Comcast: Poor Customer Service
Monday, November 22nd, 2010After a very frustrating experience with Comcast, I wrote them this letter:
Comcast,
My experience with technical support and the overall customer service with Comcast has been very poor.
I have canceled my service with Comcast effective December 10th and have ordered service from a different internet service provider.
I would like to share my experience with you.
Although the issue I had with my internet service has not been resolved and I actually don’t even know if Comcast is the source of the problem, the reason I am canceling service with Comcast is because of the experience I had getting support.
The problem I was experiencing was certain traffic appeared to not be going through. One in particular involved E-mail.
I called Comcast on November 21st at 7:37PM. The call lasted 27 minutes. The individual I spoke with insisted I was not experiencing any problems. I described a scenario where Comcast might be the source of my problem and asked if that was possible and, if so, how could we find out. Instead of answering that question, she gave me the “broken record” treatment and kept repeating there was no issue with Comcast and my service was working because I could access websites. I was put on hold and eventually disconnected. To be honest, I really believe I was intentionally hung up on while on hold.
I then called back at 8:41PM and was on the phone for 58 minutes. The first person I spoke with did not have answers for my questions and she said she might be able to find someone else who could help. I was then transferred to another person. However, I was not told I was going to be transferred and the individual I was transferred to was also unaware. When I asked her why I was transferred to her, she said she didn’t know. I then had to explain my problem for the third time. This individual treated me similar to the first. She would not acknowledge it was even possible it could be an issue with Comcast and insisted my internet service was working. I then spoke with a supervisor. I explained my poor experience to the supervisor. The supervisor did not express any concern for my poor treatment. He did not tell me he would be looking into it. He did not do anything to attempt to make up for my poor treatment. He did not address it at all. He gathered technical information and created a ticket and told me I would be called back within 72 hours. My conversation with him clearly indicated he did not understand the problem I was experiencing.
I was then called back and left a voicemail on November 22nd at 11:29AM. The voicemail clearly indicated they didn’t understand what my problem was as they told me they had tested things I previously explicitly stated I was not having problems with.
I called back at 11:45AM and provided my ticket number. The individual I spoke with told me they didn’t know who called me or how to get in touch with them at that moment. She then told me they should have left me a direct number to call back and not the 1-800-COMCAST number. She said she could find out who I needed to get in touch with and I would receive a call back within a half hour. I did not receive a call back.
One hour later, I called Comcast to cancel my service.
In less than 24 hours, I had spoken with five people at Comcast. The individuals I spoke with at Comcast were not knowledgeable enough to address my problem. They were rude. They failed to answer any of my questions or even pursue answers if they didn’t have one themselves. They seemed detached and unconcerned with my internet problem. They treated me as more of a hassle they had to deal with. They gave me “broken record” treatment and kept insisting my internet service was working whenever they were unable to answer one of my questions. They appeared not to have any recourse to escalate my unresolved problem. When I explained my poor experience, the topic was ignored and they proceeded to discuss the technical issue. There was not even an acknowledgment I was treated poorly. There was no mention of addressing the issue of how poorly I was treated. After speaking with five people in a row and consistently having a poor experience, I have been left with the impression that Comcast as a whole provides poor customer service.
After reading the Comcast Customer Guarantee, I think Comcast has failed on several points. The following guarantees were not met: 2) We will treat you and your home with courtesy and respect. 3) We will answer your questions at your convenience. 6) We will quickly address any problem you experience. And 7) We will schedule appointments at your convenience and be mindful of your time.
As a highly recommended and respected I.T. professional, I have no intention of using Comcast in the future and I don’t expect to be recommending Comcast service to the individuals or businesses I advise and consult for. I will not have positive things to say about Comcast.
-Adam