  DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
3 edits | Every bit helps Everything they can do to reach out to their suffering customers helps. They must do something to salvage their ever sinking reputation, even if it's helping a few customers at a time. Even here the better companies (like DSLx, Cox, Verizon) have employee representatives officially working to solve customer problems. Meanwhile others who work for lamer ISPs have to do so in secret or risk being fired »Re: What Happened to Saber11 ??????? . | |
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 |  banditws6Shrinking Time and DistancePremium
join:2001-08-18
Frisco, TX
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| Re: Every bit helps Their Twitter guy actually helped me fix an issue I had with my Comcast connection by having a regional rep call me personally. I agree that everything they can do to reach out to their customer base helps!
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"I'll follow the law until it's just stupid." -Ted Nugent | |
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|  hobgoblinSortof AgoblinPremium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
kudos:4 | "Meanwhile others who work for lamer ISPs have to do so in secret or risk being fired »Re: What Happened to Saber11 ??????? ."
Saber11 did not work for TW.
Thank You
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
1 edit | Re: Every bit helps said by hobgoblin:"Meanwhile others who work for lamer ISPs have to do so in secret or risk being fired »Re: What Happened to Saber11 ??????? ." Saber11 did not work for TW. Thank You Hob I didn't say he did. You should bother to read the linked post before replying.
said by KickMe :
Anyone who has been on this forum for very long knows how sensitive TW is about employees posting anything concerning the company on tech forums. Five or six years ago a female employee almost got fired for posting a Road Runner satisfaction poll here. Others can relate numerous accounts of TW disciplining employees for providing technical assistance in this forum. Many newer TW techs seem to come and post for a few weeks and then vanish.
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| | | hobgoblinSortof AgoblinPremium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
kudos:4 | Re: Every bit helps Of course you left off this bit!
"The only logical assumption for me is that saber11 got in serious trouble because of the Pricing Model Story and agreed to close his account. Further I think if he had been fired we would have seen him posting again." | |
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| | | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
4 edits | Re: Every bit helps That was his assumption based on TW's history which he later references (the latter being why I selected that post), not mine. I selected the post for his references to the other people like Just A Girl$  who got hammered by TW for posting here. While she was fired and subsequently got her job back, it made techs watch their backs for fear of suffering the same fate.
That's quite a difference from what other ISPs like Cox, DSL Extreme and Verizon choose to do here which is officially sanction support via DSLR. It's not a good PR move for Cox to offer support via DSLR, it's just good customer service. It's not a PR stunt for Comcast to reach out to customers via twitter, it's just good customer service. But it is bad PR for a company to fire a tech with a long history of helping customers for posting a harmless poll. | |
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| hobgoblinSortof AgoblinPremium
join:2001-11-25
Orchard Park, NY
kudos:4 | " Meanwhile others who work for lamer ISPs have to do so in secret or risk being fired"
Or be called shills by you.
Hob
--
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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| | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Every bit helps That would depend on whether they're just a 24/7 commercial for their particular industry or they're actually risking their jobs to help people with their technical issues. | |
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| | | | said by hobgoblin:" Meanwhile others who work for lamer ISPs have to do so in secret or risk being fired" Or be called shills by you. Hob If the shill fits...... | |
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| | |  james
join:2001-02-26
CWCville USA | Re: Every bit helps You can't wear a Shill, so it probably wont fit.  | |
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| CorydonCultivant son jardinPremium
join:2008-02-18
Denver, CO | I agree...I look at this as yet another avenue for support. You can call Comcast, or use their online chat, or send them an email, and nobody complains that having these different avenues for support is a PR stunt.
I look at anything that provides an additional means of reaching the company as a good thing, especially if these people are solving problems.
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"Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too." | |
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BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | But He's A Bit Clueless Unfortunately the guy they were using for this ill-conceived PR move is not the sharpest tool in the roll-up pouch.
