General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsComcast Serves Up What May Be the Worst Customer Service Call in History
The call starts like this:
Block: Wed like to disconnect please.
Comcast rep: Why is it that you dont want the faster speed? Help me understand why you dont want faster internet.
Block: Help me understand why you cant disconnect us.
Comcast rep: Because my job is to have a conversation with you about keeping your service, about finding out why it is that youre looking to cancel the service.
Block: I dont understand
Comcast rep: If you dont want to talk to me, you can definitely go into the Comcast store and disconnect your service there.
And it goes on for another seven more excruciating minutes.
Full discussion audio and story here:
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/this-may-be-the-worst-customer-service-call-in-history-91851980684.html
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I think Mr. Block was amazing - I would have given up and curled up in a corner crying.
SummerSnow
(12,608 posts)Warpy
(111,123 posts)I knew satellite services would bury them and I hated their business model. It turned out to be a great decision because the other communications company I put that money in has been doing quite well. Comcast has been doing bupkus in comparison.
Here they send people door to door. The spiel starts with "We see you once had the service and want to know why you disconnected" and they motormouth to the point you have to be rude and shut the door in their faces. I sympathize with Mr. Block. They're remarkably adhesive even when you don't have the service and have no intention of ever getting it.
FWIW, I've lived here 18 years and have never had cable. I think the previous owners did, I have the cable rolled up behind a piece of furniture, ready for the next occupants of this house if they turn out to be insane.
arcane1
(38,613 posts)I can definitely relate!
Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)worst customer service in the world.
tridim
(45,358 posts)Google Fiber knows how to do service, I have none of these concerns with them.
PeaceNikki
(27,985 posts)They suck.
I wouldn't even phone them anymore, cause I couldn't understand a word that was said, each and every time. I would only chat, which was a nightmare as well.
I was calling because the service was out. They asked me how I was 3 times. Couldn't send anyone out for 4 days.
Screw that.
alp227
(32,004 posts)Lol, nice example of the loaded question. "Customer service" my butt!
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)progressoid
(49,933 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)LTR
(13,227 posts)Companies like Comcast demand their reps act like this. If they fire him for this, they're hypocrites.
uppityperson
(115,677 posts)why?"
Because I want to cancel.
but why
can you cancel?
yes, I can, but why?
Because.
etc
No, there is nothing you can do or offer. I want to cancel and that is enough reason.
aint_no_life_nowhere
(21,925 posts)when I was first starting to use email. The guy I asked to disconnect me from service was like a barnacle on a rock that couldn't be dislodged from the notion that he could talk me out of it. I kept trying to tell him that I didn't want AOL anymore. I think I've become less polite since then and today I would have set the phone down and walked away with him still talking after shouting that I wanted him to just disconnect my fucking service.
strategery blunder
(4,225 posts)Normally I would not have touched AOHell with a 376459370 foot pole, but years ago when I was visiting an elderly relative without internet access for about a month, I convinced her to let me set up one of the AOHell free 30-day "trials," so I could check my e-mail, keep up a bare minimum of activity to prevent various online accounts from getting deleted, and cancel the trial before I left, leaving her with no obligation.
Of course, AOHell's CSR didn't need to know that, they only needed to know that dial-up was laughably slow (even if marginally better than no internet at all).
Trying to cancel the trial went just about exactly the same as it did for this poor Comcrap customer--only the AOHell rep couldn't even try to justify it with "blazing fast" service. Not that such limitations of the service prevented the CSR from trying!
In the end I wished I had simply gone without, instead just allowing aforesaid miscellaneous online accounts to inactivity-delete, as nothing was worth that amount of frustration to cancel.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,311 posts)..... or one retention away from a "major prize" or bucking for management - or all of the above.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Most retention jobs put the agents on the chopping block if they don't have good numbers. Comcast is really bad at this.
Sen. Walter Sobchak
(8,692 posts)My XMp3 portable radio was replaced twice under warranty and had now died out of warranty. I had no working XM compatible radio amongst my worldly possessions.
The girl went through her script undeterred by the fact I had no means with which to receive their service and no intention of buying another XMp3 when the original had been a piece of shit and the only other portable radio they offered was enormous.
Indeed nothing she said (offers first of discounted and then free service) had any relationship to the fact I didn't own an XM radio.
Generic Brad
(14,272 posts)I just can't quit you.
