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A Kinder, Gentler Comcast
A day in the life of a Comcast Twitter punching bag...

The technology media has been endlessly fascinated with the fact that Comcast has hired someone to watch Twitter 24/7 in order to address customer complaints. While we correspond constantly with representatives from Verizon, AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision via Twitter, none seem to get the media attention Comcast's Frank Eliason does -- in part because Eliason isn't just there as a PR agent -- he takes customer punches (and there are a lot of punches) directly on the chin. Business Week this week tracked Eliason through a typical day of Comcast support.

quote:
Eliason discovered that by doing a search for the word "Comcast" (and occasionally "Comcrap"), he could find tweeters who just happened to mention service complaints he could address. In December 2008, he celebrated the handling of his 22,000th tweet...Eliason stresses that Twitter is not a replacement for phone and e-mail help. "This is just one way people have gotten to know us," says Eliason. "It's a little more personal. More back-and-forth discussions, and it's less formal. And it gives immediacy to interactions."
Click for full size
The move should help Comcast's traditionally dismal showing in the JD Power and ACSI customer satisfaction rankings. We've watched Frank (and his helpers ComcastBill and ComcastGeorge) work and they really are helping customers quickly break through any support logjams. While they're being used as a last line of defense right now, one wonders what happens when more and more customers start contacting Frank and company before -- or instead of -- calling support.

I sent a tweet to Frank and received the response that he would simply get a larger staff. "Actually Twitter itself would be scalable because of search and ability to assign with right application," says Frank. Somewhere you get the idea there's a Comcast mid-level manager who doesn't like how this initiative messes with his/her support call spreadsheets. Still, the "Comcast Cares" experiment continues, and seems to be working.

But while the new initiative addresses the symptoms of the customer support disease (customer complaints), it's not clear that Comcast has yet gotten to the root causes -- which is very frequently low quality subcontracted labor, or deep rooted billing and support system dysfunction. Still, it's a step in the right direction, and the mainstream technology media's dumbfounded fascination with Frank is giving Comcast oodles of positive, free press.
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Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

1 recommendation

Camelot One

MVM

Not surprising at all

Comcast has always been a "Screw you.....oh wait, you know how to tell other people how bad we are? Well let us help you then" company.

So I am not at all surprised that they want to "help" those who have the largest audience. (twitter, bloggers, reporters, etc)

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

2 recommendations

RadioDoc

Re: Not surprising at all

Too little, way too late. During the 50 minutes I sat on hold last week I decided enough was enough. When a Comcast agent finally got around to my call told him that instead of dropping to a lower tier I was dropping them entirely. The dish went up today, and it'll cost half what Comcast was charging. Screw 'em.

This Twitter nonsense is little more than a PR move. If they were really trying to improve customer service you would not have to sit on hold with them during weekday business hours for almost an hour to get anything done.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Not surprising at all

Surprising an ATT fan is had CableTV especially after U-Verse is out!

DishTrash
@comcast.net

DishTrash

Anon

Re: Not surprising at all

said by hottboiinnc4:

Surprising an ATT fan is had CableTV especially after U-Verse is out!
LOL! Maybe he wants to watch 2 hdtv streams AND surf the net at the same time?

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Not surprising at all

said by DishTrash :
said by hottboiinnc4:

Surprising an ATT fan is had CableTV especially after U-Verse is out!
LOL! Maybe he wants to watch 2 hdtv streams AND surf the net at the same time?
That's funny, considerng that I couldn't even watch one HD channel on Comcast.
RadioDoc

RadioDoc to hottboiinnc4

to hottboiinnc4
ATT fan? Have you been drinking?

U-Verse is not available here, by the way.

Camelot One
MVM
join:2001-11-21
Bloomington, IN

Camelot One

MVM

Re: Not surprising at all

said by RadioDoc:

ATT fan? Have you been drinking?

U-Verse is not available here, by the way.
I was trying to figure that comment out too. With only your post and mine above it, neither of us in a Uverse area, I'm not sure who he/she was talking to.