As I mentioned at
»Why are people stupid about connections
On a recent "TWiTcast" the high ranking ComCast representative who maintains a Twitter (no relation) feed for high profile ComCast technical presence made a guest appearance. In literally the first full sentence out of his mouth he referred to something like a 20 megabytes per second consumer service offering. I was floored, though the panelists all let it slide.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function | |
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|  JeepMattC'mon the UPremium
join:2001-12-28
Wilmington, DE
kudos:2
 ·Verizon FiOS
| Re: But He's A Bit Clueless said by B:Unfortunately the guy they were using for this ill-conceived PR move is not the sharpest tool in the roll-up pouch. As I mentioned at » Why are people stupid about connectionsOn a recent "TWiTcast" the high ranking ComCast representative who maintains a Twitter (no relation) feed for high profile ComCast technical presence made a guest appearance. In literally the first full sentence out of his mouth he referred to something like a 20 megabytes per second consumer service offering. I was floored, though the panelists all let it slide.
-- B Actually B - the "guy" is pretty brilliant. I think the only upset folks were the nerds who get all itchy when someone confuses bits with bytes.
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"ONE team - ONE city - ONE dream!!" | |
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| | BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | Re: But He's A Bit Clueless Uh, he works for one of the largest ISPs in the world, he makes about the most elemental blunder one can make in that arena (and one that only further confuses the public he's supposed to educate), and you're fine with that?
Statements that are off by EIGHT TIMES don't bother you in the least?
He's "brilliant"? Maybe so, but he certainly did not come off that way during the episode. How do you make that judgment -- are you related?
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function | |
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| | | | | Re: But He's A Bit Clueless said by B:Uh, he works for one of the largest ISPs in the world, he makes about the most elemental blunder one can make in that arena (and one that only further confuses the public he's supposed to educate), and you're fine with that? Statements that are off by EIGHT TIMES don't bother you in the least? He's "brilliant"? Maybe so, but he certainly did not come off that way during the episode. How do you make that judgment -- are you related? -- B I have a car whose top speed is 1200 MPH! Whoa!
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| |  Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page | |
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| DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function And they do that by fixing (or trying to fix) the problem for those customers. How dare they. | |
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|  BSD24Tier 4Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA
1 edit | said by fAcEtIOUs:Companies monitor Twitter to head off public relations disasters and not to improve customer service. They want a jump on any bad press reports that may result from a thread on Twitter that catches the notice of main stream media reporters. TK - I doubt Comcast is trying to head off PR disasters on Twitter. The truth about Comcast as a corporation, is they do care what the customers think. Although they may not always be the best or the surveys of a few thousand may show they are the worst - the truth is usually not visible to the consumer. This is why people are left to draw their own opinions. Many of which are inflated. And as most people know angry customers are usually heard 1000X more than the few happy customers that may never even speak up to say they are a happy customer.
But if Comcast can see customer's complaints on these sites, they can find ways to improve those customer's experiences and better themselves in the way of customer service. Good companies will listen, bad companies will not. | |
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| |  Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function Got to agree with TK on this one (God, how often does that happen, lol). If their satisfaction ratings weren't so far down the shitter, wouldn't care one bit about what someone posted there. But they can not afford yet another Comcast blew up my house/ fell asleep on my couch/ killed my dog/ made granny go nuts with a hammer PR disaster. Ironically, the one time I had to deal with their support (for someone else; I'm a Verizon customer), I found them quick, to the point, and right on money. Was a big difference compared to the Verizon DSL support, which I refuse to contact (with the exception of the Verizon Direct forum here). | |
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| | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function So regardless of anything else Comcast does, is them helping people on twitter good for those customers or bad for those customers? | |
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| | | | Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function Sure it's good for those customers. But until things are good for the majority of them, it really doesn't matter. Until that time, I see this as nothing more than Comcast drawing attention away from the bulk of the problem just so they can say, "hey look, see we do care." Classic PR move, not a customer service one. | |
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| | | | | BSD24Tier 4Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA
4 edits | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function said by Jodokast96:Sure it's good for those customers. But until things are good for the majority of them, it really doesn't matter. Until that time, I see this as nothing more than Comcast drawing attention away from the bulk of the problem just so they can say, "hey look, see we do care." Classic PR move, not a customer service one. Did you also know that Comcast has an official "Comcast Cares Day" every year where thousands of employees give up their time to help out their communities.
