Reader Brad is fed up with junk mail from Comcast. He asked the company if it would be possible to be taken off the junk mail list to which Comcast replied, "We are unable to remove a non-active account from the mailing list. The reason being is, if or when you move out of this address, we would not be sending offers and possibly prevent the new owner from receiving a special offer," and that would be a crime against humanity, we suppose. Is there a way to get Comcast to stop sending junk mail? Brad's letter and our response, inside..

Dear Consumerist Editors and Readers,

I'd like to share my Comcastic experience with asking Comcast to stop sending me junk mail. I get more from them than any other source. They first told me it would be taken care of, but after some time of receiving more and more Comcast junk mail I called back, and they said, "No, we can't take you off our mailing list, (get this...) because you might move." !!!! (Documentation below)

A received no reply to my "feel-free-to-contact-us-if-you-have-any-more-questions" follow-up. I forwarded this Service Rep's email to Comcast's web persona, Mr. Frank Eliason. He seems very responsive in his twitter posts and in an interview I heard. But unfortunately, after about 10 days I have received no reply.

How can I stop receiving unwanted mail, if Comcast says, "We don't care what you don't want, we'll send it anyway in case you move"?

-Brad

Comcast's letter:====================

Hello Mr. Brad ********,

Holly was correct in stating we are unable to remove a non-active account from the mailing list.

The reason being is, if or when you move out of this address, we would not be sending offers and possibly prevent the new owner from receiving a special offer.

I hope this answers your inquiry. Please feel free to contact us if you have any more questions.

Thank you for choosing Comcast.

Sincerely,
Chenise
Comcast Customer Care

One approach to stop Comcast's junk mail is to submit a "prohibitory order against sender of pandering advertisement in the mails," also known as form 1500. This form was originally drafted to stop mail that customers found "erotically arousing or sexually provocative." Despite the non-sexual nature of Comcast's mail, this order can still be applied. Once this form is accepted by the USPS it would make any further junk mail a violation of this order. The major problem with this is that the USPS is notorious for not enforcing the orders, in which case you are back to square one.

Another avenue that might be worth investigating is Comcast's self-appointed go-to guy for unresolved issues. Scott Westerman, an area Vice President for Comcast, writes in his blog:

But at the base of it all is our desire to build great customer relationships, one at a time. That’s our common passion at Comcast.

If you have an unresolved issue, we want to hear about it. Our local teams are the first best resource. 1-800-Comcast will connect you with the office that serves your area. But if the chain of command isn’t working, you can directly connect with us, via email at we_can_help@cable.comcast.com or @comcastcares on twitter.

We’re listening.

Scott Westerman
Area Vice President - Comcast
scott.westerman@comcast.net
@comcastscott on Twitter

Additionally, our readers always have some tricks up their sleeves. What are some of your tricks for stopping junk mail?

(Photo: Getty)

• 
  
• Sears Repairman Buys A Calendar, Looks At It
• Record High Personal Savings Rate Imperils Credit Card Industry Profits
• Person With Consumer Protection Background To Run CPSC
• Best Buy Geek Squad Replaces Your Current Porn With New, Better Porn
• Company Responds To Website's Fact-Checking Inquiry With Speed And Accuracy
• Do American Airlines' New Complimentary Hot Fudge Sundaes Come With Too Many Sprinkles?
• Wal-Mart Receipt Checker Shrugs Shoulders, Says, Yeah, We Know It's Total Bullshit Anyway
• CSRS Complain About Hold Times To Speak With Busy Customers
• Newspaper Wire Service Quotes Consumer News Blog By Name
• Finally Accepting Reality, Microsoft Debuts "Refurbished XBOX 360 Of The Month Club"
• Sprint To Pay Canceling Customers $50 "Sorry We Disappointed You" Refund
• "Help! I Signed Up For FiOS And Verizon Sent Me Too Many Free LCD TVs!"
• Payday Lenders Close Due To Lack Of Interest

(Photo: El Grande Mono )

Time to get serious, folks. In this round we'll take a look at the 5 most popular Consumerist stories for each company*:

Comcast:
Powerpoint By Pissed Comcast Employee Reveals They Know Exactly How Much They Suck 140,412 views
Sick Of Waiting For An Install, 75-Year-Old Woman Smashes Up Comcast Office With Hammer 89,231 views
Comcast's "We Don't Throttle BitTorrent" Internal Talking Points Memo88,870 views
5 Confessions Of A Comcast Customer Service Rep 78,876 views
Comcast Installs Cable With Extreme Incompetence 67,249 views

Diebold:
Clips: How To Hack A Diebold Machine 772 views
Diebold Voting Machines, Hotel Minibars Equally Secure 81 views

*We've only written about Diebold twice.
This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america.

I'm writing cause I'm at my wits when and don't really know what else to do. Approximately 4 months ago I called up comcast and explained to them that I needed to have the movie channels discontinued since I don't watch them anymore. I also told them I wanted to add the Baseball package which I really missed the year before when I didn't order it. The guy explained to me that my bill for everything I had would go down to approximately $115+40 for my baseball package (for the time it was on). Sure enough my next bill was 115 since the baseball season hadn't started yet.

The following month I got this bill for $380. I called and talked to a couple people including a manager, who's names I wrote down, they all insisted that I owed comcast $380 or else. Finally, I got in touch with a sweet old lady from the billing department to whom I explained that I had spoke to a rep the month before who had told me I would only owe $115+40 for the baseball package. She asked for some time to look into the issue and through the call logs and said she would call me back. Sure enough she called be back and said that she couldn't put me on $115 a month but could put me on $120 a month package which I was fine with she said she'd fix it and everything would be fine by the next bill.

May bill comes in and again the bill is for $320. So I called comcast again to find out what the issue was and they insisted that I had not fully paid my bill in past couple months. I told them the names of the people I spoke with and to look into the account notes in the system. Again we went through the whole song and dance and the lady said she'd fix it and I should call back in a couple days to verify that the problem had in fact been rectified in the system. She even gave me her extension and name and said I should ask to speak with her. Well I call back and when the comcast agent picks up the phone I asked to be transferred to Debbie. He responded that he couldn't and that he would help me with my problem today.

Well, we got in to a discussion on how I had already told this story a million times and didn't want to have to tell it a million and one times and that I had dealt with Debbie and that I wanted to speak directly with her cause she was familiar with my case. He informed me that their system was not capable of transferring people from one agent to another and that he didn't know who Debbie was, which was funny considering that the gentleman I had spoke with earlier that day said no problem but she wasn't at her desk and to call back. So I told him I wasn't talking to him and I wanted to speak with his manager. The agent again informed me that he couldn't transfer me to his manager cause the system wouldn't allow it without me telling him my problem first and that even if he did his manager was working with the same tools as him and couldn't transfer me back to Debbie. After this round robin of me say I wanted to speak with Debbie and him saying he couldn't transfer me cause the system wouldn't allow it, he said that he would go find his manager and see about what he could do. Upon returning he informed me that his manager said he could transfer me to Debbie if I told him what my issue was. Upon which the following discussion came out of.