LeftOfSanity
People Suck.
join:2005-11-06
Dover, DE

LeftOfSanity to RadioDoc

Member

to RadioDoc
said by RadioDoc:

Too little, way too late. During the 50 minutes I sat on hold last week I decided enough was enough. When a Comcast agent finally got around to my call told him that instead of dropping to a lower tier I was dropping them entirely. The dish went up today, and it'll cost half what Comcast was charging. Screw 'em.

This Twitter nonsense is little more than a PR move. If they were really trying to improve customer service you would not have to sit on hold with them during weekday business hours for almost an hour to get anything done.
So its half of what Comcast was charging? Is it the exact same service? And what will the price be after the promotion?

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Not surprising at all

It's $45 ($39.99 plus $5 for a second receiver) after a $23 promo discount which expires in January 2010. After that I'll be paying $68. Which, by that time, Comcast will be charging more than the $97 I was paying them for fewer channels. And there was no startup or installation fees, although I did tip the two guys working outside in 10 degree weather $20.
Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO

Skippy25

Member

Re: Not surprising at all

said by RadioDoc:

although I did tip the two guys working outside in 10 degree weather $20.
Glad to see I am not the only one that appreciates this stuff. I started doing this years ago and it is amazing how people treat you when they know you appreciate them.

I always tip well when I get acceptable service from anyone. It goes a long way and people remember you and take care of you when you return for service.

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

RadioDoc

Re: Not surprising at all

I know what it's like...I often end up working on equipment located outside, in the middle of winter, in the middle of Minnesota. It ain't fun.

These two guys knew their stuff, got the job done right the first time and were polite and professional. All things that Comcast lacks.

Titus
Mr Gradenko
join:2004-06-26

Titus to RadioDoc

Member

to RadioDoc
I so want to lose Comcast. My basic cable bill, no box - just a line, w/Comcast is $61 total for what ... 60 crap channels and change of which I watch ten - maybe? Ludicrous. They're penalizing me for not going up another $15 for the box and another dozen crap channels of which I'd watch two or three.

Problem here is trees. I'm surrounded by them.
--

ztmike
Mark for moderation
Premium Member
join:2001-08-02
La Porte, IN

ztmike to Camelot One

Premium Member

to Camelot One
said by Camelot One:

Comcast has always been a "Screw you.....oh wait, you know how to tell other people how bad we are? Well let us help you then" company.
/End thread.

baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

Its good to see..

That they have realized they had a bad reputation when it comes to customer service, and they are being pro-active about it, not just re-active.

I personally, have had nothing but positive experience with Comcast at multiple addresses, but kudos nonetheless.

hambone42
Peace, through superior firepower
Premium Member
join:2002-02-02
Manassas, VA

1 edit

hambone42

Premium Member

Re: Its good to see..

Truly being proactive would mean actually fixing the systemic problems mentioned in the news item above that create the customer service issues in the first place. Reacting to Web postings and Twitters, while commendable, simply demonstrates that there's significant unsolved problems in customer service and tech support. It's the equivalent of applying multiple band-aids to a sucking chest wound, in the hopes that no one will notice the difference.

Chuckles0
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN

1 edit

Chuckles0

Premium Member

Does not care.

Comcast doesn't care. Our stats as reps are based almost 100% on sales. You could fix everything, kiss the customers ass until your lips are brown and explain every single service; if you didn't attempt to sell you get a horrible score.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

1 edit

1 recommendation

fiberguy2

Premium Member

Re: Does not care.

.. and what's the problem with that? Everything you mentioned is part of the job isn't it? Why can't you do it all?

Comcast obviously has goals they want to meet, like any business does, and you're going to be rated on your numbers. Your job description requires you to attempt sales - and believe it or not, if you do the job right, you should be able to make some of those numbers come true much of the time.

I see no problem with the company asking their employees to ask a customer if they would like to purchase a product - makes sense to me.