That story was in the paper. Comcast cares about the community, its customers and its employees. | |
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| | | | | | Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2
1 edit | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function No, but then again, it's somewhat old news. The Philadelphia Inquirer ran it as a front page, multi page (3 I believe) article several months ago. Then again, I don't recall seeing much of the negative stories on TV either, but they were all over the net. It's on the net where their catching the flak, so it only makes sense that's where they to try to fix it. | |
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| | | | | | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
1 edit | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function Whatever gets help to those customers even if it's them being a squeaky wheel. | |
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| | | | | | | | Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function So as long as a few customers are happy, screw the rest? Whether or not that's what you are saying, that's pretty much what is happening here. | |
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| | | | | | | | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
4 edits | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function So because they can't seem to fix their systemic customer service problems that has their CS ratings in the toilet, they should not bother to help anyone at all? Comcast is damned if they do and damned if they don't.
I thought at first this is a PR stunt but we keep seeing more and more customers being helped with this outreach.
Every small thing helps and kudos to Comcast for helping these customers even if they don't warrant kudos for the rest of their customer service. All ISPs should do this proactive monitoring. | |
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| | | | | | | | | Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function I'm not saying that at all. But to heap praise on them for doing it? Nonsense! Fix the real freaking problem, not try this band-aid BS and try to pass it off as the fix. | |
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| | | | | | | | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function I don't see the big praise but I do see a lot of people dismissing it as PR.
Sure, they should try and get their act together but when they do something right, they deserve the kudos for it. | |
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| | | | | | | BSD24Tier 4Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA | Well I agree that many companies need to improve their customer service, especially those companies that moved overseas. I wish more companies would pay attention to us consumers. | |
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| | | | | | | | Jodokast96Stupid people really piss me off.Premium
join:2005-11-23
Erial, NJ
kudos:2 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function said by BSD24:Well I agree that many companies need to improve their customer service, especially those companies that moved overseas. I wish more companies would pay attention to us consumers. Don't we all. I just wonder how much money these companies that outsourced will have really saved in the end when they need to start bringing those jobs back over. | |
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| | | | | | BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | You're really going too far there. "Comcast cares about the community, its customers and its employees"? You can't be serious. It's a corporation whose sole reason for existence is profit. If it behaves ethically and responsibly, great, but saying with a straight face that they "care about customers" is like saying your car cares about you.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function | |
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| | | | | | | BSD24Tier 4Premium
join:2008-04-30
Middleboro, MA
1 edit | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function said by B:You're really going too far there. "Comcast cares about the community, its customers and its employees"? You can't be serious. It's a corporation whose sole reason for existence is profit. If it behaves ethically and responsibly, great, but saying with a straight face that they "care about customers" is like saying your car cares about you. -- B I'm just adding something to the topic... Since that was also in the newspaper only a month or so ago. My view is that customer service always has room for improvment, some companies don't care and go overseas. Some realize that customers are frustrated by such a move and therefore keep their support in the US, which does cost more in most cases as far as labor. My view is their customer service is better than others. I don't trust the source of the survey, especially when I was never asked and no one I know personally participated in such a survey. But that is my opinion/view. Everyone has the right to one.
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BSD | |
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| | | | | BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | Uh, yeah... of course. It's "only" PR, and I think it's a good idea.
It's just one guy (and as I mentioned above not a very good one). His role is obviously PR and that's not necessarily a bad thing.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function | |
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|  RobIn Deo speramus, God Bless the USAPremium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:2 | said by fAcEtIOUs:Companies monitor Twitter to head off public relations disasters and not to improve customer service. They want a jump on any bad press reports that may result from a thread on Twitter that catches the notice of main stream media reporters. Of course it's a PR stunt. Anything that has to do with improving customer service is a PR stunt. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the twitter service has helped customers. It's a win/win solution - Good PR for Comcast, and Customers get their problems resolved. | |
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| | BPremium,MVM
join:2000-10-28 | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function Further down in the parent thread the twitterer himself mentions that it's NOT in fact PR and that all the people involved are customer service staff.
I take him at his word. Either way, if the effect is to help customers it's a good thing.
-- B
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In a realm outside causality and function | |
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| | | DogfatherPremium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA | Re: Twitter monitoring is a PR function; not a cust svc function said by B: Either way, if the effect is to help customers it's a good thing. -- B Exactly. | |
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b10010011Whats a Posting tag?
join:2004-09-07
Bellingham, WA
1 edit |  Twitter?
