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Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

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Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#11

Post by chatmasta »

gst wrote: post #6

I've heard multiple times now that it's hard to cancel contracts at various providers, but I don't really see how this is an issue. If the official way (according to the contract) to cancel a contract is a phone call, what difference does it make if the remote party accepts this cancellation? Just state that you are cancelling the contract, make sure to get a recording (if legal in your jurisdiction) and chargeback a…

Yeah, of course this guy didn't have to put up with a phone call like this. Comcast has bad service, but I highly doubt this is the norm. He could have hung up and called again, no problem. But he stayed on the phone because after ten minutes, he was already drooling thinking about sending this recording to his buddies at Techcrunch.

So yeah, maybe he's a bit needlessly overdramatic about this, but personally I'm thankful for the entertainment.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#12

Post by scrabble »

wfjackson wrote: post #4

Can't he do a chargeback on his credit card for the bill and then send the credit card folks a recording of this? Gyms are typically known for making it extremely hard to cancel, like requiring you to snail mail a notice and even then acting as if they never got it.

I did a stop payment on a gym years ago and they never contacted me, so that seemed to take care of it. They had refused to cancel me just through talking to them so I felt vindicated.

My wife just recently canceled a gym membership, and actually got no hassle. No written letter needed, nothing. Just a comment about how they were sorry she was leaving and hope to see you again one day. It was perfect customer service.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#13

Post by 97s »

I went through a situation similar to this with Dell about 8 years ago. The guy told me he had no supervisor and that I had to deal with him. I promptly recorded the call, called back and left a message of the call. The same fellow then called me back and said I was rude and let me speak to his supervisor. There is no way I would have spent this amount of time with this person. I would have gotten his name or recorded him refusing to give it to me and called back and promptly went straight to a supervisor and got this issue solved. Companies that have this kind of policy and are ok with these types of employees talking to customers like this quickly loose all their customers to competition as soon as their competition catches up in technology.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#14

Post by fpgeek »

gst wrote: post #6

I've heard multiple times now that it's hard to cancel contracts at various providers, but I don't really see how this is an issue. If the official way (according to the contract) to cancel a contract is a phone call, what difference does it make if the remote party accepts this cancellation? Just state that you are cancelling the contract, make sure to get a recording (if legal in your jurisdiction) and chargeback a…

And then they'll eventually send your account to collections, where it will be an even bigger pain to straighten out.

Something similar happened to me with AT&T (now Comcast, I believe) in Chicago. I was moving away so I canceled service, returned my equipment in person and even got a receipt! But someone forgot to log something somewhere, so they kept sending me bills. For months, I kept calling and (foolishly) believed them when they said it would be straightened out soon... until they threatened to send my account to collections.

In the end, it took a letter to the office of the CEO with the whole story and a copy of my receipt to fix things (and if it hadn't I'd already started researching my legal options).

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#15

Post by tinco »

SimeVidas wrote: post #7

OMG is Comcast brainwashing their staff? This guy sounds like some Scientology nut.

No, this guy works in the cancellations department, to which you are connected when you indicate that you want to cancel your service. That means it is his sole job to convince persons to not cancel the service. He also receives a bonus for every phone call he makes that does not result in a cancellation. For you it's 15 minutes of time wasted, for him it means 15 minutes of hard work that came very close to paying off.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#16

Post by nodata »

8ig8 wrote: post #10
VLM wrote: post #2

Its a corrupt market. Their job is to lie to you, your job has to be to lie right back. "I'm moving to (insert name of city owned by competitor)"

>"I'm moving to (insert name of city owned by competitor)" Unfortunately, that's becoming harder and harder to do... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comcast-Time_Warner_Cable_mer...

"I'm moving to Berlin"

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#17

Post by KerrickStaley »

I couldn't cancel my Comcast service via phone because the automatic system hung up on me (I tried again the next day).

I just stopped paying (removed my credit card from the system), and after calling me multiple times about the outstanding charges, they eventually figured out that I wanted to cancel.

They still tried to bill me for the time between when I attempted to cancel and when the service was actually disconnected, even though I explained I was unwilling to pay this amount. Ultimately, they transferred the bill to a debt collection agency, and unfortunately I failed to dispute within 30 days (was traveling), so I ended up having to pay it.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#18

Post by adamc »

97s wrote: post #13

I went through a situation similar to this with Dell about 8 years ago. The guy told me he had no supervisor and that I had to deal with him. I promptly recorded the call, called back and left a message of the call. The same fellow then called me back and said I was rude and let me speak to his supervisor. There is no way I would have spent this amount of time with this person. I would have gotten his name or recorde…

Comcast is a monopoly in many markets so you are limited in how you might give your business to other providers.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#19

Post by personZ »

chatmasta wrote: post #11
gst wrote: post #6

I've heard multiple times now that it's hard to cancel contracts at various providers, but I don't really see how this is an issue. If the official way (according to the contract) to cancel a contract is a phone call, what difference does it make if the remote party accepts this cancellation? Just state that you are cancelling the contract, make sure to get a recording (if legal in your jurisdiction) and chargeback a…

Yeah, of course this guy didn't have to put up with a phone call like this. Comcast has bad service, but I highly doubt this is the norm. He could have hung up and called again, no problem. But he stayed on the phone because after ten minutes, he was already drooling thinking about sending this recording to his buddies at Techcrunch. So yeah, maybe he's a bit needlessly overdramatic about this, but personally I'm tha…

The guy who he was talking to works for Comcast, is pursuing Comcast goals (which aggressively punishes agents who don't have high enough retention rates), and is recorded and often monitored by Comcast. The Comcast agent clearly has a list of complaints/responses that they use to try to defuse all complaints -- not that they've actually solved your problem, but rather that they made you think the call was no longer worth it and just give up trying to cancel.

Their entire job as retention agents is to waste enough of your time, and try to press enough buttons, that you give up.

The whole "I am waiting for the system to complete the process, so listen to my arguments while we wait" nonsense, for instance. Credit card companies do the same thing for activations, using the "waiting for the system to finish" to pitch insurance and other unwanted products.

This is a problem. This is a major problem. This is why so many services allow you to sign up in seconds online, but require long, drawn out waste-of-time phone calls to cancel. To force you through this gauntlet, making most just forget about it.

Cynically claiming that this guy manufactured this situation betrays logic of this situation. He dealt with what is a profound problem that most customers deal with.

Re: Tech Blogger Tries To Cancel Comcast Service, Hilarity Ensues

#20

Post by Rapzid »

tinco wrote: post #15
SimeVidas wrote: post #7

OMG is Comcast brainwashing their staff? This guy sounds like some Scientology nut.

No, this guy works in the cancellations department, to which you are connected when you indicate that you want to cancel your service. That means it is his sole job to convince persons to not cancel the service. He also receives a bonus for every phone call he makes that does not result in a cancellation. For you it's 15 minutes of time wasted, for him it means 15 minutes of hard work that came very close to paying o…

Or losing his job if he hasn't rescued enough accounts. Call centres are soul destroying places to work.
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