Subscribe
“Comcastic?” Does that mean “ridiculous?”
Author: Bill Cusick
October 3, 2007
Comcast has suffered the slings and arrows of many disgruntled customers over the last several years. Forgive me while I pile on. They are nuts. Check out this transcript of an online chat my wife (Marti) withstood today. Just for the record, we’ve been paying for Comcast service monthly for the full seven years we’ve lived in the house in question. And the purpose of my wife’s original inquiry - which she never was given the chance to even articulate? We wanted to SPEND MORE MONEY on a better tv package. Note: I altered our address and phone number. Enjoy.
LaTisha > Hello Marti, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is LaTisha. Please give me one moment to review your information.
LaTisha > Can you please confirm your address and phone number, So I can process your order correctly.Thanks Alot
Marti > 123 South Main Oak Park, IL 60302 708-555-1234
LaTisha > I am sorry however we are unable to process your order at this time. The previous resident(s) at the address you entered has not yet disconnected service. In order to resolve this issue, we need you to go to your local Comcast office so that proper verification of the change in residence can be recorded. You will need to bring a copy of your lease agreement or title of ownership to one of our in-person payment centers for verification.
Would you like the location of the closest Comcast store?
Marti > I am the resident of the house
Marti > We have lived here for 7 years
LaTisha > You already have service
LaTisha > is this correct
Marti > we want to change our Comcast cable srvice
LaTisha > What is the name on the account ?
Marti > William J Cusick
LaTisha > No I’m sorry this is incorrect
Marti > What do you mean it is incorrect?
Marti > I pay the bill every month, I know we have a Comcast acct
LaTisha > Well that name that you gave isnt right
LaTisha > Do you have the account number
Marti > You haven’t sent the bill for this month, so I don’t have the acct number
Marti > Our address and phone have not changed
LaTisha > You will need to go into the local office becasue the information that you gave me doesnt match .
LaTisha > Analyst has closed chat and left the room
Home of everyday low…service
Author: Bill Cusick
October 1, 2007
Apparently that bouncing smiley face in Walmart’s television ads is too busy to pick up the phone if you run into issues using the Walmart web site. As stated in a New York Times blog last week, the company announced that they were removing the customer service number from www.walmart.com. And upon visiting the site, it’s pretty clear they aren’t looking to have you call: whether the number still exists or not, I couldn’t find it.
Amy Colella, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said the customer service phone number was being removed because “a significant number of calls are related to order tracking,” and the improvements to the Web site will make the tracking easier. Well, I can see how it makes things easier…for Walmart. You wonder what the cost savings will be for the company, as compared to the additional frustration it’s adding for Walmart customers. Let’s think about who might have been using the service number. If, as the company says, the typical customer is checking the tracking of an order, it’s probably a person who either: 1) is not yet used to shopping online and is unaware of the tracking feature on the website; 2) knows the feature exists, but is not confident in how to use it; or 3) knows the feature is there, knows how to use it, but is not getting the desired results (usability or technical glitches).
Seems to me, in any of those three scenarios, it would be wise for a company to allow a customer to give a call. What do you think?
