntley: yeah.. i laughed so hard when i read that. at comcast.. what a bunch of fucking idiots..
I'm now convinced that multiple companies offering "chat rooms" use the same software with the same canned phrases. I had an online chat with Symantec last week and the rep also used weird turns of phrase like "Thank you for that" which sounds more like a sarcastic response to someone spitting on your shoe.
Anyway, please realize that for the most part, you are dealing with someone with a limited command of English who is looking at what you type for keywords and then choosing canned responses from a menu. It's one small step above a robot.
I thought Comcast was testing the bandwidth caps in limited markets. Is the OP in one of these markets?
Every time I see the word "Comcastic" my brain immediately replaces it with "Craptastic".
another day, another comcastrophe
@thisotherguy: Not necessarily lying, just ignorant (which is certainly the manager's fault).
Still, no ISP can physically offer unlimited bandwidth for everyone, and taking that as a final answer seems unreasonable. It also looks like the posted conversation was conveniently cut off at the point that would help the story -- I doubt it ended there.
@Darrone: Well of course it is unlimited per month... as long as you don't go over the limit, it is unlimited.
Why don't people understand. You can download all you want - UNLIMITED.... (as long as you don't go over the limit.)
SEE - No problem.
(note - this post is sarcastic.)
Maybe comcast should work on their bandwidth meter for personal accounts and rep training before passing out the bandwidth caps. Little infrastructure in place?
We all know this is just a scheme to make more money in a market that is maturing. Most people that want high speed internet have it, and outside of offering more choices, their only option for more money is artificially restricting bandwidth/data. Since more packages/faster speeds cost money for the ISP, they are going the other route, restricting internet access.
I don't either. She seemed honest and unaware of the cap. It sounds like one department sent the letter, but no one has trained the CSRs yet.
@supercereal: It's not about bandwidth, it's about data caps. Those are two entirely different things.
And they can say - sure, no problem, you were misinformed, we apologize. We're now informing you of the 250GB cap. It comes into force next month. Have a nice day.
The only reason cable co.s have caps is to keep their VOD products relevant. Streaming video is a bandwith hog and a direct competitor to VOD.
Dear Comcast, VOD sucks, give it up and liberate the VOD bandwidth towards regular net use.
It's what your customers want.
@FortyMegaFonzies: Priceless! You can't make me laugh like this at work! People around me think I'm laughing at databases, and that's just weird!
@axiomatic
If they cared what their customers want they wouldn't be comcastic.
@humphrmi: That was my feeling. The response probably should have bene "It is unlimited in your area*" then in .005pt font: *Until we change it.
Shocker. I'm sure these reps have zero training about data caps.