Comcast... it doesn't have to be this way....
When I watched the series of Comcast/XFinity ads, they were reassuring that your friends might flake on you with giving fake excuses to help you move, etc. but Comcast will always help. Right.
So, the saga started a week before our move. As the advertisement shared, I went to the Movers’ Edge page and tried scheduling a transfer. It was easy, well, kin of. I also wanted to find out about options to upgrade speed and to see if we could consider that option depending on how much it costs. Well, the site makes you log into your account and well gives you the “your building provides cable as an amenity” speel and that’s the end. Then I tried finding prices by “new customer” option and get the same message when I type in the new address, when I know the building doesn’t give cable as an amenity.
Grr…so I call, thinking the representative would have more authority over browsing the site than I do. But he/she is doing the exact same thing as I am and was of no help really. So, figured, I will just schedule the transfer and then figure out upgrades if needed. I already was getting annoyed and not wanting to give any more money to the service provider.
Ah well. The site froze and something went wrong with the order and I think I didn’t transfer, I just cancelled services. Which meant that I would get a call. But thought I would be proactive and call them right away. The customer representative finally could maneuver between bulk accounts (which we were under) and residential accounts (which we were signing up for). A new acocount was set, etc. And it was fine and dandy. Well, I did schedule someone to come in and set it up. They were charging us $40 for it. Never do that again!!
Wednesday they guaranteed us arrival between 8am-10am. We got three calls to confirm/guarantee that on Tues. One was an automated call, one was from a call center in South Asia, and another one from local call center or a really good call center representative. I was again getting a little annoyed.
Well, Wednesday 8am-10am came and went. We got a call at 10:15am. Neither of us had picked up. It must have been the Comcast technician. He/she tried once and then never came back. We did get internet connection that day but not for the upgraded service we did decide to get. We were wondering if we were just using the neighbor’s account or something because according to their records we had no service till Friday!
Yes, we got things fixed over the phone on Friday. Fine, dandy.
I am back at work today. A XFinity representative calls me on my cell phone asking about our experience - N had filed a complaint on Wednesday itself. She asked for N and I said he wasn’t around and she agreed to speak with me. Then she transferred me to a customer care to help get refund of $20. The customer rep couldn’t find my account and was sharing that it was under bulk accounts and transferred me to them. And then they transferred me back to residential service reps because they couldn’t access them (this became our normal ritual EVERY TIME I have called them the last ten days! I thought I would be smart and explain that we were in bulk and now considered residential, but obviously I am a customer and ignorant and that explanation was overlooked everytime and realization came at the end after the 3rd transfer). Each and every time, I let them know the account is under my husband’s name but my name is smitha. No one had an issue. They would have me verify address, last four digits of social security and move on.
And the last rep, I forget how many representatives I have spoken to now in the last ten days, was the first one to insist to speak to N as he is the account holder. I flipped. Of course, flipping meant saying the following while gritting my teeth, “I have repeated my complaint 4 times in the last fifteen minutes, I have patiently tolerated being transferred to 3 representatives in the last fifteen minutes and (re)repeating my issue. My husband N is in a different state at the moment and I am using my minutes on my phone, my time at work. None of the represenatives have insisted on speaking with the account holder. They even disconnected service based on my call. I am not mad at you, am just mad at the service. So, am going to hang up now as I have clearly wasted my time. Please call N on the number provided in the account, which I had to repeat three times to you by now and follow up!” And I hung up.
I don’t think I have ever hung up on a person before. And of course, the representative didn’t call N.
And each and every time I spoke to Comcast, I get, “Thank you for choosing Comcast!” But really, they must be enjoying saying that line, because they and I both know it’s not a choice.
ETA: N called them while I was at work (after I informed him briefly of what happened) and they gave him some run around about that billing handles refunds and not activation department, etc. Then the representative today did a speed test and found that we are not getting the speed we were signed up for. And then she shared that our model is at end-of-life and should get the newer models. And profusely apologised for all the inconvenience and suggested compensation. But realised she doesn't handle that and offered transferring to billing. N got tired and shared he probably would have to reiterate the whole saga again and would like her to do so before transferring him. And she said she would try and the line got cut. There has been no call back since.
