Comcast Cares?

This is a rant.

Comcast is supposedly "in tune" with new media and the new generation of social networking. Frank Eliason, Comcast's Senior Director of National Customer Service Operations uses the Twitter handle "ComcastCares" (http://twitter.com/comcastcares) and tries to set people's minds at ease regarding service outages, or other things that Comcast does to upset people. Comcast has even created a blog called Comcast Voices (http://www.comcastvoices.com/) titled "A place for conversations with Comcast." Apparently, Comcast really cares what I, their customer, thinks. Comcast wants to listen to me! However, I have experienced a misalignment of such magnitude that I find it hard to believe what Comcast's true motives are, other than to jump on the latest social media bandwagon.

For the last several months, our Comcast high speed internet connection has continuously dropped out. We have had three different Comcast technicians come out to the house to check the wiring and the signal level. Several phone calls to Comcast technical representatives have led me through the same rote steps as before: 1) Unplug your cable modem, 2) Unplug your router, 3) Plug everything back in, 4) Wait 60 seconds, and 5) Restart your computer. I'll refrain from sharing the technical details of my ongoing connectivity problem, but, suffice it to say that I have had several opportunities to speak to Comcast technical support representatives. On two different phone calls (perhaps with the same person), while trying to explain my situation to a Comcast rep, I was cut-off mid-sentence several times by an impatient, condescending, and seemingly uncaring individual. Before I could even clearly explain the details of my problem, the representative fired off a list of things that were likely causing the problem (none of which were applicable). I had to really struggle to get a word in, because the Comcast rep would not stop to listen to me. If Comcast really does care, they sure don't show it in the way their customer service reps treat their customers. I posted a little blurb on my Twitter feed expressing my frustration, to which "ComcastCares" responded and said, "I can help." When I replied "How?", I did not get an answer, and I am still waiting to hear back.

In order to realign Comcast with its shared vision of listening and caring about its customers, they need to do some major work with their customer service representatives. These folks are the voice and face of Comcast and personify the personality of the company. If someone has a negative experience with a representative, it doesn't matter what the Senior Director of National Customer Service Operations at Comcast thinks. Until there is more tangible action linked to their values, Comcast will just be another cold, insincere corporation out to wring every last dollar out of my pocket by selling an unreliable, and underperforming service. Comcast must teach the representatives to be more patient with the customers and listen (as do T-Mobile or GEICO reps, who have a good reputation), and reward them appropriately. Also, if Comcast really does care, I would expect some sort of written apology or other contact apologizing for the inconvenience instead of a grumpy service rep who continues to insist that by sending a third Comcast technician out to look at the problem, we might be able to get somewhere.

After the third technician visit, they have supposedly discovered that there is a problem on the Comcast network near my home. Tomorrow I am switching Internet service providers.