So, if you're not meeting goals, then maybe you're not the right person for the job.

However, it sounds like the issue that the customer is NOT getting the basic service, in which you stated could be done, in the first place.. after all, customers are not bitching that they are not being sold.. they're upset that they are not getting good service from the customer service department.

Chuckles0
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN

Chuckles0

Premium Member

Re: Does not care.

My point is you can get good scores just by selling. You don't even have to address the issue the customer called about. Just try and sell and you're okay.

I heard an internet tech call in a QA session the customer said he couldn't access his email. The rep didn't even discuss email or try and help, but did try to sell and it was scored well.

Nothing wrong with having reps try to sell but when you are rated higher on selling over everything else the service will be poor for the customer.

Anonymous88
Premium Member
join:2004-06-01
IA

Anonymous88 to fiberguy2

Premium Member

to fiberguy2
Normally I agree with you but no this time.

And this is why

Sales are a part of our job. A PART of it.

A tech with excellent sales skills can do half-assed job everyday and still get a bigger raise than a hard working tech doing his best but not selling.

It does not make any sense.

Chuckles0
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN

Chuckles0

Premium Member

Re: Does not care.

Yes it does. There's tons of people with no techincal skills making it fine at work because they sell.

You hit the nail on the head with...

"A tech with excellent sales skills can do half-assed job everyday and still get a bigger raise than a hard working tech doing his best but not selling."

And more commision! This is exactly how it is here. A tech can bust his ass solving problems all day, no sales equals crappy performance.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Does not care.

TM reps are scored are somewhat the same. They are based upon being able to try and provide customer service and actually be nice. regardless if they don't know what they're talking about or not. They believe customer reps can always be trained. Be rude and non-helpful and not offer the customer anything for their problem- get wrote up or fired.

TM will tell you this if you talk to Customer Relations (not the actual call in number Relations calls you by request only via fax) and by MGT in the call centers.

SLD
Premium Member
join:2002-04-17
San Francisco, CA

SLD to Chuckles0

Premium Member

to Chuckles0
Ahh...so the tric to receiving better service is to start the call saying "I'm thinking of upgrading my service, but I need to see this problem fixed first."

RadioDoc

join:2000-05-11
La Grange, IL

1 edit

RadioDoc

Re: Does not care.

Tried that. Didn't work. They couldn't figure out how to make the 'triple play' work here even though it's advertised ad nauseam. To this day my address comes up "unservicable" even though it's had cable since 1981. That ended today...no more cable nonsense here.
fiberguy2
My views are my own.
Premium Member
join:2005-05-20

fiberguy2 to Anonymous88

Premium Member

to Anonymous88
The problem is that he's not being 100% accurate about what he said. He IS right, however, selling IS part of the job. He wants to be rated on the tech and service part alone. Comcast wants CSRs that can do all three parts of the job.

From what I know, they don't routinely terminate people for not selling. Techs also get low scores for repeats on trouble calls or installs. The DVR dropped the techs scores all the time. It was a sad and idiotic issue, but, no techs were terminated over it and while it did lower the pay raise portion a little, it was about 10 to 20 cents an hour... again, not fair, but it didn't kill the employee nor were they fired.

And, in comcast last, not sure about MC, the sales will not get you a bigger raise when high over a poor service performance.. if the service performance is low and they look at the 'why' and it's valid, then the tech would be terminated - sales or not.

The reason I bring up my rebuttal is becuase many phone reps don't WANT to sell and then say that they are doing their job becuase they handled the call.

And, again, anon, what I'm also trying to point out, maybe now that good, is that if the service part of the job was being done, absent of sales being made, the customer wouldn't be complaining and the company would not be ranking low scores. (Remember: see also that good reps aren't fired)

LeftOfSanity
People Suck.
join:2005-11-06
Dover, DE

LeftOfSanity

Member

Re: Does not care.

FiberGuy,

As someone who usually agrees with you, I have to disagree here.

