People tell me if you don’t post on your blog for a few days, people stop reading.
So this may be to nobody.
I didn’t watch the debate the other night between the declared Democratic candidates for President, because my cable went out. And in the land of the “supposed free market” the supposed conservatives who believe in the “free market” have been running for the past many years, I only get one choice of cable providers, and if I don’t like it, tough.
In my case it’s Comcast. I moved into a new apartment last September. The man they sent to install my internet connection and cable TV arrived in a beat up old pick up that had no indication he worked for Comcast on it. Of course he was a “subcontractor.”
I’ve got nothing against beat up old pick ups, I’ve driven many, nor subcontractors, my grown son has been one and so have I, and many in my family and clan, and some of my best friends are subcontractors.
But unfortunately this guy was so inept, that he suggested he could connect me up to the modem left by the previous tenant when I suggested he should connect it through the modem I was instructed to bring with me for that purpose.
When that became too problematic and he called the Comcast person who could help him, that person, after trying to explain to the “technician” what needed to be done, asked the man to put me on the line, and then she explained to me what needed to be done and I did it.
She also explained that because of the mistakes he had already made, my service would probably only last 24 hours and then I’d have to call again and she or someone else would walk me through what I needed to do. Which is what happened.
As for the TV service, I have had to call Comcast several times in the several months I’ve been here. Once, another Comcast “technician” had installed a neighboring apartment’s cable TV and when they did so they disconnected mine!
On top of the incompetence, my service continues to go out at regular intervals, and the only solution they have is to send out another “technician” usually several days later at best.
For instance I called last Wednesday when the connection was lost and I could get no TV channels at all, and they said they’d get a “technician” out as soon as possible, which turned out to be Monday (after I got to a supervisor, twenty minutes after talking to a regular Comcast “Customer Service” person who seemed very frustrated and angry with me because my service keeps going out and I pointed out that that wasn’t very good business practice).
And, they informed me, Comcast is now charging for that service (which naturally makes me wonder if the problems with the service aren’t intentional—to raise profits etc.) and when I tried to point out that it seemed unfair to charge me for their failure to provide the service I am paying for, they actually had the nerve to point out that other corporations have been doing just that for years and Comcast was merely catching up!
God bless (corporate) America.
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3 comments:
Been there.
After my franchised cable provider developed an insatiable desire for more of my money each month without providing more or better service, I called the FCC.
I complained that there seems to have been a conspiracy to establish the cable TV industry in the 60's when it was claimed that the World Trade Center construction was damaging the signal from the Empire State building. Strange that that modern transmitter on the WTC broadcast the same ghosts and poor quakity TV picture.
I claimed that franchises were no more than localized monopolies. The FCC rep informed me that Congress had set the guidelines in the 80's regulating the cable industry and recent to that time the courts had ruled that with the new 'wireless cable providers' a monopoly no longer could be claimed.
I than called my local franchised cable provider and asked about a less expensive deal. After 15 minutes of lidtening to my options I chose a cheaper plan that would still give me the local channels and a few PBS's. Then I was informed that there would be a $10 charge for the 'change in service'.
I was beside myself, here I would be paying more for the change of service than the bill would have been. I then asked how much it would be to turn off the service and come get the 'stuff' out of my apartment. Surprisingly that was FREE !!!!!!
I got out the old rabbit ears and though not getting crystal clear reception, I'm saving about $80 a month for TV service that I may use two hours a day.
The FCC must have been on to me because they made a ruling that all TV's would have to be HD by 2009. High priced HD TV's what a coincidence.
The biggest joke is that it has been found that the digital high def signal gives a better picture on sets with rabbit ears than cable.
Whodathunkit.
I don't know if you've tried this, but I turn the tv and cable off and then unplug the cable modem (just the electrical connection) for a minute or two and then plug back in and turn everything on again. Seems to have worked for the most part. Also, when I've called Comcast they've been able to "send" some corrective signal to my particular cable box when it's been out of whack.
Nina, I did what you suggested, several times. And they did send a signal from the office, which actually made it worse, the time and the little information stuff at the bottom of a channel was still showing up, just not any picture, but after they sent their signal, it all disappeared and nothing but 1950s "snow" was on the screen and the time was way off. This is obviously something they screwed up in installing the service in this place and no one is experienced or smart enough in the craft to fix it permanently. The other thing is, when you make your appointment, or when I do, they have always been late, never within the time parameters they set themselves!
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