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Blog 'comcast' » Comcast lays off 2,000

»www.forbes.com/home_euro ··· 27.html

In the NEW YORK item headlined "Comcast plans to lay off 2,000 more than expected," please read instead "Comcast lays off 2,000 more than expected." (Company corrects timing of layoffs)
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Big_D7
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join:2003-06-02
Augusta, GA

Big_D7

Premium Member

D'oh!

Wonderful. The previous article gives details about the increase in subscribers. Lets see... more subscribers, less employees. This ought to be good for hold times .

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

The article doesn't states which type of employees (phone reps, techs etc.)were laid off.

Big_D7
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join:2003-06-02
Augusta, GA

Big_D7

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Re: D'oh!

I know, I was just being sarcastic.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

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Does it matter? It's not like the field techs and line techs were just sitting around all day with nothing to do before the flood of new subscribers.

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

Well according to you it does with the supposed drop violations.

JTRockville
Data Ho
Premium Member
join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD


1 recommendation

JTRockville

Premium Member

Re: D'oh!

"drop" violations are only one of the categories. And there's nothing supposed about them! They're listed individually on each quarterly report, including addresses. Around here, I assure you we could keep an extra 2,000 techs busy for quite some time, without adding any new subscribers.

So I prefer they lay off the entire sales team, and back off the techs.

I wouldn't mind if they pink-slipped the lobbyists too.


[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 01:04:38]

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

said by JTRockville:
So I prefer they lay off the entire sales team, and back off the techs.

I wouldn't mind if they pink-slipped the lobbyists too.


[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 01:04:38]

Taken from the link you posted: "On Sunday evening Comcast had its phone tree rigged to terminate calls that selected service (I tried it twice, same results)" This quote is pure speculation and cannot be proven as a deliberate act which I seriously doubt it was.

Also considering the vagueness of the initial article we really don't know what type of employees were laid off let alone what areas were affected.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

JTRockville

Premium Member

Re: D'oh!

said by Floppy:
Taken from the link you posted: "On Sunday evening Comcast had its phone tree rigged to terminate calls that selected service (I tried it twice, same results)" This quote is pure speculation and cannot be proven as a deliberate act which I seriously doubt it was.
Of course it can't be proven. And although I have serious doubts, they're very different from yours.

I seriously doubt anyone from the legal department was laid off.

Big_D7
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join:2003-06-02
Augusta, GA

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Big_D7 to Floppy

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to Floppy
Does it matter what type of employees? Now there are a total of 7,000 people who have lost their job from comcast. It is a very difficult time to be unemployed right now. It took me 7 months to find my current job. My and JT's point is that there are plenty of areas where comcast's manpower is overloaded. Now they have more subs, and less employees. Instead of layoffs, they should have tried to at least re-train them into some of the positions that are overloaded.

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

said by Big_D7:
My and JT's point is that there are plenty of areas where comcast's manpower is overloaded.

Ok then name one area? Comcast didn't began the largest cable provider from making poor business decisions. It's apparent until you run your own multi-billion dollar company most individuals will object or should I say question the motives of big businesses.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

1 recommendation

JTRockville

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Re: D'oh!

newview See Profile reaffirmed my suspicions about Comcast's motives, so now I no longer need to question them.

Big_D7
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join:2003-06-02
Augusta, GA

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Easy, in a lot of markets the tech's are overloaded. Have you ever had to schedule a truck roll? You would be lucky to get one within a week. In fact I was looking into employment as a tech with comcast and was told the workload was very heavy, and had long hours. I never said it was a poor business decision from a business perspective. Its a poor decision from a subscriber and from a (former) employee perspective. Any time you can raise rates, raise subs, and layoff employees, it is a good business decision in the eyes of the CEO, board of directors, and stock holders.

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

said by Big_D7:
Any time you can raise rates, raise subs, and layoff employees, it is a good business decision in the eyes of the CEO, board of directors, and stock holders.
Man, I love a good debate!

Just to addition to your comments don't forget about the introduction of new products within the last year or so and in the near future: HDTV, VOD, VOIP, Converters with PVRs and Networking options among others.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

JTRockville

Premium Member

Re: D'oh!

Don't forget the subsequent cash flow!

Most people would be happier if their existing services were better supported, and offered at prices that don't run circles around inflation.

