How many people have shot themselves while trying get something done through a customer service call.

I've had similar experiences and there is just no use trying to reason with them when all they are doing is reading a script.

On a practical level, have you considered that the browser you are using isn't compatible with their website? Often this will explain what you are experiencing. Sometimes web designers use features that ONLY work in IE, and thus if you use, for example, Firefox, not all features will work. And the customer service people would have no idea about this.

But yeah, I have had that exact same thing happen when I just wanted to ask a really trivial question.

I'm using Firefox, and I have used Firefox every month to do this for a very long time now.

Thanks for your reply!

There was one website, and it was work related so I HAD to access it, and it simply did not work with Firefox. I ranted at the company and told them that I refuse to use IE blah blah blah (of course it all fell on deaf ears but whatever).

Eventually I had to get a plugin for Firefox, an IE emulator so that Firefox can properly handle certain (stupid) websites.

Once. and under much protest.

He just added phone service yesterday.

I am still able to access the account for our home here without a pin, but if this is FCC regulation,
its a matter of all new services being immediately subjected to the new regulations at set up. But
no doubt they will be putting that same onus on everyone else with phone service currently, over
time. We've had phone on our Comcast account for about three years now.

experience as to have someone transcribing or cutting-and-pasting a script.

I think it is automated, so that with any lapse in time per some set amount, the
computer kicks in, to say something and keep you hanging on, and prompts you
with their sales crap. These comments were interjected during every wait time
I experienced for a sane answer to my repeated question.

I wanted to scream NO I never want to watch a boxing match. Boxing is vile
to me and the very thought of two men intentionally inflicting as much damage
as possible on each other for money, while others enjoy watching this with
sadistic pleasure, makes me want to vomit. I get sick to my stomach, and they
ask this at every phone call and now in internet chat assistance also. The new
twist was that on the phone, they did the sales pitch in Spanish only. Every
phone call I've had to make to Comcast, for Years now, they have subjected
me first to their sales pitch for watching two human beings beat the crap
out of each other.

"No I am NOT interested in this bullshit!!"

Even if nobody is listening, it makes me feel better

(but I bet they do hear it)

But since he is my husband, he isn't hearing anything I say, anyway, LOL.

Customer service has gotten so horribly bad in part because of exaggerated concerns over "security," which is usually little more than imposing difficulties on customers so as to look like they're doing something. Airport security is another prime example.

However, to your original question about the government reviewing lists of your phone calls: Let's say you have a local pizza joint. The proprietors are good guys, make good pizza, and you call them up from time to time. Maybe once a month. Say, the day before payday because they'll put you on the cuff for a day. Now, it just so happens this particular pizza place is also a front for nefarious activities. They help some group designated a terrorist outfit to launder money, and that money comes through, let's say once a month or so. Coincidentally, the day before your mid-month payday. Three or four alphabet agencies are monitoring calls by the terrorist group, and they've identified the pizza joint as a possible front outfit. And hey, isn't there some kind of pattern: Every month, when the terrorists call Neighborhood Pizza, the very same day DebJ calls them. Sometimes before, sometimes after. Maybe DebJ needs a little extra attention.

Now remember, the folks doing the monitoring don't know you, aren't your friends, and their continued funding depends heavily on uncovering stuff to justify their bloated budget. Suddenly, your family, everyone you talk to, everyone you work with, your friends list on Facebook, all become of intense interest to the good guys trying to catch the bad guys. I'm guessing that the difficulties you're having with Comcast would seem like pretty small potatoes to trying to explain your non-existent relationship with the terrorists at the pizza parlor.

But yeah, Comcast should get its act together and quit punishing its customers.

I forgot about the 'connections to terrorists' things, which do get out of hand from things I've read.

I guess its one of those types of things that has a statistically very small chance of happening to
any one person, but if it DOES happen, its complete hell and could be very destructive to your life.

And I called Dominos like six times this month, an anomaly for me. Are you a mind reader?

On edit: or have you been checking my phone calls? LOL. Just kidding. I order online so I guess
many strangers might know!

The Anchovy Defamation League. Let's talk about your pizza toppings. Or lack thereof . . .

He or she was required to follow a script. I work part time as a phone rep: we are required to do certain things in a certain way, or "fail" the call. Too many "failed" calls and we will be fired. It doesn't matter how happy the customer was. If we skip certain steps to save them time, we fail. So it is literally your satisfaction versus our jobs. Sorry. It's a horrible, horrible, low pay, shitty job. But it puts food on the table, so to speak.

It's also entirely possible that there wasn't even a human at the other end. Sounds like it may even have been a 'puter following a script and not understanding your questions.

That's how cheap they've become. Not just Comcast. All. of. them.

As far as the pin number, I wouldn't blame the FCC or whatever activists caused this ruling. I would blame Comcast. There are probably a zillion different secure ways they could set you up with a pin, and when government agencies do put new laws into effect that will impact a business, they allow time for the business to put the new s/w or whatever together. If a corporation is fighting against the regulation, they'll wait until the last minute and then make it as painful as possible for their customers because they don't give a shit about you. They want you to complain to the FCC or whoever. Just remember. They don't. give. a. shit. about. you.

first, I tried finding the information on their website but could not find it. I called and got the phone tree dance, was hung up on once, and there was not an option to speak to someone live. So I went back to the website and used their Communication Center. I told them what happened and said I could not reach a person through the phone. Their response: Thank you. Please continue to use our phone system.

WTF?

I was going to type a huge rant the other day as well, but deleted it by accident.

I refuse to even telephone them anymore, because I cannot understand a word that is spoken. I instead chat online.

My problem? Somehow my TV listings "doubled"...like a split screen. All I wanted to know was how to get my TV listings back to single on the screen.

20 minutes later, after having to jump through hoops to confirm that I actually had a Comcast account, after asking how my day was twice, that "it is not a problem, no problem", my screen fixed itself.

I too was typing in caps. HOW DO I GET MY TV LISTINGS BACK TO SINGLE???? IF I DIDN'T HAVE AN ACCOUNT WITH YOU, WHY WOULD I BE CONTACTING YOU?

I decided to play with the rep for a bit after the tv was back to normal...that is until she wanted to reboot all of my equipment in my entire house that was related to Comcast.

They are incompetent nitwits.

Glad I'm not the only one who hates them.

I get some customer representative in India or Bangladesh, and his or her accent is so heavy that I have to ask the person repeat what he or her is saying. They are usually very helpful once I get past the language barrier.

1. Mash the zero button. This can sometimes jump you out of the call system and get you an operator.

2. Ask for assistance "en Francais, s'il vous plait", This should get you transferred to a Canadian rep, who will probably speak English as well.

Every other bill I pay online I can see the amount owed, a link to the statement and another link to "Pay Bill Now".


Not with Wells Fargo. They actually had two different websites you had to use, one to see your balance and statement and the other was strictly for bill paying.

Major pain in the ass.

You have my sympathies.

I fully understand your frustration with them. Does anyone wonder why they are doing so much damage control with their commercials about all of their NEW customer service guarantees? It's because they know WE know they are full of crap!

I don't have them anymore and never will. Nobody's perfect as far as customer service. But Comcast was some of the worst I've ever seen. One small example: they damaged my desktop so badly, they had to remove it from my home for repair. Yes, they assured me they would back up everything. They DID back up all my files but returned the computer to me with absolutely NO software on it. Not one single program. That was a really fun time.

Sorry.