If you are talking about the sales department, then you are correct.

But would you say the same for the people who handle the CHSI and CDV support calls?

How do you sell another service to those who are calling for a problem with a service they already have?

Jim Gurd
Premium Member
join:2000-07-08
Livonia, MI

Jim Gurd

Premium Member

Re: Does not care.

said by LeftOfSanity:

How do you sell another service to those who are calling for a problem with a service they already have?
SBC used to do that all the time. It infuriated me greatly to be upsold instead of trying to fix my problem. I kicked them to the curb 7 or 8 years ago and switched to MCI for dialtone. I'm now using VoIP with Vonage.

I wouldn't go back to SBC (now at&t) for local service under any circumstances. There are many other choices available now. They don't care about fixing problems, just increasing the monthly bill by pushing unwanted services on people calling with technical issues.

I can't say I have noticed a problem with Comcast but I rarely need to call them anyway. The only issue I have with them is they closed a bunch of service centers and I had to drive all the way to Ann Arbor to return a cable box. They closed both the Canton and Wayne offices.

W7PSK
Just Me
Premium Member
join:2000-12-04
Everett, WA

2 recommendations

W7PSK to fiberguy2

Premium Member

to fiberguy2
IMHO

SALES REPS

And SERVICE REPS

SHOULD NOT EVER BE THE SAME
comcastcares8
join:2007-11-20
Philadelphia, PA

comcastcares8 to Chuckles0

Member

to Chuckles0
My recommendation would be to focus each Customer that you have in front of you and making sure they are handled right. Focus on resolving the reason for the call. This make the job more fun and Customers love it. I think sales can be important, but service comes first. Once the issue is resolved, if there is something that is appropriate you may want to mention it.

Just make resolution and good service your main goal.

sturmvogel6
Obama '08
join:2008-02-07
Houston, TX

sturmvogel6

Member

Re: Does not care.

I believe that Frank's post above (comcastcares) is the one of the best I have ever seen on DSLR, concise and customer oriented.

I have also noticed that the phone support has improved markedly over the last few months.

Thank you.

Chuckles0
Premium Member
join:2006-03-04
Saint Paul, MN

Chuckles0 to comcastcares8

Premium Member

to comcastcares8
said by comcastcares8:

My recommendation would be to focus each Customer that you have in front of you and making sure they are handled right. Focus on resolving the reason for the call. This make the job more fun and Customers love it. I think sales can be important, but service comes first. Once the issue is resolved, if there is something that is appropriate you may want to mention it.

Just make resolution and good service your main goal.
Pleasant post but service does not come first in this call center. It's evident by how our calls are graded. More weight on offering and closing sales. Show the reps and customers you mean service comes first by lowering the points weight for selling.

jsinaiko
Premium Member
join:2001-04-25
Chicago, IL

1 recommendation

jsinaiko to comcastcares8

Premium Member

to comcastcares8
Frank - I have never ever ever had one single good CS experience with Comcast. Ever. Missed appointments that they claim I canceled, Three bad DVRs in a row, billing mistakes. Rude CS, on and on and on.

And now we find that CS guys are graded on what they sell? How the hell can you sell something when what the customer has already bought doesn't friggin work? it's immoral, and in the long run very bad business. Oh yeah, i forgot, Comcast is a quick-buck operation, so it doesn't matter; fleece the customer now, and fougetaboudit later.

It's nice that you are trying, but if the other poster is correct, your nice advice means nothing if the employee wants to get decent evaluations. So basically, all of us - the folks who pay your salary - are screwed.

you may be a nice guy, and you may solve some issues with some customers, but basically you are a PR tool for the boys upstairs. If you have any influence at all, why don't you exert it on HR to get them to change the way they evaluate CS agents?