Eleanors38
(18,318 posts)They couldn't let up. Felt sorry for the service rep whose job it was to an impediment for my cancellation. Had to ask: Is there a law against me dropping service?
dembotoz
(16,784 posts)WillowTree
(5,325 posts)Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)I actually applied for a job at Comcast and know many who work with them. Their job is contingent on keeping costumers. If they're in retentions, which he probably is, they have to do this or risk losing their job. Basically, take every measure possible to keep the consumer, even if it comes across like this.
Some (most) call center jobs suck for this season. You're conditioned to provide 'good costumer service' but also told to do everything in your power to keep a costumer and if you don't, you lose out on money and potentially your job.
If you get a call center job, don't do tech support ... don't do costumer service ... and don't do retentions.
RKP5637
(67,084 posts)TlalocW
(15,373 posts)Inbound sales?
TlalocW
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)There's basic costumer service jobs and then other jobs where you assist someone but don't have quotas or benchmarks you have to reach on retaining costumers.
The call centers I've avoided while looking for work are the ones where I have to directly sell something to the person - even if that isn't my job.
So, say, you're in tech support, you service the call and then you're expected, in many cases, to push for an upgrade. I wouldn't want that job.
Collections and retentions are the worst of the call center jobs, though.
What I've done in call centers:
1. Census (I essentially was a data enter who called people and took calls and basically entered their information into the system - easiest job I've ever had and got nearly $15 an hour for it!)
2. Marketplace CSR (I worked the ACA and handled web chat and in coming calls for individuals who had basic questions and wanted to fill out an application. Another easy job that was pretty much data entry)
3. Fraud (Fraud for a major credit card company. Basically, I assisted costumers who had to report fraud or needed to verify a transaction).
Those jobs aren't terribly bad for call center jobs. The fraud job, I was never expected to sell anything. If the costumer wanted to cancel their credit card, I transferred them over to retentions. If they had questions about their card, I transferred them over to costumer service.
So, that's what I meant - there are call center jobs where you're not going to be forced into meeting these sales metrics.
ecstatic
(32,641 posts)that I have not yet mastered. I've gone as far as turning in the cable box--had to wait in line for an hour. Of course, they couldn't disconnect my service in the store. I had to call them back, at which point, they gave me another offer I couldn't refuse. It's time to break up with them again but I dread the long line at the store. I'm actually paying for two different cable companies and internet services.
strategery blunder
(4,225 posts)oldhippie
(3,249 posts)... when trying to cancel service, when they ask why I want to cancel I will tell them that I am moving to a hospice facility for the final phase of my terminal illness and I am trying to wrap up my affairs. I wonder if they have a script for that?
RKP5637
(67,084 posts)credit card.'
TlalocW
(15,373 posts)Back when dial-up was the only way to get internet, I had a second phone line installed, and I didn't pay attention to the frequency of my bills (I thought my two lines would be lumped together) until both bills arrived at the same time, and I saw that I was being charged a long distance fee for my computer line, and I remember telling the agent not to give me long distance on it. So I called Sprint wanting to get my money back (it came to just over $100), and the guy told me he could only refund the last two months so I asked to talk to a supervisor. He told me that if I talked to a supervisor, I would forfeit any claim to a refund. I said bullshit and asked for a supervisor, and we started arguing over whether he was going to let me talk to a supervisor. So finally I just started very rapidly saying over and over, "give me a supervisor I want to talk to a supervisor you're a douche give me a supervisor I want to talk to a supervisor you're a douche," while he kept trying to interrupt, "Sir... Sir... SIR! FINE YOU CAN TALK TO A SUPERVISOR!" Got my money back.
And once when working for DirecTv, I got a tech call from a guy wanting me to re-order his television channels. I asked him if he meant he wanted to set up a favorite's list, but no, he wanted the channels reordered for his convenience, and he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So I pounded on my keyboard for 30 seconds, telling him, "Okay, I'm NOT supposed to do this, but you're a good customer... We can see the percentages of what channels you watch the most so we'll get it changed... There. All done. It will unfortunately take 24 hours for this to go into effect so if there's any problem, don't hesitate to call back!" He hung up grateful.
TlalocW
closeupready
(29,503 posts)and called back to another rep. Barring that, dispute the charges with the credit card company.
RKP5637
(67,084 posts)first few minutes.
onethatcares
(16,161 posts)verizon and comcast just merge?
or was that some other mega giant corporations?
TheKentuckian
(25,018 posts)Usually brought visions of smoke and fire, the stench of blood, and the thundering of horses in armor to mind along with actual tears of impotent rage.
I should have bailed and paid whatever ETF they had (which was substantial) when they cut me off the first three times I paid the bill (which was remedied only by refusing to pay the bill for several months till they cut it off, which seemed to then reboot something so they could take a payment and leave the service on).