Me: So you lied to me?
Comcast Agent: No sir I did not lie to you.
Me: You told me that there was no way to transfer me from one person to another in the system, that is what you said!
Comcast Agent: Yes sir I did say that but...
Me: So you lied to me then!!!
Comcast Agent: Ok sir I lied to you.
Me: Apologize to me!
Comcast Agent: Well sir it wasn't really lying.
Me: Apologize to me or else were going to wait here until you do.
Comcast Agent: Ok... Sorry.
Me: What are you sorry for?
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you.
Me: What did you lie to me about.
Comcast Agent: I'm sorry I lied to you about being able to transfer you to another agent.

Normally I try to be a little more nicer to people but I can't stand people treating me like I'm 4 and lying to me. So I told him my issue and he said he would fix it. To which I got his name and told him if I found out he lied to me again by telling me he would fix it then I would be calling him back.

June comes around and I get a bill for $320, again its wrong but this month I'm moving so I make a payment for the amount I really owe and call up to get the rest taken care of. The lady tells me that she'll fix it but its going to take a day in the system cause its got to go up for approval. So, with boxes all around me, I tell her ok and that I just need to schedule a move and that it.

Now she informs me that they can't process a move until the account is corrected so I'm stuck without cable for a couple days but I should call back Monday and verify that everything is fine. So this morning I got onto Comcast's website to find out if the changes had been made, and talked with a gentleman by chat, who informed me that comcast had already credited me with $245 and that I should be grateful for that. I asked him to look at the notes for the account to which he said that he couldn't see any notes made by people who called in but only by instant online chat.

Needless to say my problem is not in act fixed and I don't know what to do. I've called and I've called they say its fixed and then the next month there a huge bill. My apartment building only allows comcast no DishTV, DirectTV or FIOS. I've had it up to here with Comcast but need internet and would like Cable TV.

-Christopher

You didn't mention where you lived, but from the sound of things, your community might have a franchise agreement of some kind with Comcast. Contact your local government and ask them how to file a formal complaint about Comcast and their inability to send you an accurate bill. If your email to us fails to impress, that might get their attention. If nothing else, it'll give your town hall some more ammo to throw Comcast's way when they're feeling annoyed, and we're in favor of that.

Ryan says:

Apparently their trucks run on "high speed" only. And guess what? No free cable.

The Top 10 Reputations

1) Google

2) Johnson & Johnson

3) Intel

4) General Mills

5) Kraft

6) Berkshire Hathaway

7) 3M

8) Coca-Cola

9) Honda

10) Microsoft

The 10 Worst Reputations

10) DaimlerChrysler

9) General Motors Corporation

8) ChevronTexaco Corporation

7) Ford

6) Sprint

5) Comcast

4) Exxon

3) Northwest Airlines

2) Citgo

1) Halliburton

Does this survey ring true to you? Do these companies deserve the reputation they have?

Another interesting bit of data from the survey:

The Top 5 Biggest Decreases In Reputation

1) Bank of America

2) Halliburton

3) Wal-Mart

4) Sears

5) Nike

Seventy-One Percent of Consumers Say the Reputation Of Corporate America Is "Poor" [Harris]

The powerpoint, created by a Comcast account executive and currently getting passed around inside one of their call centers, sounds a giant klaxon that the company is extremely screwed up. It warns of the perils of not addressing bad tech behavior, demoralized employees, high turnover, baroque customer service templates, and metrics that force employees to upsell additional services on top of the ones that aren't even working right in the first place. There's quotes and stories from real customers, like the one about the tech who said he had to go out to his van to get a screwdriver, and just drove off, rather than bother completing the install. Or how routine it is for techs to ring or knock and then bust out before they can even get to the door. Or how customers are getting lied to over the phone about plans and pricing. The embarrassments just keep coming and coming. Some choice quotes:

"On average, gas is $4.07 (too high for unnecessary truck rolls) and very shortly cable will go from a 'need' to an option for some people."

Comcast Quits Early

Technicians are not showing up for appointments and it appears they are not being held accountable.

* Comcast technicians and subcontractors routinely cancel/reschedule customer appointments without approving or even notifying the customer of the change when they are tired of working.

* Several of my customers have complained that the technician was rude or short with them when they refused to let him come earlier than scheduled.

Scott of New Hudson MI (01/29/07) “I made 3 separate appointments to have Comcast come out and install cable, phone, and high speed internet as part of their Triple Play deal. The first appointment came and went, nobody showed up or called. Set up another appointment, but they did call to cancel that one…”

We've got it here in Google Doc, but for the full effect with all the nifty sound effects, download the original powerpoint (right click and "save link as).

Here's what a few of you said about these two companies:

Comcast:
"If Comcast does not win then the entire fun of this whole contest has been wiped out for me."

"Comcast is a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad company."

"Comcast deserves not just worst company but most evil. Adding more "high def" just by compressing the channels to a signal that my non-technical sister can see is pixelated? "Shaping" bandwidth without notifying customers of that? Their "unlimited" plan that has limits; their faster plan that just lets you hit the limits sooner? None of that enough for you?

Then let me continue: Comcast in my area is the ONLY choice for internet other than dial-up. So I'm screwed."

"Considering Comcast actually rigged a public hearing with paid schmo's to prevent their opposition from being heard... COMCAST. Hands down."

"Has anyone else here seen the look of sheer terror on the face of a Comcast employee when he is about to setup your internet and sees a Mac? It's amazing."

Exxon:

"Exxon-Mobil should get the lifetime achievement award and be permanently dropped from future consideration. They are truly in a league by themselves. That is all."

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america.

He made a rational business argument. He calmly laid out the problem and course of events. He rationally argued it was both foolish and unacceptable to treat a a high-value Comcast customer in this manner. In an artful and subtle flourish, vaguely referred to how solving the problem would be a good way to avoid more negative publicity for the company.

It got results. A Comcast exec who got the email forwarded to him called the executive customer service department, from his house, and told them to get this solved, pronto. That's the power of the executive email carpet bomb. Just one of your recipients needs to realize how completely stupid and unacceptable it is for a business to be run in the way that caused your complaint.

Chris' complaint letter and followup email below.

