Comcast/Xfinity - impossible to disconnect service? (Reynolds: neighborhood, utilities)

[DJDeadParrot]

Originally Posted by aries4118

What if Comcast is trying their very, very best?

Unlikely.

[bUU]

While I've had my problems with Comcast and its competitors in the past, the categorical refusal to acknowledge the reality or the lack of justification in the criticisms people make against these companies is really troubling. Criticisms based on assumptions - and the most over-the-top nefarious assumptions at that - should set off alarm bells in the heads of every reasonable person. There is nothing unique about these companies that would result in them fostering an environment where they operate in a less effective manner than the water utility, the electric utility, or the natural gas utility. Quite the contrary actually: With regard to subscription television, for almost a decade Americans in almost every jurisdiction in the nation have had a number of comparable alternatives to the incumbent cable company.

So what does explain this kind of service we receive? Look in the mirror.

Have you traveled by airline recently? How does it compare to 1980? Big difference eh? We did that - we the people - consumers and investors. We shape the marketplaces we inhabit through our consumer behaviors on one side and our investor behaviors on the other side. The most prevalent consumer attitude over the last thirty years has been bargain-hunting - the vigorous pursuit of ever lower prices in the absence of a comparable amount of discrimination on the basis of product and service quality. The most prevalent investor attitude over the last thirty years has been quarterly scrutiny of metrics such as EBIT. It shaped airline travel. And it shapes cable service.

Because of my past career experience, I happen to know that many of these companies that get tagged as Comcast is tagged in this thread are indeed trying their best, but trying their best in the context of keeping the cost of service low enough so that they can satisfy their obligations to their investors.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by bUU

While I've had my problems with Comcast and its competitors in the past, the categorical refusal to acknowledge the reality or the lack of justification in the criticisms people make against these companies is really troubling. Criticisms based on assumptions - and the most over-the-top nefarious assumptions at that - should set off alarm bells in the heads of every reasonable person. There is nothing unique about these companies that would result in them fostering an environment where they operate in a less effective manner than the water utility, the electric utility, or the natural gas utility. Quite the contrary actually: With regard to subscription television, for almost a decade Americans in almost every jurisdiction in the nation have had a number of comparable alternatives to the incumbent cable company.

So what does explain this kind of service we receive? Look in the mirror.

Have you traveled by airline recently? How does it compare to 1980? Big difference eh? We did that - we the people - consumers and investors. We shape the marketplaces we inhabit through our consumer behaviors on one side and our investor behaviors on the other side. The most prevalent consumer attitude over the last thirty years has been bargain-hunting - the vigorous pursuit of ever lower prices in the absence of a comparable amount of discrimination on the basis of product and service quality. The most prevalent investor attitude over the last thirty years has been quarterly scrutiny of metrics such as EBIT. It shaped airline travel. And it shapes cable service.

Because of my past career experience, I happen to know that many of these companies that get tagged as Comcast is tagged in this thread are indeed trying their best, but trying their best in the context of keeping the cost of service low enough so that they can satisfy their obligations to their investors.

Comcast still sucks.

[bUU]

Many people say that life sucks, and since Comcast is part of your life, then by extension, Comcast would suck. My point was that there isn't anything that makes Comcast especially sucky.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by bUU

While I've had my problems with Comcast and its competitors in the past, the categorical refusal to acknowledge the reality or the lack of justification in the criticisms people make against these companies is really troubling. Criticisms based on assumptions - and the most over-the-top nefarious assumptions at that - should set off alarm bells in the heads of every reasonable person. There is nothing unique about these companies that would result in them fostering an environment where they operate in a less effective manner than the water utility, the electric utility, or the natural gas utility. Quite the contrary actually: With regard to subscription television, for almost a decade Americans in almost every jurisdiction in the nation have had a number of comparable alternatives to the incumbent cable company.

So what does explain this kind of service we receive? Look in the mirror.

