The Agony That is Comcast

[Ian David]

The Navel of Narcissus
Josh Simons' Coordinates in the Blogosphere

The Agony That is Comcast
Tuesday December 26, 2006

Come with me, dear reader, on this tale of woe and ultimate redemption in my dealings today with Comcast, which I hearby nominate as the planet's worst cable company.

Last week I scheduled a Comcast service call, asking them to bring two Cable Cards to install in my new Series 3 Tivo. I told them to bring at least two cards because I know of cases where the installer only brought one, or brought two and one was DOA. I was emphatic on this point.

The installer arrived this morning within the designated window. As he came in the door, he said he was there to do an "HD upgrade." I said, "No, actually, you are here to install two cable cards into a Tivo." I wasn't surprised when he didn't know what a Tivo was. I was more alarmed by his seeming lack of knowledge about Cable Cards. He retreated to his truck to get more information.

When he reappeared, he told me he could install an HD cable box for me. I told him I didn't need an HD cable box, I needed two Cable Cards. He explained that they don't usually carry Cable Cards and they are kept at the warehouse. I told him the entire point of the visit was to install two cable cards and that an HD box was not going to work for me. Back to the truck again for more consultation.

Now he says he can get one cable card, or I'll have to reschedule. I tell him I allocated today for this call, that I need two cable cards, and want to get this done today. At this point, he suggests I go to the Comcast store in the next town, pick up two Cable Cards, and do the installation myself. I suggest that perhaps he could get two Cable Cards at the store, and then do the installation that was scheduled. He informs me he is not allowed to go to the store. At this point, I relent because I'm actually happy to hear about the self-installation option, though I am somewhat surprised because when I set up the appointment, the rep had told me I needed to have the cards installed by a technician.

More:
http://blogs.sun.com/simons/entry/cablecard

[Omphaloskepsis]

1. Wow.. Someone doesn't have Cable TV..

What a fucking nightmare.. I'm sure the hungry children in Africa share your outrage over the situation.

[Ian David]

2. I didn't write that. Just posting it for the chuckle-value. n/t

[Phentex]

3. I experienced that agony

earlier this year. Ended up without a stitch of software on my computer by the time they were finished with it. Comcrap!