June 12

To Whom It May Concern:

Last evening I called 1.800.COMCAST in order to set up a transfer service appointment for my impending move from one county to the next. I have been a loyal Comcast customer despite more than one instance of dissatisfaction over the last year (over billed, poor service, empty offers, followed by more inaccurate bills, etc.). I currently subscribe to the "Triple Play", HBO, HD service, as well as the Center Ice package in the winter time. I have also called and left a message with the executive customer service department, office of the President (215.640.8960), without response. The following, is what transpired happened yesterday

I called the 800 number and navigated my way to the the transfer service department. I spoke with Tony, operator ID UP4. I first asked him if I moved and took Comcast with me, would I be eligible to receive the free 19" HD TV offer that is currently being advertised in the Philadelphia area. He said that I was. We then proceeded to verify addresses, and set up the appointment time for the tech to arrive at the new address to set everything up. This request was put in on Wednesday, June 11, 2008, with service to be disconnected here on the 27th, and reconnected at the new address between 3 and 5 PM on the same day. This was by far my best and easiest interaction with Comcast, ever. I made extra sure to let Tony know this, as I was thoroughly pleased with how easy this process was, as advertised.

I spoke way too soon.

Moments after hanging up with Tony, I realized my internet was not working. I tried fixing it locally on my end first, by restarting my computer and resetting my modem and router among a few other fixes that usually work. Neither worked, so I called back (reference number CR127432486).

To make an extremely long story short, I spoke with Janet, operator ID 29842, who told me that because the transfer service request went in, it put a flag of some sort on my internet account which deactivated it until the transfer date. Because I notified Comcast that I was moving, they disconnected my internet for what was to be over two weeks! I asked to speak with her supervisor, as this answer was highly unacceptable to me. I then spoke with Janet's non-technical supervisor Adam, operator ID 29858 (he was not positive this was his correct ID, and also gave me ID NATG01). He only reiterated what Janet had told me earlier, twice. What I fail to understand is if he is a non-technical supervisor, how is he qualified to answer these types of questions, let alone instruct others? Further more, all he was able to do was reiterate what Janet had told me, which is what he told her. He had no solution, new information, or most importantly, help.

Adam the non-technical supervisor then proceeded to tell me that there was absolutely nothing he could do, and that it was most likely a simple glitch in the system that your IT department would have to look into. He did not offer to escalate this problem to the IT department for resolution. My favorite part of this horrible experience is when Adam actually agreed with me how extremely absurd that this situation was, that my internet was disconnected because I called in advance and notified Comcast of the move. To have a supervisor agree with a complaintant, but not have an ability or initiative to fix the problem, is truly amazing.

I was then transferred back to Janet in order to cancel my transfer service request. After being on hold for what seemed an inordinate amount of time, she informed me that the transfer service department told her that they could not cancel the request, it wasn't their fault, and she had to call the digital phone department in order to resolve. This confused me even further, considering my phone was working fine, as I had been on it for over 45 minutes so far on this call alone. If neither my phone nor my cable were affected, I don't understand how the phone department would be able to cancel this request. Tony, in the transfer service department, never informed me that my internet would be disconnected as a result of the original request.

I feel at this point, I should be able to request a transfer of service for the time and date originally requested (June 27, 3-5PM). I also feel that my internet at my current residence should not be disconnected as a result of this request. I'm paying for the service, I should be able to use it. Additionally, I (according to Tony) am eligible for the free 19" HD TV giveaway. I expect to be eligible for this still, despite what transpired. And most importantly, I expect an apology for more of my wasted time trying to correct my service with Comcast.

I hope a speedy resolution is in your interest, as I'm sure that it will cost far less then even more bad publicity than your company has already endured. I not only ask this for myself, but for what I'm sure are many, many other unhappy customers who have faced the same brick wall in trying to transfer their services to a new address. This is border line false advertising - Comcast has made moving services near impossible, not easier! For as much as I pay every month, Comcast should be very interested in keeping my business, and not losing it going forward. Telling people that the problem is their fault, that there is nothing Comcast can do to fix it, being generally unhelpful and unresponsive are traits which I do not consider good business practices. I believe that one business day is more than ample time to return a call of an unhappy customer. Comcast, obviously does not.

I eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,
Chris E.

Account Number: [redacted]
Cell Phone: [redacted]
Home Phone: [redacted]
[home address redacted]

June 13

Hi Theresa,

It took Comcast exactly 1 hour and 7 minutes to call me after I sent this email last night. I heard from Courtney, who worked at corporate, who had copy of email in hand. Her boss called her from home, and asked her to contact me ASAP, which she obviously did. Her boss wasn't even on the original email, so the email must have circulated the company very, very quickly. Courtney proceeded to give me her direct number, her boss' direct number, and her boss' assistant's direct number, and assured me that either her boss or his assistant would call me today with resolution. As promised, Michelle (the asst.) called me mid afternoon today. This must be all that Michelle does, because she moved with exceptional accuracy, efficiency, and speed. I think she might actually be a robot. She promised the problem was fixed, that there is indeed a workaround to this massive glitch in their system, I have my original appointment time, and will receive the HD TV offer. And as you can tell from this email, my internet continues to work. So, everything seems to be on course now. Michelle said she would check in with me a day or two before moving day to make sure nothing has changed, and will continue to follow up until everything is done. I was unimpressed that 24 hours was not long enough time for someone to call me back after leaving a v/m at corporate, but the efficiency in solving this in the last 24 hours since, has been impressive when compared against all previous Comcast encounters. It's unfortunate that this sort of service cannot be obtained via normal channels. But, a huge thanks to the Consumerist (I'm an avid work-time-reader-because-there-is-nothing-better-to-do) I got the answer I was looking for.

Thanks!

Chris

If you want to send an executive email carpet bomb of your own, here's how to do it.

(Photo: Getty)

The article says,

In Weatherly's case, he says he never kidnapped the technician and he never threatened him with his dog. He admits to being angry and dissatisfied.

"After you pay a monthly fee you expect some service," he said. "But why would I kidnap the cable guy? I was polite to him and told him to leave. The TV was under warranty."

Because it's a pending police matter, Comcast's policy is not to comment, said Terri Weldon, a spokeswoman. "We cooperated fully with the police, and the report should relate everything that happened," Weldon said.

When asked about disgruntled customers who spawned several opposing Web sites, Weldon said customer service is Comcast's top priority.

Weatherly's version of events differs from the affidavits. The technician arrived several days after he logged the complaint, Weatherly said. The Donelson retiree had complained that his new Sony TV had no picture.

Weatherly said the technician dismantled his surround sound system and didn't fix it. Unhappy with what happened, Weatherly said, he told him to leave it as it was because the TV was under warranty.