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

Nicely put. Don't forget you'll hear more people speak of bad experiences then good ones. It truly varies from area to area. As far as price increases go: the entire cable industry is guilty as well as the major programmers ex> Viacom, Disney and AOL Time Warner.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

JTRockville

Premium Member

Re: D'oh!

I won't forget, mostly because I've HAD many more bad Comcast experiences, than good ones! Comcast got their ratings from JD Powell, as less satisfactory than the IRS, the old-fashioned way: they earned them.

You can argue the rest of the industry followed closely in their footsteps. And it's true. But Comcast is the industry leader.

[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 02:06:52]

Floppy
join:2002-07-03

Floppy

Member

Re: D'oh!

They're a leader for a reason. Very few providers could have inherited a $40 billion dollar debt and reduced it down to $27 billion in less then a year. TW and Cox may have been able to do it. As for the bottom few take a look at their stock prices: Adelphia (we know what transpired there) Charter (even with Paul Allen's money) and RCN; which is the only provide other then WOW that I know of that builds their own infrastructure to directly compete with other cable providers. Currently the only cable company with a higher stock price then Comcast is Cox.
[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 02:27:52]

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

JTRockville

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Re: D'oh!

My system is suffering the effects of that debt reduction: higher priced, poorer quality services. Not to mention the soaring taxpayer budget to cover multiple re-inspections of the same violation, because Comcast practically refuses to adhere to safety codes, and other franchise requirements.

Frankly, Floppy See Profile, I'm not impressed.

btw - Knology is another overbuilder.


[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 03:03:24]

J D McDorce
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join:2001-12-29
Westland, MI

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said by Floppy:
Very few providers could have inherited a $40 billion dollar debt and reduced it down to $27 billion in less then a year.
Based on their 2Q03 financial report, if Comcast inherited a debt of $40 billion (through their November 18, 2002 acquisition of AT&T Broadband), they paid it down to $27 billion in 6 weeks (long term debt less current portion as of December 31, 2002).

Reference: »www.cmcsk.com/news/CMCSK ··· 97lw.pdf page 7 of 16
txchick999
join:2003-04-19
Dallas, TX

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I am one of those (Sr.Commercial Account Executive's)that got layed off before the merger occured. Comcast beleives that you can just do that over the phone?? Install high-speed for businesses and digital cable and manage construction projects?? Do not think so!! Many of my previous clients are unhappy due to the rate increase from AT&T Broadband to Comcast when their contracts renew. Without the commercial sales reps selling the projects...no installs for tech's BUDDY!!

FFH5
Premium Member
join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Mergers lead to layoffs; a fact of life

Didn't anybody here work for a large company that has gone thru a merger? I did twice. And layoffs are a direct result. How many purchasing departments, payroll depts, Informations Systems, legal departments, and many other headquarters functions do you think a merged company needs? 7000 layoffs is a drop in the bucket for a company of Comcast's size. And you don't retrain purchasing department clones to be field techs, especially when there are thousands of unemployed experienced telecom people that can fill those jobs. I think you are taking your anti-'big business' sentiments out on Comcast without regard to the business facts of life.

JTRockville
Data Ho
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join:2002-01-28
Rockville, MD

JTRockville

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Re: Mergers lead to layoffs; a fact of life

Not sure who your comments are directed to, FFH5 See Profile...

But I'll bite!

My sentiments are not "anti-'big business'", they're PRO CONSUMER. They're not necessarily mutually exclusive, although I think Brian would disagree with me.

My guess? If Brian had to choose between making ONE EXTRA DOLLAR or making ONE SUBSCRIBER HAPPY, he'd pick the buck.

FFH5
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join:2002-03-03
Tavistock NJ

FFH5

Premium Member

Re: Mergers lead to layoffs; a fact of life

said by JTRockville:
My guess? If Brian had to choose between making ONE EXTRA DOLLAR or making ONE SUBSCRIBER HAPPY, he'd pick the buck.
I agree with what you said. And that just happens to be the way large corporations work. Not that making customers happy isn't on their mind. But customer happiness is ONLY a means to an end - and that end is MORE PROFIT.

Not directed at any single poster here. Just commenting because of the surprise exhibited by many that Comcast would be laying off workers after a huge merger. I would have been shocked if Comcast did anything less than what they did. Maybe it is because everyone hasn't been thru large company mergers themselves.

[text was edited by author 2003-08-02 17:17:46]