Comcast customer service sucks so much because they outsource much of it to Convergys, affectionately called the “sweat shop” of the call center industry. One disgruntled insider has these four unverified confessions about how they run their customer service hellholes:
cable
Saving Money Means Sacrifice
By 6.27.07
Get Rich Slowly has a story about “Gillian,” a woman who came asking for advice on setting up a budget so she could save money and stop charging emergency expenses on her credit card, but was unwilling to actually cut her expenses. We found the story hilarious because it seemed so familiar…
DirecTV Installer Needs Electrical Tape, Prefers Coke To Water, Is Concerned About Your Parenting
By 6.25.07
Christy is having the best time getting DirecTV installed in her home. Highlights of her hilariously tragic email include:
File A Complaint With The FCC
By 6.22.07
If you have a complaint about anything that happens over a wire or is otherwise communicated, you can file one with the FCC. Telephone, cable, debt collectors, and more all fall under their jurisdiction.
Calling DirecTV President Results In New, Non-Broken, HD DVR For Nearly Free
By 6.18.07
I’ve been a Consumerist reader going on a year now. I haven’t missed an article. Reading my Consumerist RSS feed is a standard part of my daily routine. Come to think of it, maybe I have a problem. Ha ha ha
DISH Runs Away With Refund Spoon
By 6.14.07
UPDATE: 6/18/07:
Thank you for your help! However – I just wanted to let you know that I did finally receive the refund check in today’s mail. While it turned out your help wasn’t necessary after all, it was a great relief just knowing that you were there and willing to look into the situation.
Disconnect Fee For Canceling Cable? Oh Yeah? How About I Cancel Internet Too? Oh, Now The Fee Is Gone? OK, Good.
By 6.13.07
Exercising your power of consumer choice can yield amazing results, even when doing battle with the Grendel that is Time Warner Cable, writes reader James:
UPDATE: RCN Sales Harasser Actually A Known Rapist?
By 6.2.07
UPDATE: We just called the Lakeview PD and they said that this story, “wasn’t true. If it was, we would’ve heard about it.”
Stick It To The Smartass Cable Tech
By 5.31.07
Thing is, though, it’s not the tech’s fault the dispatch system is messed up. — BEN POPKEN
Comcast Is Billing Me For $1236.02 In Porn I Never Ordered
By 5.22.07
Sue has a serious problem with Comcast. They’re billing her for $1236.02 in porn she never ordered, claiming that it must be her 15 year old son who is ordering it.
Opt Out Of Comcast's Arbitration Agreement
By 5.21.07
If you’re a Comcast customer and in the event of a dispute, want to retain your right to sue Comcast in a court of law in a trial by judge or jury, a right afforded to you by the Constitution, rather than go by the decision of an arbitration company Comcast hires to mediate your dispute, fill out this opt-out form.
Airlines And Cable TV Score Lower Than The IRS In Customer Satisfaction
By 5.18.07
We’ve already written about this quarter’s ACSI, but when we saw this headline, we just couldn’t resist: Both the airline and the cable/satellite TV industries have actually managed to score lower than the IRS in customer satisfaction, according to USAToday.
Of the 19 industries the ACSI asked consumers about, only the cable and satellite TV industry, at 62, fared worse. In comparison, the IRS scored 65.
Time Warner Cable Lies And Says They Showed Up At Your House, When They Really Didn't
By 5.16.07
Jon’s was trying to get his cable line repaired with Time Warner Cable. The missed appointments were bad enough, but the worst was when Time Warner tried to argue with Jon that they had shown up for an appointment and Jon wasn’t there and didn’t answer his doorbell or pick up his phone.
HBO Exec Wants To Change "DRM" to "Digital Consumer Enablement"
By 5.10.07
Get ready for DCE, or “Digital Consumer Enablement”, HBO’s new name for DRM. HBO’s CTO Bob Zitter says DRM is a misnomer, because the technology “allows consumers “to use content in ways they haven’t before.”
Best Of Comcast Bad Install Stories
By 5.10.07
“So why did Comcast’s installer show up without a router asking for $115.80 in cash? Why did he drill holes in Jason’s walls and baseboards, and unplug his HP Media Center PC Box (thereby breaking it)? Why was he rude to Jason, requiring him to “show the cash” to “make sure he had it?””