Comcast drives us insane too, but Mr. Weatherly, please get a grip. We hope everything goes well with your mental evaluation and you get your problems sorted out. If you are lonely in the meantime, we're sure you would have a lot in common with the smashem-up hammer-totin granny.

Cable man's alleged abductor ordered to get mental exam [The Tennessean] (Thanks to Econobiker!)
(Photo: Getty)

Here's your first "Sweet 16" match-up: #1 Comcast VS #17 Ticketmaster.

Here's what some of you had to say about these two companies:

Comcast:
"In my experience, Comcast employees don't even TRY to do their jobs. It's like they have no motivation."

If Comcast does not win then the entire fun of this whole contest has been wiped out for me.

Ticketmaster:
"This is a no brainer: Ticketmaster is the worst by far."

"Go Ticketmaster go! You're in my top 5!"

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america.

Comcast Treats M-Card as Two CableCARDs, Bills Accordingly [Christopher Price]

The woman says "attached was a copy of my personal check with my name, my address, my phone number, My account numbers, my signature... nothing was blacked out...Nothing! And a copy of my comcast statement."

Here's her story as she tells it, from the Comcast Must Die website:

My gripe with comcast started when i received my first bill after signing up for the Comcast Triple Play. $99 a month, right? No...It was an additional $30 on top of that because i was already a comcast customer. If you have cable in my area, yes, you have to be a comcast customer.

So my first bill was for $228. When i paid my bill i paid $200. Leaving a $28 balance to be tacked on to next months bill. When i had family visiting, my cable wasnt working for a few days, finally i called and the reason was because my account was past due. In order to get it turned back on i had to pay $169 (not my $28 balance)by phone immediately. So i did, electronically... and before i hung up the phone the tv was on again. That fast. Embarrassing.

So since i paid over the phone i disregarded my next payment and instead sent my check to the "Comcast vampires" and paid in the amount of "My right Arm and zero dollars" memo "Robbing customers blind". Haha, i got my little dig in there, so i thought.

About 2 weeks later, i was out of town visiting family when my husband calls from home telling me that he just recieved a strange phone call from a woman in Colorado. We live in Pennsylvania. She just recieved an email that said "This is too funny not to pass on. This is an actual payment we recieved via yesterdays mail." And attached was a copy of my personal check with my name, my address, my phone number, My account numbers, my signature... nothing was blacked out...Nothing! And a copy of my comcast statement.
Immediately, i called my bank, then comcast, then the police. I had to cut my visit short to come home and take care of this situation. That was last August. Since then i have filed complaints with the BBB, Attorney General, and the FTC. I have searched for an attorney to file a case against them. No Luck. There are 3 Consumer Rights attorneys in Pittsburgh. I am afraid of the whole identity theft thing. A comcast employee put all of my personal information out there, its just a matter of time in my eyes. They have given me so much runaround, i dont even want to go there. I even spoke to a comcast security agent that couldnt even tell me her last name, she just had an Agent ID B!<. How ridiculous is that. She gave the the number for the comcast legal dept, 1-800-871-6298 and fax, 1-720-267-2794. She claimed that she had reported the incident and it was now out of her hands.
Nothing has been done, i have had to change my bank account, get new checks, and constantly keep an eye on our credit report. They issued me credit for 3 months of services.
A few people got fired, but that doesnt help me any. For all i know, the email could still be circulating. Now i am not sure where to go now. I just know that this incident could haunt me for years to come. And i still write my checks out to the comcast vampires.

The Associated Press says Comcast has no comment.

Woman sends Comcast check for 'my right arm' [Post-Gazette]
(Photo: cmorran123 )

The position requires installation and removal of "strategic and tactical data intercept equipment on a nation-wide basis to meet Comcast and Government lawful intercept needs." The intercept engineer also "performs diagnosis on data, voice, and video services to detect and respond to fraudulent activity such as theft of service and speed enhancement." Only Comcast would prosecute enhanced performance.

Comcast Is Hiring an Internet Snoop for the Feds [Wired]
Job Listing [BrassRing]
(Photo: Getty) (Thanks to Jeff!)

ABC 7 Baltimore says the man was handcuffed and crashed through his own window in order to escape the robbers:

The victim, who was handcuffed and had been shot in the stomach, apparently tried to flee the intruders by jumping through a window.

"He had handcuffs on, and I can say he broke out the window in the bedroom there and he had the handcuffs on," said neighbor Marvin King. "He rolled over, got up, and called the police."

One witness says he saw the men messing around with the cable box outside the apartment before going to the victim's apartment.

Always remember to ask for proper identification when allowing telecom workers into your home. It's also a good idea not to be alone.

Shooting Suspects Flee In Comcast Van [WBAL](Thanks, Jeff!)

Man Wounded in Bizarre Home Invasion-Shooting [ABC7]

(Photo: Tyler Durden's Imaginary Friend)

Comcast is facing a potentially heavy fine from the FCC for (possibly) improperly interfering with Internet traffic, and they're hoping that this new "protocol-agnostic" method will be more palatable.

It sounds like bad news for heavy users, however:

The new Internet traffic method will put the online traffic of ordinary Internet users ahead of heavy users at certain times to maintain overall Internet speeds, Douglas said. Thus, the Internet experience for heavy users - so-called Internet hogs - could slow during periods of Internet congestion.

If successful, Comcast will implement it throughout the system by the end of the year.

Comcast to test 'Internet hog' controls [Philly.com]
(Photo: cmorran123 )

5% of TWC's users take up half of the ISP's capacity, says Kevin Leddy, Time Warner Cable's executive vice president of advanced technology.

"We think it's the fairest way to finance the needed investment in the infrastructure," Leddy said.

Most ISPs already have "download caps" on their so-called unlimited use accounts, but the caps are kept secret.

From Yahoo!:

Time Warner Cable had said in January that it was planning to conduct the trial in Beaumont, but did not give any details. On Monday, Leddy said its tiers will range from $29.95 a month for relatively slow service at 768 kilobits per second and a 5-gigabyte monthly cap to $54.90 per month for fast downloads at 15 megabits per second and a 40-gigabyte cap. Those prices cover the Internet portion of subscription bundles that include video or phone services. Both downloads and uploads will count toward the monthly cap.

A possible stumbling block for Time Warner Cable is that customers have had little reason so far to pay attention to how much they download from the Internet, or know much traffic makes up a gigabyte. That uncertainty could scare off new subscribers.

Those who mainly do Web surfing or e-mail have little reason to pay attention to the traffic caps: a gigabyte is about 3,000 Web pages, or 15,000 e-mails without attachments. But those who download movies or TV shows will want to pay attention. A standard-definition movie can take up 1.5 gigabytes, and a high-definition movie can be 6 to 8 gigabytes.

