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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

#151

Post by michaelfeathers »

wallawe wrote: post #132
michaelfeathers wrote: post #112

This being HN no one likes to talk about regulatory solutions, but the silence on this one is startling. Wasn't there a day in the US when companies would be fined for this sort of business practice? Why can't we go there today? Is it simply the triumph of free-market orthodoxy and a tacit acceptance that to be a consumer today one must subject oneself to this sort of rapaciousness?

I think you're missing the point all together. The only reason a company can behave this way and retain the number of customers who would have otherwise moved elsewhere is because there isn't a free-market. The companies are run as oligopolies. It is government intervention and protection that has caused this problem in the first place which is what most people don't realize.

Nope, I get it. What I'm saying is that a backdrop of consumer protection legislation can deal with the reality of this situation (which, sadly, doesn't look like it is going to be fixed any time soon), without being intrusive when the market is allowed to work.

A company that presents only the choice of paying for service one doesn't want or being put into collections and having one's credit destroyed should be fined until it corrects its behavior or goes out of business.

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

#152

Post by chris_wot »

kabdib wrote: post #143
clockwerx wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I begin to suspect going nuclear is the only option. "Hi, I'd like to cancel my service" "But what about X?" "Ombudsman and or Lawyers. Cancel. You have been instructed, the next time I say this will be in court/writing/etc".

They'll just transfer you to legal. Worst case, they tag your account and do this every time you call, and you're in limbo for months. Ugh.

That's not how it works. They won't transfer you to a lawyer: those are damned expensive.

In Australia, if you threaten to go to an ombudsman, companies tend to listen. Ombudsman cases are very expensive.

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

#153

Post by reflectiv »

duiker101 wrote: post #87
bshimmin wrote: post #30

I'm amazed at how calm he remains during this. I would've called the guy - regardless of whether he's "just doing his job" - every name under the sun and probably threatened to pay him a visit in person... That said, I guess if I were recording it to share on the Internet later, I might've been able to control myself slightly more than usual.

This guys have it rough. I used to call them a lot and I can't recall a single instance where I saw someone raising their voice had a better outcome. The only had a more stressful call. The operator pushes it a lot but consider this: he is probably paid like shit and he probably get commission on how many customers he can retain. Maybe if he loses too many he can even lose his job. Knowing this and knowing that their…

They may have it rough but there is no way I would take the kind of abuse that was on the recording.

Raising his voice and getting audibly angry would have likely shut down her incessant line of questioning pretty quickly.

It doesn't even have to be a genuine anger...I've done this quite a bit. If I am in a hurry and a service rep ever starts to pry questions into the conversation I just make a little huff and puff and they will generally decide to move the conversation along by just doing as I asked in the first place.

You don't have to be abusive to get your point across...just let them know you aren't listening to their bullshit.

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

#154

Post by nickdoesdesign »

alphagenerator wrote: post #58
wil421 wrote: post #24

I've cancelled Comcast a few times before when ATT had a better deal and it was never this bad. They usually try to give me a better deal but sorry I've made my decision thats why I am calling, if you gave me a better rate to begin with I might not be leaving. With Comcast you can usually just hang up and call again if you get an employee with an attitude. This method works with tech support too, hang up and try agai…

I called Comcast trying to sign up for their top-tier service when I was working from home. The guy on the other side kept asking me what on earth I'd need the top tier service for and kept asking me questions. Then he scheduled the visit for the tech on the wrong date. Every time I deal with Comcast, it's a hassle. I can't believe I got interrogated when I signed up for service. Worst customer service ever.

Chances are they were getting better commission on a lower tier. Or some internal contest to see who can sign up more people on a certain plan.

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

#155

Post by jsumrall »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #147
Nursie wrote: post #107

I've had lots of trouble with ISPs before. About a decade ago Bulldog Broadband were the first to offer 8Mb service in London, and at a reasonable price, and they oversold so massively their staff couldn't cope. After a month of no service I called to cancel, and after 45 minutes on hold I gave up. I tried again. And again. Eventually I got through to someone who processed the cancellation. I got an email saying "To…

I don't understand why you put up with them charging you so many times. After the second fraudulent charge, I'd just deal with my credit card company directly. Call them up and have the charges reversed. You get your money back and they get punished by their card company for the fraudulent charge. If more people did this, instead of waiting on hold for hours to fight with customer service for your own money back, the…

You can pay bills with credit cards?

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

#156

Post by thanatropism »

lucaspiller wrote: post #40

Any ideas why he actually wants to cancel? If it's for a lower price surely Comcast would match that? I've done that with mobile operators here in the UK, phoning up to switch to PAYG because of a new deal that comes up then the "retentions" agent offering me the same deal on a contract for half the price. Edit: My point is although it is none of their business why he wants to cancel, it's probably less effort, and h…

It's a common ruse in Brazil to call cancellation in order to get to the retentions guy and bargain a better deal too.

I can't do this anymore because I have a small, few-channels package and 14-inch analog TV, and cheaper internet packages are bundled with HDTV cable plans. But thanks to anti-bundling laws (and a general sentiment that makes even McDonald's sell their toys independently of lunch boxes), internet-only packages are not unrealistically expensive.

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

#157

Post by coder23 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #84
oldmanjay wrote: post #72

the only correct response to any sort of intrusive question by a customer service representative is "thank you for your time. transfer me to your supervisor"

"I don't have a supervisor" is a surprisingly common response.

If we forget for a second the completely incorrect behavior of the Comcast operator.

A correct response to a unsatisfied customer would be: My supervisor doesn't talk to customers. I am the support for the company, if you are not satisfied with me, you can talk to a different operator or file a formal complaint.

This is an actual correct response to a conversation that has gone awry,( of course again, assuming the operator is behaving like a decent human being ).

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

#160

Post by gamerdonkey »

tombrossman wrote: post #131
zerohp wrote: post #57

There's only one easy way to cancel service with a company like Comcast. You have to lie and tell them you're moving to a city that they don't serve. They don't transfer you to customer retention and you'll be off the phone in a few minutes.

The easiest way to cancel services with shit companies like this is by mail. Spend a few minutes typing a letter, pay the small extra fee for proof of delivery, and you are done. Your post office probably has an automated self-serve kiosk where you can do this in under 5 minutes. Time is money, don't allow a company to spend your time like this. Sure, you should be able to cancel on the phone with no hassle but that…

Maybe Ryan read down to 9 b (3):

"you may terminate this Agreement for any reason at any time by notifying Comcast in one of three ways: [...] (3) call our customer service line during normal business hours"

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