Is that like IRC for AOL users? 
Besides what good is online support when your connection is down? | |
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|  DownTheShoreTag, you're itPremium
join:2003-12-02
Beautiful NJ
kudos:11 | Re: Twitter? said by b10010011:What's Twitter? Is that like IRC for AOL users? Besides what good is online support when your connection is down? I was wondering what Twitter was, too.
Obviously for someone like me, that would be a totally useless avenue of support since I wouldn't even know that it exists.
Seems to me that it would make much more sense to correct their ACTUAL customer service problems - the customer service that people reach when they phone or email - rather than branching out to more esoteric, PR areas. They obviously know they have a problem - why not actually solve it at the source?
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Patriotism is not waving a flag, it is living the ideals | |
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| | | | Re: Twitter? I agree! Correcting the Customer Service problems are imperative. We need to get it right the first time. Let's face it, it creates a better Customer experience and it is cheaper as a company. We are implementing new tools that make it much easier to diagnose trouble and to pinpoint where the trouble is. We are also equipping our technicians with better tools to ensure everything was corrected prior to leaving. Another use of technology is the way we dispatch our technicians. This new method is currently being tested and will be rolled out soon. | |
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K PattersonPremium,MVM
join:2006-03-12
Columbus, OH
kudos:1 | Our Comcast forum There are at least two new posters on the Comcast forum representing themselves as Comcast employees. Maybe we have been recognized. | |
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| | Not surprised »Comcast HSI
there several that troll here too quelling complaints about there services. I'm almost banned from that forum. I get a warning everytime I post now or the mod modifies what I say instead of just deleting it if they don't like it.
No surprises there on other sites.
I asked in HIS,it was deleted, but I wonder how much they pay these trolls. I need a second income. | |
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Phugg
join:2004-09-30
Riverbank, CA | Its a good start I for one think it is a good start to helping. Many of us try to help on OUR OWN . we DO NOT represent Comcast in an official way. We come on as ourselves and represent that way. If we mention something about the company ina posative light we get bashed/modded/deleted by certain individuals. If we have a rant it gets deleted , if a normal joe has a rant it gets let go.
I would love to be able to help in proffesonal enviroment on here or another site. If help can be given , great. I try to help in general ways. I never ask for any info that could identify a subs info. If I had access to a posters MAC adress I could find tons of things on that persons modem/leg of node/ and node in general. I could see up/downtime signal of his/her specific connection and the area in general. As it stands we have NO ACCESS to your account from DSLR. We cannot see anything about your specific setup. I do this for hours on end in my daily work routine, I have found numerous issues with customers connections that they did not even know about, sent out out line techs to verify issues in certain areas and the customers have never known. That is when I am at work.
When I am on here I tend to be more light hearted and THICK skinned due to the nature of DSLR. The techs I know in different areas of the state/country look at this place for a great time. We do see trends on areas and in general some help from time to time. Some people on here have helped me in my own ability at times ( Thanks Rick).
What frustrates us as techs that come here to try to help is the attitude WE get from poster/trolls on the boards here. If someone doesnt agree with something they proceed to flame and try to bait us into arguments.
I do not see a company trying to help in a positive way a bad thing, or just a PR move. I think the ratings Comcast gets in general are false. (here come the flames) I am in your homes everyday and see the issues that arise, some are valid , some are equipment (ours and yours) a lot of them are computers (on the hsi side) that are all over MYspace without an internet condom. (Hell I had to spend 4 hours last weekend repairing my own system thanks to my sweety and MySpace and other sites.) I understand the frustrations you have. I try to resolve them , and do so most of the time. Something a lot of posters here need to do is read TOS and see just what Comcast is responsible for. If your VPN is slow but as soon as you close it your speeds are good , guesse what ..... your VPN is slow. (One I see at least 2 times a week).
Thats it for now , I can tell I am rambling.