Time Warner Cable subscribers will be able to check out their data consumption on a "gas gauge" on the company's Web page.

The company won't apply the gigabyte surcharges for the first two months. It has 90,000 customers in the trial area, but only new subscribers will be part of the trial.

We can't help but think this is going to put a damper on services such as the new Netflix box, or Apple's iTunes. It may have some pricey implications for deaf cable customers as well, as they tend to use internet video to communicate.

Then again, it does seem more honest than Comcast's current policy of shutting down users who exceed an undisclosed monthly cap.

What do you think? Will this fly?

Time Warner Cable tries metering Internet use [Yahoo!]
(Photo: meghannmarco )

"If he wasn't such a prick, he could have avoided all of that," says EBK. "I wasn't even really thinking. Plus, I'm just so mad at Comcast. I'm tired of their shitty service."

Comcast Hijackers Say They Warned the Company First [Wired]
(Photo: cmorran123)

The article says,

A three-month-old gray tabby kitten was tortured. Mike Merrill, the only witness to the crime, said, "There was four people spray painting and kicking it from side to side."

When Merrill got to the kitten, he said it looked lifeless. He said, "Basically seemed like it was almost dead...spray painted all the way down its back."

Animal Control officers rushed the kitten to a veterinarian with concerns of internal injuries and severe shock.

Police said the men accused of spray painting and kicking the kitten are contract workers for Comcast. The cable company released a statement saying, "We are outraged and deeply saddened by this incident. We are fully cooperating with police and will take appropriate action once we have all the facts."

Jesus Villalovos was arrested on charges of animal cruelty and obstruction of justice. Police said Villalovos spray painted the cat and lied to them.

Two other men were cited with class B misdemeanors.

The good news is that the kitten will be just fine. Merrill said if an owner doesn't claim the cat in the next three days, he will adopt it.

We are speechless, Comcast. We suppose when there are no little girls to run over, you resort to torturing a kitten. Bravo.

West Valley man arrested for spray painting kitten [ABC 4] (Thanks to Austin!)
(Photo: ABC 4)

Hey, guys. Jonathon here. Just wanted to let you know that a Comcast supervisor called me this afternoon to apologize for the response I got from both the first and second tech. His name is Mike, though I left his last name at the office. Anyway, he indicated that these techs do most certainly have the authority to waive the $1.99 fee and apologized for causing me the inconvenience. I then asked him what we could do to lower my bill even more since I'm trying to save money. He went through all of the specials and crunched some numbers with me. Turns out that the only thing they could offer in the way of a discount was the $99 introductory package they offer new subscribers. Not a bad deal, but would only save me money if I needed phone service. I don't, so we didn't.

Point is that Mike was very cool. He took the time to help me, looked up info on the Comcast Tivo rollout for me, gave me the skinny on cable cards, etc. I know that you don't usually print happy good-time customer experience stories, but I figured if I took the time to bitch about it in front of 6,000 or so people it would only be decent to give them props where due. Granted, it would have been cool if they were helpful from the get-go, but there you have it.

-Jonathon

Congratulations. It looks like you didn't have to choose between the $1.99 fee and the free cancellation of Comcast after all. For other Comcast customers that are trying to save on their bill, don't forget about the magical "customer retention" representatives, who depending on your location, have broad authority to cut your bill down to size.

PREVIOUSLY: Canceling HBO Costs $1.99 But Canceling Comcast Is Free, Which Do You Choose?
(Photo: Getty)

I don't know if this qualifies as news or not, but I was getting tired of paying $160/month for cable an internet (one TV). My wife and I decided that now that the Wire, Sopranos, Rome, etc. have gone bye-bye, sacrificing HBO was no big loss. I was then informed that I could cancel HBO for the low, low price of $1.99. But it's free to cancel my Comcast account entirely! Customer service at its finest. Here's the transcript. Enjoy, and please let me know if you decide to print.

user Jonathon_ has entered room

Jonathon: Cancel HBO

analyst Adam has entered room

Adam: Hello Jonathon_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Adam. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Adam: Jonathon, I will be happy to help you with this.

Adam: One moment please while I access your account information.

Adam: Protecting your privacy is a priority to us, before we can provide you with the requested information, we must confirm your identity as the authorized account holder. To do so, we request that you provide Comcast account number or the amount of your last payment.

Jonathon: I don't have either on me at the moment

Jonathon: Hold on and let me see if I can get the amount from my bank account

Adam:Sure

Jonathon: $158.91

Adam: Excellent. Thank you

Adam: Ther is a one time charge of $1.99 to make this change

Jonathon: Pardon me, are you telling me that you are going to charge me a fee to cancel a service?

Adam: Ther is a $1.99 to make a change to the acocunt that is correct

Adam: Either add or remove a package

Jonathon: That's absurd. I'm already unhappy with the service I get and Comcast wants to charge me for the privilege of canceling? That's a terrible policy.

Adam: How do you want me to proceed?

Jonathon: Without charging me $1.99

Adam: I do apologize but I amnot able to waive that fee

Jonathon: My I speak with somebody who can?

Adam: We do not have a supervisor on shift at the moment however, you can call us at 1-800-COMCAST and request to speak to a supervisor that way

Jonathon: To be frank, if I have to pick up a phone to handle this matter at this point it will be my entire $158.91/month service that I am canceling, and not just HBO. Would there be a charge for that as well?

Adam: NO charge to cancel

Adam: Jonathon Is there anything else I can help you with today?

Jonathon: So I'll be treated with greater decency if I decide to leave all together? No, I don't believe that you can help me with anything else today.

Adam: Have a good day :)

Adam: Thank you for making Comcast part of your day. If you need assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to contact us through Live Chat or E-mail (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Thank you again for choosing Comcast we appreciate your business. To visit our local support page including links to contact us via Email, as well as many downloadable forms,and FAQ pages, please visit: http://www.comcast.com/nesupport/

Did you know that Comcast offers its customers a variety of free benefits? These include McAfee Antivirus, Firewall and Privacy software as well the Comcast tool bar that lets you take Comcast.net with you while you surf, and the Desktop Doctor to help you restore lost settings...plus much more, please visit http://www.comcast.net/downloads/ to see all of the extras that we provide.

Analyst has closed chat and left the room

It's almost as if Comcast is begging you to cancel your service. Some may consider such a decision akin to throwing the baby away with the bathwater, although, if you have a fugly Comcast baby the decision seems clear. Which would you choose?

(Photo: Getty)

"Just thought you would like to see for yourself the kind of service Comcast delivers for a $150 a month."

