Customer Non-Service

This month I received my cable bill with a serious sticker shock. The price had jumped more than twice the previous month's rate. I guess I had stopped qualifying for some promotional rate. So I immediately called Comcast, the company that services my cable.

I asked about the plans that could lower my bill. It was disappointing to hear that there were not that many choices. That seemed strange as I thought Comcast had plans all the way down to bare bones local channels. I told the service rep that I needed to think about this and call them back.

It did not take me long to decide I would just go with the cheapest plan. I called back and discussed my plans to change my service. The new person I talked with had information about other plans from Comcast. I thought we were out of the woods. Silly me. Then I asked what amount I should pay for my current bill. I was told to pay the whole amount. That was just crazy.

I asked when exactly the new changes would take effect. The answer was immediately. I asked what period the current bill covered. And I was told it was next month. Then I asked why I had to pay the high rate when I just cut out all these services. That is when I was told that's what the bill showed. However I would get a credit back. I asked for the amount, did the math, and determined something was not right.

During this call I tried to be patient. However I needed the facts. And I had to double check that everything was right. As I questioned this minimal credit back for overpaying, the technician started changing the numbers on me. That was disturbing. I tried to make the math as simple as possible. I asked what my new monthly rate would be. The person on the other end of the phone would not tell me. I was told there would be FCC taxes imposed that they could not calculate.

This transaction was getting nowhere. I asked to speak with a supervisor. All I could get was a promise that one would call me back. I ended up paying the incorrectly high bill. However no manager has called me back. It is time to break out the arsenal to show this company I mean business. I think a good start would be a complaint to the FCC. Then I think I should just go to the top and pen a letter to the CEO. Comcast is a big company, and the CEO probably makes millions a year. If that does not get anybody's attention in the company, I will just turn this over to the Better Business Bureau. They will probably be tired of dealing with Comcast if my experience is typical of their non-existent customer service. Rant off ... for now.