Have you traveled by airline recently? How does it compare to 1980? Big difference eh? We did that - we the people - consumers and investors. We shape the marketplaces we inhabit through our consumer behaviors on one side and our investor behaviors on the other side. The most prevalent consumer attitude over the last thirty years has been bargain-hunting - the vigorous pursuit of ever lower prices in the absence of a comparable amount of discrimination on the basis of product and service quality. The most prevalent investor attitude over the last thirty years has been quarterly scrutiny of metrics such as EBIT. It shaped airline travel. And it shapes cable service.

Because of my past career experience, I happen to know that many of these companies that get tagged as Comcast is tagged in this thread are indeed trying their best, but trying their best in the context of keeping the cost of service low enough so that they can satisfy their obligations to their investors.

This is an extremely good point.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by bUU

Many people say that life sucks, and since Comcast is part of your life, then by extension, Comcast would suck. My point was that there isn't anything that makes Comcast especially sucky.

I do actually have to disagree here. Their Customer Service setup is a complete mess. And I have had the pleasure of running truly "Customer Service based" Call Centers. I give the reps patience, because it's not on them. Something is very off in their overall management processes.

[bUU]

Without being there, inside, you cannot know if the service delivery system is a mess, or instead what you're experiencing simply reflects the complexity of the myriad services offered. It is essential to remember that once you go beyond cable television (i.e., to include internet and telephone service), systems have to accommodate interfacing with systems that were designed to specs beyond the MSO's control and reflect fifty years or more of "Frankenstein"-like enhancements.

[Tryska]

Originally Posted by bUU

Without being there, inside, you cannot know if the service delivery system is a mess, or instead what you're experiencing simply reflects the complexity of the myriad services offered. It is essential to remember that once you go beyond cable television (i.e., to include internet and telephone service), systems have to accommodate interfacing with systems that were designed to specs beyond the MSO's control and reflect fifty years or more of "Frankenstein"-like enhancements.

I've hired multiple people away from them in the past to staff other types of call centers. Trust me when I say it was a mess.

[samiwas1]

I knew the Comcast cheer squad would show up soon enough.

Yes...there is something that makes Comcast especially sucky. When you call to cancel service, give your reasons for canceling, and they still keep pestering you to stay. You flat out say no, an they hang up on you. Then you call and start the whole thing again, every time sitting through their incessant "informational" messages. And they simply will not cancel your service. Exactly how many times should you have to ask? How many hours should I need to repeatedly explain that I do not want the service any more. At what point is it ridiculous?

I get that it's their job, and the "expectations of investors" to keep as many people on the hook as possible. But there comes a point that it's simply ludicrous. I should not have to fight tooth and nail to cancel a service. I should not be "forced" to keep paying them for something I no longer want. I know we've had this argument before, and i was basically told "Well, they don't know you, so they should assume that you don't know what you're talking about." Please.

In the end, they lost. I called in with the attempt to drop TV and keep my internet service, which would have been something like $59.99 a month. By the time they were done annoying the crap out of me, I hung up with a $39.99 per month plane. They lost $20 a month by being dicks.

And then, not unsurprisingly, there were extra things left on my bill, and charges for equipment I had returned months before. It was another round of lengthy phone calls and chats to get all of that removed."

I love their service, but the customer service is horrendous, and is solely designed around obfuscation and duplicity. You can keep saying that they are doing what the market wants, but I have never heard a single person say that they want to be strung along through multiple people and to spend hours trying to alter their service.

Originally Posted by bUU

Without being there, inside, you cannot know if the service delivery system is a mess, or instead what you're experiencing simply reflects the complexity of the myriad services offered. It is essential to remember that once you go beyond cable television (i.e., to include internet and telephone service), systems have to accommodate interfacing with systems that were designed to specs beyond the MSO's control and reflect fifty years or more of "Frankenstein"-like enhancements.

What dos that have to do with trying to cancel a service? If a multi-billion dollar company can't figure out how to do something so incredibly simple, then maybe we need to reevaluate the intelligence of the human race, and the incredible amounts of money we throw at the people at the helms of these ships.

[arc-lang]

I have learned that when dealing Comcast it's best to go down to their building downtown. When you are on the phone they feel more emboldened to mess with you. In person you can at least talk to one person and get their name just in case they refuse to do their job.