I Prodded Comcast Into Rescuing My 73-Year-Old Mom's Dead Phone Service

Comcast left Brent’s disabled 73-year-old mom disconnected from the outside world when it bungled her phone service switch from AT&T, telling him it would take three days to get her connected. Brent stepped in, called Comcast out and spurred the company into action.

Brent’s secret was firing off an Executive Email Carpet Bomb, using info he found on this old Consumerist post. Once he sent off the EECB, Comcast responded within minutes and fixed his mom up immediately.

Here’s the letter he sent Comcast:

Subject: Comcast: My wheelchair-bound 73 year old mother is still waiting for her phone to be fixed.

In July, my elderly, disabled mother decided to switch her phone service from AT&T to Comcast. On August 9, the service was switched, and her phone has not worked since the technician left her home. The technician actually knew the phone wasn’t working, however he left her with a nonworking phone anyhow.

Since that date, I have called Comcast repeatedly–been transferred back and forth, disconnected, told there was a mandatory 72 hour waiting period between installation and activation, and assured (repeatedly) that my problem would be quickly resolved. One agent even told me that because this was a “medical escalation,” a repair technician would go to my mother’s home quickly to resolve the problem. Three days later, no technician. No phone. Only my elderly mother terrified of being cutoff from the world and deeply regretting switching phone providers.

Comcast agents tell me that a repair visit is scheduled for Friday (tomorrow) between 1-3. That will be a week that has passed since the phone was mis-installed and I placed my first (of many) calls requesting urgent repair.

I’ll see my mother at lunch. Please tell me what I should tell her when she asks when the phone will be repaired and whether we should really stick with Comcast or go back to AT&T.

Brent added that Comcast waived his mother’s installation fee and credited her for the time she went without phone service.

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