The SECOND Uverse is available here I kick Comcast out the door, no matter how much better their CS has gotten - I've been burned too, too many times. Period.

sansri88
digital is here
Premium Member
join:2005-12-17
New York, NY

sansri88

Premium Member

Frank is awesome

I've chatted with him here on BBR, in emails, and recently on Twitter. Frank Eliason is a god send to Comcast. If only they had employees just like Frank, Comcast would be at the top of customer service rankings.

EG
The wings of love
Premium Member
join:2006-11-18
Union, NJ

1 edit

EG

Premium Member

Re: Frank is awesome

I must say the same for ComcastGeorge as well, not only for my personal experiences with him, but also how he goes above and beyond the call of duty helping subscribers at the Comcast.net Help Forums. He's definitely a guy that gets things done ! Good job George, and keep up the good work !

OregonDude
@spcsdns.net

OregonDude to sansri88

Anon

to sansri88
Comcast does have excellent support and repair peeps. They are all in the Oregon Market. Hell, I'm out at 0430 waiting for my partner to show so we can make a repair right now. Ask the customers in the Oregon Market how satisfied they are.... most will tell you they love us. Not to mention we are killing the telco's here and we actually have phone services that WORK.
Phugg
join:2004-09-30
Riverbank, CA

1 recommendation

Phugg

Member

Thanks Frank (and ALL other helper Comcasters)

Thank You Karl. I had to read this twice , Comcast got a "Atta Boy" from DSLR. About damn time. Frank Thank you ! I and all the other "nameless" techs/supervisors that frequent here and help out do it out of the goodness of our cold rotted hearts. (well to some it seems that way). I take pride in my work at Comcast (and all the other names we have been since @Home launched in 97). I have been on here since I found DSLR sometime in 2002ish). I have had the pleasure of meeting a couple people from here and helped them out. I have yetto get a call from the "Frank Team" but I would love to.

cypherstream
MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
·PenTeleData
ARRIS SB8200

4 edits

cypherstream

MVM

You know what would help my customer satisfaction?

The dismal showing in the JD Power and ACSI customer satisfaction rankings could be improved by actually innovating on software and features of their DVR, and enhancing the HD channel lineup.

That would help out in my opinion. Comcast, there are plenty of good examples out there of innovative DVR software... Moxi, Fios, U-Verse, Vista Media Center, Tivo, Boxee, Dish Network, DirecTV, (Basically anything that's not SARA or I-Guide based), etc... Where's my MR-DVR? My web based DVR Scheduling? Why can't the USB ports show photo's from a thumb drive? Why is the eSATA port broken? Why can't I set native HD resolution pass through? Why isn't the interface in HD? Where's my social networking? Where's the advanced search? Why do the graphics look like it's coming from a Super Nintendo from 1993? Where's my interactivity? Why can't I order Pizza Hut from my TV? Or order something from QVC using the remote? Where's my widgets? Why can't I hide certain channels from the guide (eh hemm.. SD versions of HD channels). There's LOADS of improvement needed in this area. Especially for something that costs extra like the DVR.

36 HD channels? Puhleeze.... HD-VOD? What good is it if you can't do something as simple as SEARCH for the content by title, actor/actress, genre, year, etc... How about a home page that recommends stuff to me based on what I watch. Or show me what programming is popular in the area.

And gosh darnet, if my wife types Ch 37 for TLC it should show it in HD, not confuse the hell out of less technical types and make duplicate channels for HD and SD. Channel lineups are a MESS by the way. Ever heard of aligning channels by simular categories? IE) Fios?

•••••

ninjatutle
Premium
join:2006-01-02
San Ramon, CA

ninjatutle

Member

Lol

Business Week said comcrap
comcastcares8
join:2007-11-20
Philadelphia, PA

comcastcares8

Member

Thank you everyone!

Hopefully you will see more of my team here too! I am thankful for everyone here. Over the years (well before joining Comcast) I spent time learning from each of you. So I appreciate all the great information that comes within the forums here. Please remember, even if we do not post, we are available for you. Our email is below.