I wonder why they even bother asking, "could we have a number to call back in case we get disconnected?!" When they never actually use that number to call back.
So, the saga started a week before our move. As the advertisement shared, I went to the Movers’ Edge page and tried scheduling a transfer. It was easy, well, kin of. I also wanted to find out about options to upgrade speed and to see if we could consider that option depending on how much it costs. Well, the site makes you log into your account and well gives you the “your building provides cable as an amenity” speel and that’s the end. Then I tried finding prices by “new customer” option and get the same message when I type in the new address, when I know the building doesn’t give cable as an amenity.
Grr…so I call, thinking the representative would have more authority over browsing the site than I do. But he/she is doing the exact same thing as I am and was of no help really. So, figured, I will just schedule the transfer and then figure out upgrades if needed. I already was getting annoyed and not wanting to give any more money to the service provider.
Ah well. The site froze and something went wrong with the order and I think I didn’t transfer, I just cancelled services. Which meant that I would get a call. But thought I would be proactive and call them right away. The customer representative finally could maneuver between bulk accounts (which we were under) and residential accounts (which we were signing up for). A new acocount was set, etc. And it was fine and dandy. Well, I did schedule someone to come in and set it up. They were charging us $40 for it. Never do that again!!
Wednesday they guaranteed us arrival between 8am-10am. We got three calls to confirm/guarantee that on Tues. One was an automated call, one was from a call center in South Asia, and another one from local call center or a really good call center representative. I was again getting a little annoyed.
Well, Wednesday 8am-10am came and went. We got a call at 10:15am. Neither of us had picked up. It must have been the Comcast technician. He/she tried once and then never came back. We did get internet connection that day but not for the upgraded service we did decide to get. We were wondering if we were just using the neighbor’s account or something because according to their records we had no service till Friday!
Yes, we got things fixed over the phone on Friday. Fine, dandy.
I am back at work today. A XFinity representative calls me on my cell phone asking about our experience - N had filed a complaint on Wednesday itself. She asked for N and I said he wasn’t around and she agreed to speak with me. Then she transferred me to a customer care to help get refund of $20. The customer rep couldn’t find my account and was sharing that it was under bulk accounts and transferred me to them. And then they transferred me back to residential service reps because they couldn’t access them (this became our normal ritual EVERY TIME I have called them the last ten days! I thought I would be smart and explain that we were in bulk and now considered residential, but obviously I am a customer and ignorant and that explanation was overlooked everytime and realization came at the end after the 3rd transfer). Each and every time, I let them know the account is under my husband’s name but my name is smitha. No one had an issue. They would have me verify address, last four digits of social security and move on.
And the last rep, I forget how many representatives I have spoken to now in the last ten days, was the first one to insist to speak to N as he is the account holder. I flipped. Of course, flipping meant saying the following while gritting my teeth, “I have repeated my complaint 4 times in the last fifteen minutes, I have patiently tolerated being transferred to 3 representatives in the last fifteen minutes and (re)repeating my issue. My husband N is in a different state at the moment and I am using my minutes on my phone, my time at work. None of the represenatives have insisted on speaking with the account holder. They even disconnected service based on my call. I am not mad at you, am just mad at the service. So, am going to hang up now as I have clearly wasted my time. Please call N on the number provided in the account, which I had to repeat three times to you by now and follow up!” And I hung up.
I don’t think I have ever hung up on a person before. And of course, the representative didn’t call N.
And each and every time I spoke to Comcast, I get, “Thank you for choosing Comcast!” But really, they must be enjoying saying that line, because they and I both know it’s not a choice.
ETA: N called them while I was at work (after I informed him briefly of what happened) and they gave him some run around about that billing handles refunds and not activation department, etc. Then the representative today did a speed test and found that we are not getting the speed we were signed up for. And then she shared that our model is at end-of-life and should get the newer models. And profusely apologised for all the inconvenience and suggested compensation. But realised she doesn't handle that and offered transferring to billing. N got tired and shared he probably would have to reiterate the whole saga again and would like her to do so before transferring him. And she said she would try and the line got cut. There has been no call back since.
I wonder why they even bother asking, "could we have a number to call back in case we get disconnected?!" When they never actually use that number to call back.