You know, Bill. This happens to me every time I record football on CBS. (Full disclosure: I don't have Comcast.) I'm always having to record 60 minutes, too. It used to bug me, but I'm starting to like 60 minutes more and more every year... their consumer reporting is really interesting... I think it's a deliberate plot.

Anyway, you're not alone, we found another poor Comcast user whose DVR cut out. And another one. And another one. And it wasn't just Comcast either...

Personally, as someone who liked the Sopranos finale, I think it's almost better this way.

Here's her letter:

I am appalled that anyone can speak the word customer service at Comcast. I am so angry with Comcast right now that I am going to compose an email that will be sent to every investor, stock holder, news agency, better business bureau, and consumer protection agency. Allow me to explain why I am so irate; you at least deserve an opportunity to answer why a company that you run is so negligent with it's consumers.

1.)I opened my account via the web with a live web rep via chat back in April. Because I had heard the horror stories, and because I worked for a local telco, I asked very pointed questions such as "will my service have any down time due to number portability?" and "Is there anything I can do to make sure that this is a smooth process?". The chat representative assured me that the transition would not have any down time, and that all I had to do was follow the link provided and then fill out the "Letter of Agency" form. I did that and received confirmation for both numbers.

2.)Comcast Rep did not show up on scheduled date, instead, he showed up almost two weeks later on May 5th, 2008 unannounced. I figured the wait was because of the number and I did not say anything about it. The technician installed the service. The number on the ticket read [redacted]. I was very specific in my original chat that this was the number I needed. I explained that I have advertising on that number. The tech TESTED the line and assured us that everything was installed as ordered. What he didn't tell us was that we were assigned a Comcast Native number. I was able to access the internet and make outbound calls but my inbound calls were just ringing, never actually going through to my home. This was due to the native number being placed on the line.

3.)May 5th, 2008, at 5pm, I contacted 1-800-Comcast. They informed me that it was a simple mistake, gave me the native number and explained that the problem would be corrected within 24 hours.

4.)May 6th, 2008 at 5pm. My services went completely down. No internet, no phone, no dial tone. I contacted 1-800-Comcast again. They explained that the earliest appointment time would be May 7th with an all day appointment (meaning by 8pm). At 8pm, the rep had not showed so I called. The rep on the phone explained that the tech had attempted to call the number on the ticket being reported for no dial tone, did not get an answer, therefore, did not come. They must have dispatched him, because he did show up at 10:00pm. He said he had fixed the problem. I could now use the internet and make outbound calls with the number [redacted] showing up on the other persons caller id, but my inbound calls were still going to never never land, not being received in my home. The tech explained that he could not fix it, that it was a portability issue and said that he would have his boss contact me the following day.

5.) Steve never contacted me. I finally contacted him at 4:00pm. He explained that I was a complete problem and that "corporate emails" had been flying all day and that he or his boss would email me with resolution by the following day which was Friday. No email. I tried to call him all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday yet he never answered his calls, returned my calls or emailed me to this day.

6.) I had three spanish speaking individuals show up to replace wire I assume. They dug a hole THROUGH my patio, buried that wire, then left the entire 1/2 acre of line exposed for the dogs to chew...Brilliant! I tried to ask them to NOT dig through my patio, but they could speak English, No Comprende!

7.) I called back in to 1-800-Comcast on 5/12/08. I spoke to Antonio. He said that a work order had been placed but that it was done incorrectly. He explained that the number had not been ported over correctly either. He said that he was going to correctly enter the work order but that I would have to go through another wound of third party verification. He said that the earliest he could have my new number up and running would be 5/22/08 before 5pm. He further explained that he could not enter a work order at the same time for our 2nd number. He said to call in on the 22nd and that they would then get the second number ported but that it would be at least another 7 days from the time that I call in.

8.) My box was reset, a call came from comcast and my number switched over on the 16th of may. The 2nd number was still incomplete.

9.) On 5/20/08. My phones went down again, no inbound or outbound, no dial tone at all again. I contacted the chat live rep again. The first rep said that I had taken the service off of my account which I had not done. He switched me to sales. The sales chat rep said that he should not have transferred me there and that he would try to resolve. He promised resolution by 9pm. He asked that I log back into this chat and check up prior to 9pm. I did. This time, the rep said that it had nothing to do with that and that this was an inside wiring issue. My questions was then why did rep #1 and #2 say that this was due to an account error and why did I just have my patio dug up to replace wire? She couldn't answer but scheduled an appointment for another tech to come out 5/21/08. This is now ridiculous.

Really it boils down to reps pushing the blame, passing the buck and taking no responsibility. It seems that there is so much corporate tape to go through that Comcast can't get out of it's own way. I want a working phone and I want it now. I was told that it would be installed and by a Comcast rep, I was told that there would not be any down time. Promise after Promise has been broken and contractually speaking, comcast has defaulted. What is going to happen with my advertising bill of 800.00 this month? Am I expected to pay it when obviously no customer could get through to my line? And what about all the business I lost?? And what about the property damage? This situation is a lot larger than simply not having a phone for a few hours. It has now been 16 days (and counting).

Much more transpired through calls and what not but it would simply be too much to write. I am now begging to have this resolved...pleading. My business depends on it. Would you be okay without a phone in your office for 16 days? With all the complaints I am sure that you would rather have it that way!

I have chat logs, copies of all correspondence, recordings, you name it. Ignoring me will not make me go away. I want resolution. This is an opportunity to fix the problem now, before I take this matter for review before the consumer protection agency, the FCC, the better business bureau and all the local news agencies. I hope that you take customer service and promises seriously; any business relies on it!

Shannon

After Comcast dug up our property without permission and left us without a phone for 16 days, we'd port our number to another company, have the damage repaired and file a small claims lawsuit for the amount of the repair bill... but that's just us. Here's some information on how to do that if Comcast doesn't come through with phone service and a little patio repair.

(Photo: u2acro )

Bad
Service
Crap
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Broken
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Hell
India
Junk
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Old and
Shit

...and then of course Comcast:
Bad Service
Assholes
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Big
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What's the first thing that pops into your head when you think of Sprint?

BrandTags [via BuzzFeed ]

The article says,

They're (the family) holding onto hope that she'll regain consciousness.

Three-year-old Kayleen Smith's uncle Daimen Morrison said, "She loves flowers. Boy, if we had a yard full of flowers, she'd pick every single one of them."

He adds, "Everybody knows that she's the sweetest, smartest, little thing you'll ever meet. She's just something else though. She makes my father more happy than I've ever seen him," Morrison said. The girl is clinging to life in Huntsville Hospital after an accident Saturday morning.