Thanks!
Frank
Comcast
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com

•••••••••••
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

tmc8080

Member

caps, 250gb limits, higher prices.

triple whammy... in the PR dept. I suspect Comcast will see 2009 as the year of customer blowback defections.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Re: caps, 250gb limits, higher prices.

I agree.

Add to that sub-par HD (3 per QAM, yuck!) and they'll be sure to lose customers.
MrSpock29
join:2008-02-09
Hammonton, NJ

MrSpock29

Member

They didn't care about me. Or my family

Sorry Frank, too bad you didn't try to help me even after I got treated so poorly by your QA dept. So I left, and I did do what I told you I would on our phone call almost a year ago. My parents will be leaving soon too. Other family members are going to FiOS. My parents have not had 1 positive experience with Comcast in the last year over many issues. Even when they called over the DTV transition, I was there when a rep got mouthy with them. He was more interested in selling services they didn't want, need, or could afford, and gave them bad information.
Treat one customer so poorly, is the same as treating many customers poorly.

I used to spend 200 a month on your services, and for a lot of years was a customer. I am very glad I left.

fritz43
Premium Member
join:2004-03-14

1 recommendation

fritz43

Premium Member

Typical corporate mentality.

So, let me get this straight...

Coma-cast employees are supposed to be triple-threats:

1. Superb customer service reps.

2. Near-genius tech support types.

3. Super salesmen.

Sorry, kids, that will never work. You'll have a bunch of third-rate support people, which is in fact the case.

Jacks of all trades are absolutely the masters of none.

In all fairness, though, there is nothing wrong with Comcast that a completely new upper management team couldn't cure.

Until then, avoid this company like the plague. If you can.
modemslayer
join:2003-12-11
Spokane, WA

modemslayer

Member

Thanks, Frank

Well put.

When words like yours are more than just bolded text on a corporate mission statement and people working for companies actually believe it, then you'll see big companies like Comcast have a good reputation.

When did big companies become so short sighted? Most of them can't see past the current fiscal quarter. It's really in a company's best interest to keep their customers happy for the long haul - that is if they want to keep the customers they have. Most companies seem indifferent, or at least they project that to the customer.

I'm not sure if it was someone on your team that helped me out here at BBR a couple months ago, but thanks. I went from a month of the run-around to taken care of within a day.
eakint
join:2001-03-03
Lincoln University, PA

eakint

Member

update on post from 1-13-09 ~23:00

I said I would update on sending email to the address Frank listed.
( »Thank you everyone! )

Immediately after the post, I sent the email, and got two replies. from Frank as he burned the mid-night oil, and another from a Melissa @
Comcast Customer Connect
National Customer Operations.
Also, a phone call this AM, and another email from the local service office. Of course, for my chronic DVR issue they want to roll a tech. ok, need to clear the decks on the 160GB hard drive... lots o TV watching is in the store for this weekend, or prioritization of what I want to see...

Also, I upped the ante on their tech support. since comcast went to smartzone, I've received double emails. it is not a outlook/express issue as I do not use those clients. their level 3 has not figured it out. I've emailed my diary of phone calls and ticket numbers to Frank and Party to figure out. My family is really pissed that 50% or more of the emails are doubled for the last few months, what a hassle being IT support at home and having to rely on comcast phone non-support.

I did want to throw in my 2cents here. my "casual observation" says 1 in 10 local (Philly) techs are helpful. and about 9 in 10 Canadian (they have a strong northern accent anyway) are helpful... anybody else pick up on this???

-todd
MrSpock29
join:2008-02-09
Hammonton, NJ

1 edit

MrSpock29

Member

Re: update on post from 1-13-09 ~23:00

said by eakint:

I said I would update on sending email to the address Frank listed.
( »Thank you everyone! )

Immediately after the post, I sent the email, and got two replies. from Frank as he burned the mid-night oil, and another from a Melissa @
Comcast Customer Connect
National Customer Operations.
Also, a phone call this AM, and another email from the local service office. Of course, for my chronic DVR issue they want to roll a tech. ok, need to clear the decks on the 160GB hard drive... lots o TV watching is in the store for this weekend, or prioritization of what I want to see...

