Consumerist
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cancellation fee
DirecTV Double Bills 75-Year-Old Widow, Won't Fix It, Then Debits Huge Cancellation Fee
Here's a lovely story from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. A unnamed 75-year-old widow says AT&T called her to offer their new U-Verse service with bundled TV, Internet and phone. She signed up, only to receive a phone call letting her know that the TV service wasn't available in her area yet, but would she like to sign up with DirecTV instead? She agreed, but DirecTV started doublebilling her as soon as her service started. After a few months of the runaround from DirecTV she called to cancel. More » -
verizon
In Which You Spend 3 Vacation Days Waiting For The Verizon Guy Who Never Comes
Sounds like that Verizon guy is too busy making commercials to show up and install your DSL. Reader John-Paul just wants Verizon to keep their appointments... is that so much to ask? More » -
best buy
Best Buy Assembles Washer/Dryer Outside, Delivers It To Your Neighbor
John ordered a washer and a dryer from Best Buy. First, he says Best Buy showed up early for the delivery, so naturally, John wasn't home. Then they assembled the pedestals for the washer and dryer on some gravel in front of his house, damaging them. After that, they left the appliances with his neighbor. More » -
comcatastrophe
Comcast Installs Cable In Your Gutter, Across Your Driveway
For more than a year, says the Baltimore Sun, there were Comcast cables laying in the gutters, and across the driveways of a neighborhood in Hanover, MD. Why were they laying there? Because that's where Comcast installed them. More » -
show us your verizon face
"It's Been 35 Days, Can Someone PLEASE Properly Install FiOS?"
Reader David has been trying to get his Verizon FiOS installed and running for 35 days now. He's escalated his complaint to the highest level and it seems that Verizon is simply powerless to fix the problem. We'd ordinarily suggest he cancel and use another company — but he's locked into Verizon by his homeowner's association. Even if he doesn't use it (and currently, since it's not working, he's not using it) he has to pay for it. More » -
verizon
When 9 Phone Calls Can't Get Your FiOS Installed, Email The CEO
Reader Bill was getting the run around from Verizon— but he wasn't even a customer yet! His dramatic ordeal started on October 9th, and by the 16th he'd taken a full day off of work, called Verizon nine times and still he was without FiOS. More » -
bad install
You'd Think Comcast, A Cable Company, Would Be Better At Installing Cable
Amy, a student at UC Davis, has just learned one of the lessons that one inevitably learns at college. Cable companies are simply not very good at what they do. Take, for example, the "finished" installation of some cable outlets in her apartment. More » -
ikea
Help! IKEA's Delivery Guys Smashed My iPod!
Reader Belinda's iPod and a few accessories were smashed by some delivery guys contracted by IKEA. When she tried to file a claim for the $500 worth of damage they did, she got the runaround until she eventually gave up and wrote to us. More » -
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success stories
How To: Locate Someone Competent At Comcast
Reader Jeff writes in to let us know that Comcast Frank and the Twitter team swooped in and rescued him from Comcast tech hell. More » -
comcatastrophe
Um, Comcast, Could You Maybe Not Randomly Dig Up My Property Without Asking?
