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akent35 · Jul 17, 2014, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by subego

My Comcast horror story was needing four individual appointments to get a CableCard installed.

IIRC, it went something like this...

Right off the bat I said I wanted to do a self install, they said they don't do that.

First appointment: took three hours, no luck. All the cards were duds.

Second appointment: didn't have the correct CableCards.

Third appointment. Never showed up. Ended up in a huge fight with a CSR, who claimed he "understood how I felt" after being three days in the hole on this. Actually, no, you don't.

Fourth appointment: didn't have any CableCards, but helpfully mentions "you can do a self install on these, that would be a lot easier for you".

That's really "weird". Back a few years ago, shortly after our youngest son gave us a 46" Philips Plasma TV as a present, it did have a slot for a cable card, and I was able to go down to a local Comcast store, pick it up, and install it myself. Later on, of course, Comcast stopped supporting the cable cards, and I had to connect a box to the TV. I returned the cable card without any hassles.

subego · Jul 17, 2014, 09:19 PM

I would have been able to do that too, if I didn't have a CSR flat-out insist it wasn't possible.

subego · Jul 17, 2014, 09:23 PM

Was talking to a friend who said their dad used the "I have terminal cancer" line when asked for why he wanted to cancel. This caused the CSR to start crying. She had to call her supervisor over to help her pull it together.

I'd feel bad, but he actually does have terminal cancer.

sek929 · Jul 17, 2014, 09:54 PM

My very first call to Comcast customer service a long while back was about my cable internet no longer working. After grinding through the normal questions he asked me to open up control panel to get my network settings. I told him I had a Mac and he responds "Oh, I'm sorry, our service is not compatible with Macintosh" Uhh yes it is, since I've been using it for months at this point. Eventually got to a supervisor and he sent a reset packet to my modem and everything worked fine. To this day I've never heard of any internet connection being platform specific.

Best CSR experience was with Earthlink Internet (dial-up). Not only did they have an option for callers who were tech savvy in the menus, the rep actually had me delete my TCP/IP preference file because it was a common problem with Macs at the time (OS 8.5?). This was of course not related to Earthlink but he helped me anyways. Great company, but I don't miss dial-up.

Doc HM · Jul 18, 2014, 08:37 AM

So, when this story makes it all the way onto mainstream tv and radio news in the UK (BBC yesterday) complete with self style expert commentators on customer relations, you have to feel that Comcast are really in the smelly.

Not that the name Comcast means anything to anyone over here. Or didn't before.

akent35 · Jul 18, 2014, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by sek929

My very first call to Comcast customer service a long while back was about my cable internet no longer working. After grinding through the normal questions he asked me to open up control panel to get my network settings. I told him I had a Mac and he responds "Oh, I'm sorry, our service is not compatible with Macintosh" Uhh yes it is, since I've been using it for months at this point. Eventually got to a supervisor and he sent a reset packet to my modem and everything worked fine. To this day I've never heard of any internet connection being platform specific.

Whenever I call regarding such issues (and any similar ones), I first state very specifically that I am using a Mac, not a Windows machine. I then repeat that again. In just about all instances, that alleviates any such BS you had to put up with.

subego · Jul 18, 2014, 02:12 PM

The only Mac related problem I've ever had was needing to get into a cable modem which wouldn't render properly in Safari.

They wanted me to use Firefox, which was a problem because I couldn't get it because my cable modem wasn't working.

I did have a tech once say my cable modem may not be working because of my wifi. My head almost exploded on that one.

OreoCookie · Jul 18, 2014, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by subego

I did have a tech once say my cable modem may not be working because of my wifi. My head almost exploded on that one.

It's particularly frustrating if you want to clue the guy in on the fact that you know what you're talking about. Yet, they insist on following their script: Is it plugged in? Have you tried turning it off and on?

subego · Jul 18, 2014, 04:08 PM

After hearing all of those things on the tape they play when you're on hold.

Someone dig up the xkcd.

subego · Jul 18, 2014, 04:10 PM

xkcd: Tech Support

Rollover: I recently had someone go ask me to turn on a computer so I could restart it. He refused to move further in the script until I had done that.

subego · Jul 18, 2014, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by Doc HM

Not that the name Comcast means anything to anyone over here. Or didn't before.

Here, the name Comcast means "utter shit" to the point they're trying to change it to Xfinity.

ort888 · Jul 18, 2014, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by subego

My Comcast horror story was needing four individual appointments to get a CableCard installed.

IIRC, it went something like this...

Right off the bat I said I wanted to do a self install, they said they don't do that.

First appointment: took three hours, no luck. All the cards were duds.

Second appointment: didn't have the correct CableCards.

Third appointment. Never showed up. Ended up in a huge fight with a CSR, who claimed he "understood how I felt" after being three days in the hole on this. Actually, no, you don't.

Fourth appointment: didn't have any CableCards, but helpfully mentions "you can do a self install on these, that would be a lot easier for you".

Cablecards are just the worst... or rather, cable companies handling of cable cards is just the worst.

subego · Jul 18, 2014, 05:24 PM

The cheat code is self install with at least four cards on hand.

Once you get a card which hasn't been smoked, it's "merely" a question of finding someone in the activation department who knows what they're doing.

reader50 · Jul 18, 2014, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by subego

xkcd: Tech Support

I like.

akent35 · Jul 18, 2014, 11:46 PM

Originally Posted by ort888

Cablecards are just the worst... or rather, cable companies handling of cable cards is just the worst.

Man, am I ever glad that most (maybe all?) TVs recently manufactured do not even have a cable card slot, but have at least one HDMI port (and of course the standard "normal" ports to plug in all the wires associated with the picture and the audio). HDMI is a perfect example of the KISS philosophy: Keep It Simple Stupid. Ain't that the truth!

Doc HM · Jul 19, 2014, 03:57 AM

Originally Posted by subego

Here, the name Comcast means "utter shit" to the point they're trying to change it to Xfinity.

That's some awesome corporate thinking there. Tehn in 18 months the name Xfinity will also mean "utter shit" and they can spend another 250,00 on re rebranding.

Or they could like, train staff?

The trouble is the re re branding is probably cheaper given that Comcast (appear from here) to be a virtual monopoly provider in many places.

Chongo · Jul 19, 2014, 11:34 AM

An oldie but goodie
The Original CALL CENTER Movie in its entirety - YouTube

subego · Jul 19, 2014, 12:52 PM

turtle777 · Jul 19, 2014, 12:59 PM

XFINITY = INFINITE money extraction

-t

Doc HM · Jul 19, 2014, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Chongo

An oldie but goodie
The Original CALL CENTER Movie in its entirety - YouTube

Hahahahahahahahah

subego · Jul 19, 2014, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by Doc HM

That's some awesome corporate thinking there. Tehn in 18 months the name Xfinity will also mean "utter shit" and they can spend another 250,00 on re rebranding.

Or they could like, train staff?

The trouble is the re re branding is probably cheaper given that Comcast (appear from here) to be a virtual monopoly provider in many places.

What's even funnier is they were utterly incapable of making the clean break. It's been more than a year, and whether it's Xfinity or Comcast at any given moment is entirely arbitrary.

I keep on wanting to tell them "you think you're hiding, but you know... we can still see your butt."