I have been working with Comcast to solve a problem with my signal being unacceptable for over six months. I moved from a thirty-five year old home with neglected wiring and minmal issues to a fifteen year old home in great shape. Since this move I have had serious pixilation issues with my cable signal, my phone signal breaks up so horribly the person on the other end of the line cannot hear me much of the time.
All of this began in June. I called Comcast due to the pixilation preventing my family from watching any television whatsoever. The picture and audio signal were so badly broken up we could not make heads or tails of the shows. They informed me that the entire neighborhood was having problems and to be paitent; it would clear on its own. I took them at their word and waited for three weeks for it to clear. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they were continuing to work on the problem. I called again. This time there was heavy rain in the area and they blamed the pixilation on that, stating that I need to be paitent still; they had just finished repairs on the neighborhood lines. I took them at their word again.
Come the end of the second month, I began to become a bit frustrated. I am generally a patient person. I call again and this time request someone be sent out. I did not describe the issue as pixilation; rather I said the television signal was broken up. I later learned they wrote this down as "HD problem". A couple of days later the technician arrives to fix the problem and replaces the wires directly on the outside of the house, stating he is sure that is the problem and to be patient as it may take the lines some time to clear the reception. I wait two weeks again and call. The problem is no better. They send another technician who says, oh its the box. They replace the box and the wires in the back to the wall. Two weeks later, we are still having pixilation. I think it is minorly improved, but it is still too bad to watch anything. I call again. This technician says the previous technician did not inspect the wires they replaced and that they were bad: the male and female ends were too far in and too far out. I hope this is the end and thank him. He tells me if I have to call again to explain the problem as pixilation so they know clearly what they are dealing with. Two weeks later, the pixilation is still present. The next technician comes out and replaces the box again. Two to three weeks later, the pixilation, although still somewhat improved, is too horrible to make sense of any shows. I call again; they send out another technician. He says he can't find the problem. I am told to bring the box in to a local Comcast box store and swap it. I do.
On a side note, in the last month we replaced our television. It was having trouble with lighting, so we thought perhaps the unit was the problem. Nothing about the pixilation changed with a brand new television. After the last six months of excuses and run around and finally getting the problem solved, I call up Comcast. (I had requested a credit when the first technician was sent out. I was told to wait a couple of weeks after the problem was solved.) I called and explained the last six months of problems, asking for a credit again. They say they only see one month of problems in their records. What! I calmly explain what has been going on. I can tell him there have been at least five different technicians to my house. I can tell them everything that was replaced each time. They keep repeating they only see the last month. When pushed, Alicia tells me that she does see a history back to September, but that was an HD issue, not a pixilation issue. I explain that I have no idea why the technicians worded it differently but the problem has been the same all along. I also have to argue the point of the second DVR box replacement. She states that they show we made an upgrade. The DVR box that was replaced was the older version with a smaller hard drive in comparison to the new one. However they are both Comcast brand DVR boxes. I would never consider this an upgrade. Conveniently, Comcast has labeled the box replacement thus to avoid having to tie the two service calls together. I have things I need to do, so I have to let her go. I call again the next day and speak to Heather. She is much nicer and agrees to give me a $50 credit easily. However, I have been paying over that each month for the television service I was not receiving for six months. I explain this fact again. She says they only have thirty days of history on this issue. I explain again each thing that was replaced by all the different technicians and how long ago. She is quiet, but I would not say she listened.
During this conversation she notices my telephone service is breaking up so badly she cannot hear me. She quickly uses this as a reason to transfer me to tech support and not have to talk to me anymore. Tech support repeats the fact that I am really broken up and sets up an appointment for my phone to be serviced. I have also been dealing with the phone problem for six months, but it has not caused me to be unable to use the phone for long periods of time and has been intermittent. When I called Comcast service once before, they told me that as the problem was intermittent they could do nothing unless I called when it was occurring. The problem is when it is occurring was usually in the evening, when on tech is available. I didn’t see the point. So, I have been putting up with it.
I wait until the technician comes out for the phone, hoping that after this is fixed, I can make some headway with Comcast on a reasonable credit for my bill. I have always paid full and on time. The technician, Jeremy, comes out to the house and tests the modem, the lines, even the neighborhood box and says everything is in the green. He can’t find the problem. So he leaves me his number and takes off, telling me to call if the problem reoccurs. He is the nicest person I have dealt with during my talks with Comcast. I decide to wait to call them about a credit as the phone is not fixed. I receive a call from customer service asking me to take a survey about my satisfaction with Comcast. The automated voice says they want me to be fully satisfied. I am not, and I say so. The automated service transfers me to customer care as a result of my statement.
I speak to an entry level support person and receive the same rig amoral of excuse and “we don’t see records that far back regarding this issue”. Apparently they change the wording on their records so the problems don’t match and then lose the majority to avoid having to take responsibility for their screw ups. I ask to speak to someone who can help me. I am transferred to Kristen. I speak to her for all of thirty seconds when she hangs up on me. This entire time I have spoken calmly and quietly to each person, regardless of my frustration. I realize they are only pegs in the machine and do not have real power. I wait a couple of minutes to see if she will call back. I don’t know why I did. Part of me wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt that she did not do so intentionally and it was an accident.
I call back and ask to speak to Kristen again; explaining I think she accidentally disconnected our line. The person I am speaking with places me on hold and then returns to state in a strained and odd voice that Kristen is “not able to come to the phone”. I ask if there is someone else available. I am transferred to Brandon. He is pleasant enough, as pegs go. However he repeats the same load of junk I have been told before. I may as well have been talking to a brick wall. What is the point of having a customer service department when not one individual is individualistic? They are all robotic drones and none of them will give any credit to the reality of my situation. I have been patient for six months on the basis of the idea that Comcast will see reason when I call up and give me at least one month’s bill credit for six months of frustration.
Jeremy calls me back three hours after he was here and offers to come out and replace the modem on the chance it will fix the phone, despite the fact that everything tested green. I take him up on the offer. He does so, and again is very nice and apologetic about the service issues we have had despite the fact that he has even less responsibility regarding my satisfaction than customer un-service.
After the experience I have just had, I cannot see how any satellite company could be any worse. I will be letting everyone know that aside from their technician, Jeremy, Comcast does not give a damn about their customer satisfaction. It is simply a catch phrase for sales and nothing more. Stay the hell away from this horrible and careless company. We have a satellite dish on our roof from the last individuals who owned this house. We were going to take it down. I’m glad we have not yet. I am talking to the satellite company first thing tomorrow.
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