Reader Kyle, like so many of us, would rather Comcast not dig up his property without asking, especially when they are a) running cable for his neighbor b) mysteriously avoiding an area near the curb where they could have run the cable without disturbing his yard. To add insult to (landscaping) injury, when he asked the Comcast workers to stop digging they refused, and when he called Comcast to ask them to tell the workers to stop, they also refused, then hung up on him. More » -
comcatastrophe
Comcast Goes "Above And Beyond" By Taking 6 Weeks To Realize They Never Ran Your Cable Lines
The Washington Post is the latest paper to attempt the problem of just why and how Comcast is able to suck as hard and as consistently as they do. They run through the usual suspects (too much emphasis on growth, Brian "Comcatastophe" Roberts makes $20 million a year, too much competition, not enough competition, people watch videos, it's Wednesday, I love lamp, etc.). Whatever the reason for Comcast's suckage, its not accidental, and we're thoroughly bored with the excuses, but we did enjoy the article for its obligatory "bad customer experience" anecdote — in which Comcast characterizes itself as going "above and beyond" for the consumer. More » -
lowes
Lowe's Is Apparently Too Incompetent To "Build Something Together" With You
Reader Scott really wanted to give Lowe's some money to install a new door in his house, but, sadly they were just too incompetent to actually do it. After a month and a half of incorrect orders, botched installations, and having to cancel his credit card because an employee from Lowe's called him up to ask for his mother's maiden name, Scott finally got a refund and vowed never to do business with Lowe's again. More » -
bad install
Car Stereo Company Tries To Install GPS, Causes $12,398.54 Damage To Your Car
Reader Brandon took his recently purchased 1996 BMW M3 to a car stereo installation company to have a stereo, speaker set, and GPS system installed. When he got his car back, he noticed that the climate control system was no longer functioning the way it used to. Hot air was leaking from his air ducts when he selected cold air. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get the car stereo installation shop to repair the damage they caused, Brandon took the car to some BMW experts and found out that the botched installation had caused over $10,000 in damage to his car. Brandon then tried to get the car stereo shop's insurance company to pay for the repairs, but they denied his claim on the basis that procedures used for the installation were typical. Brandon says he then took the car stereo shop to small claims court. but the judge ruled against him because the car stereo shop employees claimed that he entered into a oral contract to release them from liability in exchange for a partial refund. Brandon claims he never entered into such a contract. Read his story inside. More » -
bad install
Comcast Digs Up Your Patio After You Asked Them Not To And Other Assorted Humiliations
Reader Shannon has been without a working phone in her home office for the past 16 days thanks to Comcast. This has her in a bad mood, but she's also a little ticked off because they sent over a bunch of guys who didn't understand her when she told them not to dig up her patio. More » -
bad install
Circuit City Will Not Refund Your $169 Even If The Local News Calls On Your Behalf
Tiffany Byrd hired Circuit City's Firedog to install her 40-inch Samsung TV over her (fake) fireplace. When she told the Firedog rep that she wanted the TV above a "fireplace," Firedog told her it would cost an extra $169 because fireplaces were often made of brick and other substances that make it difficult to attach TVs. Tiffany told them that her fireplace was fake and the wall above it was normal drywall. Firedog said that if the tech got to her house and found that the fireplace was indeed fake, her extra $169 would be refunded. The tech installed the TV with no problems and noted on her receipt "Basic wall installation. Waive Charge." Now Circuit City is refusing to refund the money and not even a call from her local TV news station could compel Circuit City to change its mind.
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bad install
Verizon Won't Install Your DSL, But Wants $79 To "Disconnect" It
If you can't free up any time from 9-5 on a weekday to have your Verizon DSL installed, the company will still bill you for the "service" you're not receiving says reader Joshua. If you'd like them to stop doing this, they'll charge you a $79 disconnect fee. More » -
bad install
Sears' "Ultimate Appliance Promise" Vs. Reality
Reader David writes in to contrast the Sears Ultimate Appliance Promise ("a promise only Sears can make") with reality. He notes that although there's a cute graphic on the "promise" that implies that Sears will deliver every day of the week... he had a hard time getting Sears to deliver no matter what day of the week it was: More » -
bad install
Best Buy Randomly Delivers Your New Stove In The Middle Of Your SuperBowl Party
Reader Jennifer wanted a new stove so she could cook delicious vittles for noshing during the SuperBowl. Sadly, she bought her stove from Best Buy, so instead of having a new stove for her party, she had a new stove delivered during the SuperBowl while she had a house full of guests. She launched an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) on them and CC'd us so we could listen in. More »
bad install
New York, 7:06 PM
Sun Nov 15
7 posts in the last 24 hours
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