Comcast has been fined $12,000 for having crappy customer service by Montgomery County, Maryland..

“Fining companies that fail to fulfill their contractual obligations is an important part of good government,” said Councilmember Duchy Trachtenberg.”Damages force violators of customer service standards to change or face further penalties. The Council holds Comcast to the same high standards it would apply to every important service provider.”

Comcast’s fine stems from repeated violations of their franchise agreement with the county, and isn’t the first time the company has been fined for poor customer service. Comcast’s incompetance has resulted in $74,000 in penalties to Montgomery County in the last 12 months.

The county sets forth customer service standards in their franchise agreement, standards that include:

• Requiring Comcast to answer the phone within 30 seconds and transfer the customer to a live human in an additional 30 seconds.
• Fixing service interruptions within 24 hours if no work is needed inside your home, and 3 days if access to your home is required.
• A 10% per day credit if the technician is unable to repair your connection during a scheduled service appointment.

“Our residents expect and deserve good quality cable television service from our franchisees, and we will continue to hold those companies accountable for being responsive to customer needs,” said County Executive Isiah Leggett.

In response to this post, Comcast spokesperson Jennifer Khoury said, “…we are committed to customer service and have made significant improvements over the last year in Montgomery County with plans for additional customer service enhancements in 2008. For example, in 2007, we invested $290 million throughout the region, added 300 employees and announced plans for a 500-seat regional call center in Largo, Maryland that will open early this year.”

Here’s a PDF that outlines Montgomery County’s Cable Consumer’s Rights, so you can read it and get all jealous that your county isn’t on top of stuff the way they are.

Montgomery Fines Comcast for Poor Customer Service; Also Publishes Cable “Consumer Rights” On-line Brochure [Montgomery County] (Thanks, Steven!)
(Photo:cmorran123)

PREVIOUSLY: Comcast Fined $12,281.84 For Not Answering The Phone Quickly Enough

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