Bob Garfield usually writes a blog about advertising and marketing for Advertising Age. Yesterday’s post was a change of pace for Bob. It’s called: “Comcast Must Die.”
cable
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin Suspects "Astroturfing" By Cable Companies
By 8.29.07
la carte cable is really the result of a well-organized lobbying effort by the cable companies.
Contact Info For 100 Cable System Executives
By 8.28.07
Wow. Here’s contact info for 100 cable company executives.
Mother Lode Of Comcast Escalation Phone Numbers For Every Region
By 8.28.07
Looks like we got our hands on a big ol’ list of Comcast contacts for every single regional division. Names and numbers listed under “Sched Install,” “Complete Install,” “Reschedule Install,” “Billing Adjustments,” “Escalation Contact,” and “Retention “save” disco’s” would seem to be of particular interest to consumers trying to escalate issues through the notoriously unresponsive and uncaring cable company.
Everyone But Me Gets To Watch TV, A DISH Install Horror Story
By 8.17.07
“July 25 – So, I recently moved and have had one hell of a time with DISH Network. Apparently my new apartment building has an “exclusive contract” with ATT. So I call up those guys to get some TV in my new apt. ATT tells me to call DISH directly (their partner) and I oblige because ATT doesn’t deal with apartment complexes. I get on the phone to DISH with a guy (I think his name was Sam) who happily placed my order, until he asked me what floor I live on and I told him third. Sam proceeded to tell me that because of insurance reasons their DISH installers will not install on third floor or higher. I was a little baffled by this and Sam told me to goto a DISH reseller, like Radio Shack.
Comcast's Official Water Jug Changing Policy
By 8.17.07
In today’s go-go economy, savvy companies know it’s important to draft official policies for a variety of circumstances and surprises that can crop up in the middle of a busy workday, clearly communicated and readily available.
Leaks: "Time Warner Cable Vs NFL Network" Customer Retention Document
By 8.14.07
Time Warner Cable is, like Comcast, currently warring with the NFL network over who should pay for the network. Time Warner, like Comcast, says the NFL channel should be placed on a pay tier so that only the fans who want to watch the games will have to pay the $100 million dollars its going to cost Time Warner to carry the channel.
Free Calls From Telemarketers With Digital Voice Service Activation!
By 8.13.07
Subscribers to Comcast Digital Voice service get more than just digital phone service installed when they sign up. They also get the pleasure of Comcast selling their phone number to telemarketers, fresh out of the box!
NFL Network Continues To Cause Drama, Pain, Anger
By 8.13.07
Cable consumers hate the NFL network. Not because its bad, but because the cable companies and the NFL are warring over it and passing the pain on to consumers.
Time Warner Charges You $0.23 For The Coupons Included In Your Bill
By 8.9.07
Time Warner charged Nick $0.23 for the Home Shopping Network coupon included in his monthly bill. The “Adhsn fee” listed on his bill was an oversight, according to a Time Warner representative, who defended the omnipresent charge as something that is usually “just bundled somewhere else.” Nick writes:
115 Calls To Verizon, And FIOS Still Doesn't Work
By 8.8.07
Poor Jason. Eight months after ordering Verizon FIOS, he is still without decent phone, television, or internet service, though not for lack of effort on his part:
I have spoken with 115 service representatives and 44 supervisors over a period 64 hours combined on the phone with Verizon. I have been hung up on 37 times, placed on hold a total of 21 hours, and been promised callbacks, which I did not receive, a total of 18 times. It has been 8 months since I ordered the service, and I still have not been given a single resolution.
Jason’s full ordeal, after the jump:
Despite Crisp Cable Service, Time Warner Insists There Is No Wiring In Your Building Whatsoever
By 8.6.07
Time Warner refused to transfer Jim’s account information to his new apartment because they claimed, despite the crisp and clear signal he received, that his apartment was not wired for cable service. Time Warner insisted on dispatching a contractor, who, after verifying that Jim’s line worked perfectly, decided to do some unnecessary work so he could get paid. Jim writes:
Time Warner Disconnects Your Cable, Claims You Already Moved
By 8.3.07
Time Warner tried to convince Ryan that he had already moved after prematurely disconnecting his cable service. Ryan hadn’t even told Time Warner he was moving. His house’s new owner, who hadn’t yet finalized his purchase, merely told Time Warner he wasn’t interested in their services. Ryan writes:
My wife and I have been subscribers of Time Warner Cable (digital cable + internet service) for over 3 years. We haven’t had problems as big as most, but we’ve still had our issues here and there. Yesterday’s happenings, however, take the cake.
Comcast Drops "West Coast" Feeds On The East Coast?
By 8.2.07
Reader Steve says Comcast has dropped the west coast feeds on his premium channels without telling him about it. Now his sadness can not be quantified.
Customers Seeking Better Customer Service Buy Bundles From Telecoms, Not Cable Companies
By 8.2.07
Well done Charter, people would prefer to buy bundled services from AT&T because they think phone companies provide better customer service than cable companies. Both cable companies and telecoms rank towards the bottom of the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
By 7.9.07
../../../..//2007/07/09/the-speed-sounds-great-but/
The speed sounds great, but did you know Verizon also removes all your old copper phone lines when they install FiOS?
Cable Companies Will Raise Set-Top Box Rates, Blaming Costs Incurred From FCC Forcing Them To Finally Comply With 11-Year-Old Law
By 7.5.07
Cable companies are using the government’s forcing them to ship new cable boxes with detachable cable cards as an excuse to raise rates on old set-top boxes, AP reports.
Consumers No Longer Forced To Lease Decoders From Cable Company
By 7.3.07
As of last Sunday, cable operators will no longer be able to mandate that you have lease their cable decoder box. The industry agreed on a descrambler format, the CableCARD, which can be loaded into a cable box made by any company. Consumers should see equipment price drops, along with a range of new features. However, the CableCARD will probably only be available to new installations and upgrades.
