The lighter side of things. Things that are fuzzy.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Please Make Comcast Go Away!

I just want to be able to watch my sports and a movie now and then. Ok, so I admit I enjoy watching an occasional Seinfeld or Law and Order rerun too. But I cannot watch any of this because Comcast is horrible and should cease to exist.

After talking to a few "customer representatives" (laugh)I am convinced that Comcast hires the most unhelpful and probably unqualified people they can hire to keep wages low. I called seeking help. I was told that they could send a signal to my cable box to see what the problem is. They told me that my cable box is responding and that nothing appears to be wrong. Despite telling them repeatedly that I get a message that the channel will be available shortly for entire days at a time they are convinced that there is nothing wrong. They offered to send one of their technicians (who I'm convinced have no clue what they are doing as it took many MONTHS for them to fix my last problem) in about a MONTH to my house. I asked if I could exchange my cable box for a new one, which they agreed to.

I unhooked my cable box and headed over to Comcast only to find that even though they are a monopoly and I have no alternatives, and because they do not seem to care about customers, they close on Saturdays at noon. I had to wait until the next day I had time to go to Comcast which was this past Friday. I went to Comcast and stood in an amazingly long line while 3 "customer service reps" worked at a SNAIL's pace and one other who chatted on the phone even though the line was enormous. I waited in line FOREVER until it was my turn to be "served."

I was greeted unenthusiastically and SLOWLY given a new cable box. It took ten minutes for the "customer service rep" to look up my account on the computer, type in that I was getting a new cable box, and reach into a box for a new cable box and then hand it to me. Ten minutes may not seem like much but COME ON!!!! Ten minutes for that???

I got home, hooked up my cable box according to the instructions, which were copied onto xerox paper quite poorly and therefore, difficult to read. I turned on the TV, followed the instructions for turning on my cable service and got the same message I was getting with the old box. My TV downstairs works fine so its not in the line. I have no idea what the problem is. When the technician comes...in about a month, I doubt he will figure this out too. So I'll probably wait many months like I did with the previous problem only to run into something new.

If your city is considering Comcast as its cable provider I urge you to protest. If they insist on having Comcast, go with satellite. Comcast is nothing but problems and they provide no help. Additionally they lied to me numerous times so they are unethical. I've asked numerous time to speak to a supervisor or "someone in charge" only to be told that there are no supervisors for me to talk to. I find it hard to believe that in a company as large as Comcast that there are no supervisors or people in charge. I was told that a "more experienced technician" would come out to my place after MONTHS of problems and he did not show up. Stay tuned to the saga of Comcast: The Corrupt Cable Company. I'm sure I'll have more to tell as Comcast never ceases to amaze me with their incompetance.

All I have to say is that when I move I'll be saying goodbye and good riddance to Comcast and hello to Direct TV. And if one of you Comcast employees who "are not in charge" stumble upon my blog and are surprisingly disappointed by what you are reading, I'd be more than happy to write better things upon the following conditions:

1. Give me credit for having gone close to a year with really bad cable service.
2. Fix my problem.
3. Develop a way for me to talk to someone who is "in charge" when your useless
"customer service reps" are doing the usual.
4. Develop a way for me to get through to the useless "customer service reps" in
less than a half hour.
5. Change your policy so that instead of having your useless "customer service
reps" say, "I'm sorry you are having problems sir, please hold" they say, "we
will take care of your problem promptly or we will refund your money."
6. Treat your customers like customers instead of prisoners.
7. Give me equipment that works.
8. Give me instructions from the equipment that wasn't copied on wrinkled,
smudged, scrap paper so I can actually read them.
8. Hire employees who can actually work at a reasonable pace and not sit on the
phone chatting while the line grows to epic proportions.
9. If 1-8 are not possible, go out of business and let a company who actually
wants to provide quality cable tv services take your business.

Thanks

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Head On, Apply Directly to the Forehead

Has anyone seen (or heard) these commercials for headache pain where the lady says, "Head on! Apply directly to the forehead!" over and over again? I pray to God that you haven't. I've heard it way too many times. Upon hearing this commercial I have a half-hearted desire to apply a gun to my forehead...head on. I will never buy this product. I will mock and ridicule anyone I know who ever buys this product until I make them cry. The commercial is horrible and should cease to exist.