Witness Wesley Hadley says, "I said a prayer right there. I didn't know what else to do." Hadley saw the accident happen as he was traveling south on Memorial Parkway.

Near Sam's Club and Lowe's, he says, "Two Comcast vans passed me... I estimate, probably about 75 miles per hour." In a 50 mile-per-hour zone.

Hadley says one continued straight and another tried to turn right near O'reilly Auto Parts. "I knew he wasn't going to make it." Hadley says a woman with her two granddaughters was approaching a stop sign.

The Comcast driver hit the van and flipped before resting upside down. The witness describes seeing the accident in slow motion, a horrible sight with tremendous force.

Kayleen Smith is now off life support, but is still unconscious.

Her nine-year-old sister was also in the vehicle, but escaped serious injury, as did their grandmother. The Comcast driver has been released from the hospital and refused to comment.
Family of the other employee confirms to me he was working that day, but could not elaborate due to the investigation.

Hadley says, "They were racing. It looked like they were racing. They were going in and out and trying to keep up with each other."

Morrison says, "I just hope this shows anybody out there that wants to act foolish on the road, that people can lose their life and everything that means everything to them."

Comcast could not provide details on employee procedure or the status of these two employees.

Comcast General Manager Butch Jernigan gave us the following statement: "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved. We will cooperate fully with local authorities, but cannot comment further because of the on-going investigation. At Comcast, the safety of our employees, customers, and the general public is a top priority."

According to Huntsville Police, no criminal charges have been filed at this time and the accident is currently under investigation.

We're saddened by this story and hope Kayleen pulls through. We hope that Comcast learns that the money they save in cheap outsourcing has real costs. We've witnessed things like the Comcast Contractor Doing Donuts as well as the Comcast Tech Falls Asleep On Couch which were amusing and fairly innocuous. Unfortunately, Comcast has now graduated up to reckless and dangerous. It's tragic that it takes these kinds of accidents for companies to realize that the value of saving a few dollars is nothing compared to the value of human life.

Witnesses say two cable cars racing causing serious accident [WAFF] (Thanks to Brian!)
(Photo: WAFF)

Comcast, it seems, has a serious problem. They're selling "Unlimited Access," but again and again their customers tell us that they're being threatened with "termination" for using too much bandwidth. How much is too much? Comcast won't say. According to their Acceptable Use Policy, "too much" is defined as "where bandwidth consumption is not characteristic of a typical residential user of the Service as determined by the company in its sole discretion." Reader Peter is one such atypical customer. He wants to cooperate with Comcast, but he can't get a straight answer as to how much downloading he's allowed to do. He can't even get an estimate. Since he pays for the highest tier of access from Comcast, he figures that he should be able to download more than a "typical" user. Not true, says the Comcast "Abuse" department. Since his internet is "faster" he's simply paying more for the ability to reach the bandwidth limit sooner.

Here's Peter's story:

Today, May 12th, Comcast called me at work to inform me that for the month of April I had excessive bandwidth usage and that if it showed up again in the May audit, I would have my service terminated. I was told I was in the “Top 1/10th of 1% of all Comcast users and that I was having a direct negative impact on 99.9% of Comcast’s 14 million nationwide customers”. I’m aware that I am a bandwidth intensive account holder. I am a nerd as are all of my roommates. Slingboxes, Xbox Marketplaces, WoW updates, Age of Conan install downloads, iTunes, Amazon Unboxes and torrents add up quick. I was not out to dispute the claim.

However, when I asked what I was supposed to cut my usage to, I was told “We don’t have a number for that.” When asked if I would receive any manner of compensation for the fact that I pay for their highest tier of access, but am limited on that access, I was told no. Stephen informed me that I was talking about speed and he was talking about quantity. When I asked if 99.9% of Comcast customers paid the higher rates that I did, he said, “I don’t have that number.” When I asked if he could send me my usage report, he said “No.” When I asked if he could show me proof that my paid usage was having a negative impact on the entire nationwide Comcast user base, he said, “No, that is proprietary information.” I asked if I was merely supposed to take these accusations on faith and assume that Comcast was not exploiting me, a higher paying customer, he responded with, “Why would Comcast want to exploit you?”

That was cute.

After roughly 15 minutes of trying to get some quantifiable answer as to what was non-excessive use, I was repeatedly met with the refrain, “Sir, this is all detailed in our online FAQ.” I said my goodbyes and returned to work. Once home I pulled up the FAQ, which is listed under the non-descriptive heading of “Hot”. There are 11 questions in the FAQ, 6 of which simply have no answers whatsoever.

I called their Abuse department back and spoke with a different man, Bill. I wanted to establish that I was not informed of this complaint filed against me until the middle of May, that I had secured my Wireless Network, that I had set up a net limiter and that I was actively trying to cut down my usage, but as far as I know I could already have exceeded “Fair Use” for the month of May. He informed me that I should have one month from the date of threat of disconnection to cut my usage of paid services, which was a slight relief. I proceeded to volley off him the same questions as before and received equally evasive answers. He said he had no quantifiable number to give me because it, “is proportional to all Comcast bandwidth for a month and is thus a moving target.” I proceeded to point out the inconsistency in their FAQ, which Bill proceeded to counter with the claim that information is there. I insisted it was not and he promised me he would escalate the issue. I’ll check later if there are any changes to it.

I once again brought up the issue of my higher priced service and was told, “I am talking about speed, he is talking about distance.” I could reach the same usage with their basic service as I could with their premium. His comparison was a “Ferrari to a Sentra” – They both reach the same destination, just at different times.

Now here is the twist. I called my local Comcast office to downgrade to the lower tier. I was met with a very nice woman who had no problem processing my request. When asked for a reason, I detailed all the above and she was flat out shocked. She said, “I have never heard of that before.” She went on to agree that my deal for Comcast was for “Unlimited Access”, or so we both thought, and that she was going to bring the issue up with marketing.

So, there you have it. Comcast’s own sales employees are under the impression that the services they are selling to consumers are unlimited. The Abuse department has a polar (and far more aggressive) stance, but refuses to commit to any quantification of it as well as a refusal to let you see any relevant documentation to your own paid usage.

Peter

(Photo: u2acro )

How long can a company continue to "investigate" what's obviously a failed download before they credit your account? For Xbox Live Marketplace, the answer is 2 months, 2 weeks, and counting. Every attempt Joe makes at resolving the issue lands him in a customer service purgatory from which no solution can ever escape. Joe writes, "The problem is that there is no recourse for the customer in a situation where this actually does happen. Microsoft took my money before my product was transferred to me. The transfer then failed to take place. It is no fault of my own and there is nothing I can do about it." Read Joe's full account below.