Either way , I think that this could be a good step in the right direction by any company. Seeing that there is a need and adressing it is a good first step. | |
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2 edits | ComcastCares Responds My team and I are also on Broadband Reports too. We reach out a little more privately (directly to members via email on the member profile page). It is not as frequent because the great membership base is usually able to assist. I have been a long time member, well before joining Comcast. I review Broadband Reports, and a variety of the forums at least 2 times every day. I have RSS feeds for the news. I also have members of my team do the same thing. The only time we typically reach out is if it is something that a member would not be able to assist.
The reason we do this is not for PR. It actually started as an effort to gather feedback throughout the blogosphere and on forums. Since we are Customer Service people, it is only natural that we would make a situation right. That is the true nature of the goal. I never imagined all this publicity for what to me is common sense. Some of the best feedback we collect is on the web.
I am always here, and if there is something I can help with or if someone would like my thoughts, please feel free to email me.
By the way, sorry for the confusion at the beginning of TWiT. I was not planning on being on, and that is not something I typically do.
Thanks!
Frank Eliason
@ComcastCares on Twitter
frank_eliason@cable.comcast.com | |
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| | | Re: ComcastCares Responds Well I think it is a good thing that your doing esp. that you are being OPEN about it. That makes such a big differance then the usual thinnly veiled post from the "sorta" Comcast employees we seem to get here. | |
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| | Phugg
join:2004-09-30
Riverbank, CA | Re: ComcastCares Responds Joeblow,
there is a reason some of us are "sorta" as you put it. We are NOT ALLOWED to represent the company in an official way on here. That is the standard in almost every company out there. I applaud the ones who are here in official form. It is actually tougher on them. Maybe if some random posters were not such condesending jerks to those who try to help (techs and non techs), more info and help could be given and accepted. The wealth of knowledge on DSLR is vast and could help many more than those that are just looking to be the internet "toughguy". | |
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| | | | | Re: ComcastCares Responds Phugg
Then you should not should you.
I work for large media here in town. I never rep myself in that way for any reason no matter how much it seems to help.
So back to my original premise. Why and how much do they pay to post on other than official sites and "help" people? | |
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| | | | | | Re: ComcastCares Responds I am not aware of anyone. There was a vendor that was doing it for sales and that was ceased as soon as we found out. | |
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| JnKC
join:2008-06-17
Independence, MO Reviews:
·Comcast
 ·Comcast Digital ..
| I'm in the Kansas City area and have used Comcast in two different cities. A few years ago I was having trouble with my connection; the techs busted their butts to get my problem solved. There were numerous visits to my apartment building and finally an amplifier in my area was pinpointed as the problem. They even had an area rep call me to let me know when their equipment would be repaired and call to verify that my connection was better. I am locked into cable; I cannot use dish or other providers. Then again; I don't mind because I get great service. I use the 8mbps service, so I pay to have a decent connection. Any other improvements would have to come at the expense of the building owners; we know that is not a likely event. I had only one bad experience when I upgraded to a dvr; I got a crappy box. I called in a few days later about using the dual tuners, they found the guy gave me a piece of crap and came out a day or two later with a brand new unit. These folks have always treated me well. I think some folks "complain" when a simple request for assistance would be best. OTOH, if you get terrible service; you should try to gain better service. I don't have that sort of problem. Thanks Frank, reach out where you can and more folks will thank you.
JnKC | |
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| | think of it this way If you customer service is based on Twitter
Your customer service must be in the shitter | |
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| | | Re: think of it this way said by AnonProxy:If you customer service is based on Twitter Your customer service must be in the shitter Good'un I lol'd | |
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 RCaugh
join:2001-03-03
San Francisco, CA | Costomer service perfectly acceptable I think improving service is a good thing in a service industry. Personally, I've had exceptional customer service from Comcast on the few occaisions I've had to call: quick, curteous, efficient results. | |
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wak0
join:2003-08-30
Goldsboro, NC | Comcast and there on-line chat system! I have to be honest with everyone.. The way i see it with comcast's on line chat, i think it is fake.. I have called several times to get my service fixed and every time they say they are sending a signal to my modem or digi box it never works.. When i call them direct it always works. So i wonder if these on line tech's are for real or just there to be there, you decide | |
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 Dillz85
join:2008-07-04
united state
kudos:1 | Why did Comcast decide to be part of Twitter? | |
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