We all have cable stories. Clearly a company with the constant consumer touch as a cable company will have difficulties but some of these difficulties defy rationale explanation except this one…THERE IS NO ONE AT THE COMPANY SITTING AT THE LEVEL WHO HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE. It is not that executives do not care …it is that they have split responsibilities. More importantly I would have to guess that C level and below salaries and bonuses are not in any meaningful way dependent on customer experience.
After months of equipment problems where the phone reps suggestion was switch reboot the system (each time the problem returning) I went to local headquarters and switched out the equipment. The phone reps tried their best, they were pleasant always asking me how I am doing, but it is not clear that they did not know the truth and thus could not help me. Let me explain…
I returned the cable box and remote and was told by the in store service rep (who was fabulous so fabulous in fact that I would have taken her home if my spousal unit did not object) “Oh we know about this problem it is a defect in this box…WHATTTTTTT… they know about this. If the phone rep had told me I would have solved this problem months ago. She went on to say that the phone reps don’t know this because they think (the in store rep) they won’t or don’t tell them…WHATTTTTTTTTTTT.
Ok I have the new equipment and hook it up and follow directions to call the 888 number and get a signal that starts the system. On the directions there is nothing about writing the serial number of the new equipment down because that is how they know what to send the signal too. Since the cable box is in a hard to reach spot and the wires are short I have to unplug the unit write down the serial number and rehook up the unit. Now this is not the end of the world it is a PAIN IN THE ASS. Even a chimp could see that the solution to this is to tell people on the instructions to write the number down or maybe put the serial number on the front of the machine and not in the back. So this is done I call back the 888 number and a signal is sent and nothing is working. ACSR in the US tried to help but I gave up with her. I called back and got a CSR in Puerto Rico and gave up on him. Both of these CSR’s told me that I have to wait 45 minutes for the box to load (I had waited 45 minutes each time) and that the unit was functioning exactly how the unit was suppose to function….WHATTTTTTTTT.
At the third CSR I simply gave up. I was angry…I was mad…I was tired of dealing with this. Here is the issue. These things should work when you hook it up…it should not be a struggle. If I go out and buy a new car right now I am given a key and I turn the key and it starts. I do not need activation instructions and special instructions and CSRs who cannot solve the problem. I am paying $225 a month…and I have been paying that for 20+ years (do the math that’s 225 x 12 x 20= a lot of money).
When cable works it is great and for most of the time things are great but there is no reason to have to struggle if things are not great. If there were a reasonable alternative I would definitely switch. If Comcast wants to know why I would never use them for telephone service my response would be They have earned it.
So to answer the CSRs question HOW WAS MY EVENING…WELL I THINK THEY CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION FORTHEMSELVES.
Customer Service 101 