I recently attempted to purchase Ninja Gaiden Black from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Recently is used loosely here, as the original “purchase” took place on February 23th 2008.  After forking over $15 in Microsoft points, I sat and waited for my download to reach completion. This never happened. Progress reached 7% then the download disappeared from my queue without manifesting an error message.  A second attempt gave me the same result. This was a job for Xbox Live Customer Support. Here is a recap of my experience with those wonders of the customer service industry…
   
2/23 I pay money for Ninja Gaiden Black. My download fails at 7% on multiple attempts. Xbox Live Customer Support is emailed, as it is too late to contact the call center.

2/24: I call Xbox Live Support. We attempt troubleshooting. Nothing works. Later in the day I receive a reply from Support via email. An excerpt: This is a known issue that occurs with certain ISPs that perform specific types of network optimizations. Some network optimization processes can cause certain larger Marketplace files not to download. Examples of large files may also extend to content that is found in the Video Marketplace area.  (full email is attached)

2/25: I called Xbox Live Support. More troubleshooting is attempted none of which remedies the situation. I am told I will receive a callback in approximately one week, after they‘ve looked into the problem on their end. After we discuss the email I received from Xbox, I am also told to contact my ISP(Comcast) to see if the problem is originating from their end.

—Every call from here on out is escalated to a manager at some point—
—Also, in this time period, I contact Comcast. They monitor my connection for any abnormality that may cause this download to fail. None are found and I am assured that they aren’t actively doing anything that would interfere with it—

3/9: Never received a callback, so I contacted Xbox. I was told that there was no callback scheduled for my issue. More troubleshooting; no success. I am again told I will receive a callback.

3/23: Again, I did not receive a callback. I am told that the issue is “under investigation”.  I refuse any troubleshooting attempt, as I have already spent approximately 4 hours on the phone at this point. I believe this is the first time I mention wanting a refund. I am told the issue is now “under investigation with upper management”. I am told I will receive a callback in three days or less.

3/28: I did not receive a callback. I contact support and tell them I want a refund of my Xbox points. Not a credit to my credit card, just a refund of the points which are only valid currency on Xbox Live. The idea isn’t completely dismissed given the circumstances, but first the results of their investigation must be known. I am told that upper management is still investigating and I should try back in the near future to check.

4/7: I call Xbox Live Customer support. There is no further information available. I tell them that at this point, I really just want the points back. After going back and forth with management for some time I am told that the support call center does not have the ability to refund my points, but they have forwarded it to their tech department, who actually can do that. I am told to keep an eye on my points because a refund is on the way.(success!!!)

4/19: No refund is ever made. I call Xbox Live Customer support. They don’t acknowledge that I was promised a refund of my points. I get heated, but am still somehow under control. I am told there is no further information available and it is still under investigation. I tell the manager that I feel completely helpless and that this is an indictment of the reliability of the Xbox Live marketplace at large. I tell him I am emailing The Consumerist. However, I am too lazy to do so.

5/9: I directly call the Xbox Escalation Support line. The initial call center worker sounds very helpful. He seems to actually be concerned about the terrible service I have received and seems to be working for a resolution to come about today.  I am put on hold while he talks with management. He tells me he is going to transfer me to an upper level department that can help me. I am put on hold while he explains the situation to this mysterious high-level department within Microsoft. He then gets on the phone and transfers me to…..THE CALL CENTER IN INDIA. The very same place I have called SEVEN times previously and who’ve told me the same thing for the past two months. To her credit, this particular call center worker did have some skills. She danced around for a few minutes before finally giving me the same line I’ve heard so many times before: “I’m sorry, this is under investigation with upper management. I have no further information at this time.” Eventually, I am transferred to her manager, which is one of the managers I spoke with a few weeks ago.  After some futile discussion, I am told that the issue is being investigated and I will receive a callback. He couldn’t give me any type of timeframe for when I should expect my call. I actually email The consumerist.

Some Notes:
It is noteworthy that at the bottom of the description for Ninja Gaiden Black, it states “THERE ARE NO REFUNDS FOR THIS PRODUCT”.  The thing is, I did not receive a product for which a refund could be given. This is the equivalent of me walking into Bestbuy, picking up a copy of Ninja Gaiden, paying for it at the register, then the cashier refusing to give me the game and refusing to give me a refund.

The size of the file has come up as a possible problem. It’s 5.9GB, pretty big for Live. I’ve made it a point to download several large Demos and also rented a movie to test out my ability to receive products via Live. Several of these downloads were near 2GB and they all came through without incident.

The email I received stated that this is a known issue, but no one I’ve spoken to at customer support seems to be aware of any pattern of cases similar to this one.

In the earlier calls to customer support, they acknowledged that they could see on their end that the download did not complete. They haven’t done that in the last few and it came up today that, more than likely, what is actually under investigation is whether or not I somehow got the game and am now trying to claim that I didn’t.

I have spent in excess of  6 hours on the phone over this. (It’s not the money. I am a man of principle and I am not giving a massive corporation like Microsoft money for nothing.)

I have checked several message boards to see if this has happened to anyone else and I can’t find anything. It seems to be exceptionally rare.

The problem is that there is no recourse for the customer in a situation where this actually does happen. Microsoft took my money before my product was transferred to me. The transfer then failed to take place. It is no fault of my own and there is nothing I can do about it.

That’s why I’m writing this. The ability to purchase games and videos directly through Xbox Live seems like a great idea on the surface and when it works it is very convenient. However, this is a relatively new form of commerce. When you make a purchase on Live, beware of the fact that if something goes wrong with your download and troubleshooting doesn’t help; there is no effective protocol in place for them to resolve the issue. Xbox already has your money and as far as they are concerned that means the transaction is complete.

Oh yeah, and if you want to play GTA IV on Tuesday when I’m scheduled to get my system back from the repair center, my Gamertag is Tackleberrie. Be gentle though. My ‘box broke 4 days before GTA came out so, I don’t know the ropes yet.

Thank you for your time.  

By contrast, when we rented a movie through our Tivo using Amazon's Unbox download service and it failed to arrive in one piece, Amazon investigated and resolved the issue in less than 48 hours, and that was over a weekend. They looked at our account, confirmed we weren't able to download the file, and adjusted the account accordingly. Joe isn't asking for special treatment—he just wants to either have his points to spend, or have a product in exchange for points. Please, Microsoft, finish your "investigation" and quit jerking Joe around.

(Photo: Getty Images)

This is a post in our Worst Company In America 2008 series. The companies nominated for this honor were chosen by you, the readers. Keep track of all the goings on at consumerist.com/tag/worst-company-in-america