Also, I upped the ante on their tech support. since comcast went to smartzone, I've received double emails. it is not a outlook/express issue as I do not use those clients. their level 3 has not figured it out. I've emailed my diary of phone calls and ticket numbers to Frank and Party to figure out. My family is really pissed that 50% or more of the emails are doubled for the last few months, what a hassle being IT support at home and having to rely on comcast phone non-support.

I did want to throw in my 2cents here. my "casual observation" says 1 in 10 local (Philly) techs are helpful. and about 9 in 10 Canadian (they have a strong northern accent anyway) are helpful... anybody else pick up on this???

-todd
Last summer, a storm knocked power out for my parent's, and (for a little while longer) have triple play. They called support, and were scheduled to have it fixed that day. A little background, it was steaming hot, they are elderly and both have respiratory problems. The air conditioning of course, didn't work. They were told someone would be there and the wait wouldn't be that long. So they waited in the heat. After 3 hours, they called and were told that their appointment was canceled. No one knew by whom. Then they were told that they would send someone out sometime the next day. We protested. We said "You guys offer phone service but quit at 5 PM when there's a problem?"
Yes was the answer. So the next day, Techs show up around 11 AM. I mentioned to them how odd I found it that Comcast would offer phone service and not fix a problem after 5. He told me that they DO have crews to do that, and they had been working all night. It took them 5 minutes to fix the wire.
What was the problem? We got Canadian Tech Support. We were told by the tech that they make mistakes like that all the time, they didn't even call the dispatcher to find out.

As a side note, for all of their troubles, and the health risk they took waiting for a no show and arguing to have the appointment re-instated, the were offered credits. It took 6 months, going through all different kinds of CSR's and supervisors, some who said they would flat out refuse it. Since I had already contacted a few gov't agencies for past indiscretions, I had no problems doing it again. Unfortunately, I had to waste quite a bit of time and energy getting them to make good on a 6 month old promise.

I am glad you didn't have the same issues we did.
amautik
Premium Member
join:2003-07-16
Stow, MA

amautik to eakint

Premium Member

to eakint
said by eakint:

I did want to throw in my 2cents here. my "casual observation" says 1 in 10 local (Philly) techs are helpful. and about 9 in 10 Canadian (they have a strong northern accent anyway) are helpful... anybody else pick up on this???
Yes!!! Have noted for several years that the Canadian support techs have been, overall, head and shoulders above the US techs that I have had dealings with. Maybe because I'm in New England (and physically closer) I often get the Canadian centers (KUDOs to the St John's Newfoundland Center - They're GREAT!!!)and consider myself lucky when I do.
eakint
join:2001-03-03
Lincoln University, PA

eakint

Member

comcast escalation works for 1 of 2 issues so far.

As I stated above, I've had a chronic HD-DVR problem, and as a result of responed to the email address Frank from Comcast posted to this forum, I had 3 different people in escalation contact me toget the problem resolved. They quickly coordinated and had the local crew come out and get the DVR situation resolved. The root cause of the VOD not-working was never determined, a new box was swapped in to ensure (or at least give higher probability) the issue was resolved without repeated visits.

The duplicate email issue persists. Level 1,2,3 tech support has not yet resolved. They have several times had to change my password on the account to "go in a troubleshoot it". after their troublshooting each time I have to call them to reset my password, a royal pain. The supervisor that rolled out on the above HD-DVR call mentioned that he has seen in some places across the country with comcast that some email servers bridge themselves in some way (I am not a technical expert on email servers...) and he has seen customer account get duplicate, triplicate or 4x emails when things get crossed up. My family is very annoyed at this for the past several months after the switch to "smartzone" email, so I'll post an update as comcast fixes it. Anyone else seen this with comcast email???
-todd