How Comcast Lost Me As a Customer (and Why You Should Care)

I pay AT&T way more than I should for simple home phone service.  WAY more.  Yes, it was worth it at one point in time, but there are just so many (often better) options these days at a fraction of the price.

So, since Comcast (NasdaqGS: CMCSA) has always performed very well for me for both TV and Internet for many, many years now (and because I’ve heard really good things about their phone service), I decided to look at them as a replacement.

How They Lost a Longtime Customer

Strike 1 – June 16

Obviously since I would be using all three of the services they provide, it probably made sense to go with one of their Triple Play bundles.  Which one, though?

The “HD Starter Triple Play” includes “over 80 digital channels.”  The next level up, “HD Plus Triple Play,” includes “over 150.”  Wow!  That’s a big difference!  Let’s see what extra channels I get…

I click “See All Features.”  Hmmm.  Not there.

I click “Programming.”  Hmmm.  Not there either.

I spend 5 minutes searching the site and finally decide to enter Live Chat.  How hard can it be to get a simple list of channels in each package?

Strike 2 – June 16

I enter Live Chat and am immediately greeted by a nice customer service rep.  Things are looking up!

Ooops.  Not for long.

First, there’s clearly a language barrier, but it’s not terrible.  We can work through that.

Second, though, it quickly becomes apparent that she doesn’t know how to find which channels come in which package either.  She leads me through several steps that all have dead ends.

Finally, she signs off with “Shane, I am not quite sure what comes with each packages Shane [sic].”

Shouldn’t this be one of the most basic pieces of information?  Yet neither the website nor an actual customer service rep can tell me.

Strike 3 – June 16/17

Remembering a Twitter response that I got a few months ago, though, it hits me that there’s no doubt that @ComcastCares can answer an easy question like this!  Here’s our full exchange:

Me: @comcastcares Why isn’t it easy to compare channel lineup in Triple Play Starter vs Triple Plus? Customer svc. rep can’t even find it.  7:47 PM Jun 16th

Me: @comcastcares “Shane, I am not quite sure what comes with each packages Shane.”  7:48 PM Jun 16th

ComcastCares: @ShanePike It should be on Comcast.com select programming > TV Lineup. If incorrect let us know!  9:17 PM Jun 16th

Me: @comcastcares There’s nothing on that page that tells me which channels are in the Triple Play Starter package and which are in the Plus.  7:58 AM Jun 17th

I got nothing after that.

Strike 4 – June 19

After two full days of waiting for a response, I decide to try the email address posted on @ComcastCares’ Twitter profile.  I write:

The Triple Play Starter package includes “80 channels.”  The Triple Play Plus package includes “150 channels.”  Why is there nowhere that lists exactly which channels are included, though?  70 more channels is a huge difference.  Even the customer service rep couldn’t help me.  Here’s what she wrote in the online chat after much searching: “Shane, I am not quite sure what comes with each packages Shane.”

Thanks,
Shane

Here’s what I got back just an hour later:

Did you try the listing on Comcast.com.  Just enter your address.  Then select a package Type to view the channels.

https://www.comcast.com/Localization/Localize.ashx?Referer=%2fCustomers%2fClu%2fChannelLineup.ashx%3farea%3d0

Excellent response time, but yes, I had tried that.  Apparently she hadn’t.

Strike 5 – June 22

Monday I write back to her to let her know that there’s nothing labeled “Triple Play” on that page and send her a list of what is listed.  Maybe if she’s just picking from a list…

Here’s what I get back:

The triple play includes digital starter. if I’m not mistaken. On your statement there should be a section that list what tv service is included in your specific package.

Okay.  Number one, shouldn’t you have checked first?  And number two, I know what channels I currently get.  That’s not what I’m looking for.

Strike 6 – June 22

I start to get a little more assertive:

I don’t have the Triple Play currently; I’m looking into getting it.  It’s baffling to me why I can’t see a simple list of what 70 additional channels are in Triple Play Plus vs. Triple Play Starter.

Here’s what she sends (again, very promptly):

I will try to locate a listing for you and forward it to you by no later than tomorrow afternoon. Is that okay? Can you send me your full address?

She definitely gets big points for diligently (and quickly) trying to answer this question, but are things so screwed up at Comcast that she would have to mail me a channel listing?

Hit! – June 22

In the midst of that email thread, another customer service representative jumps in:

Most triple plays come with Digital Starter, but you can upgrade to any of the other cable packages.  Starter is the Digital Starter below and Plus is the Digital Preferred Plus.

Let us know if you have any further questions.

See!  That wasn’t hard!  Simple question.  Simple answer!

But why did it take 4 days and 4 different customer service reps to answer it?

Still, I have my answer so I place my order the next day for Triple Play Plus.  Installation on the 29th.  Just 6 days away!  Perfect.

Little did I know the worst was yet to come…

Strike 7 – June 26

It’s 3:45 on Friday afternoon — just 75 business minutes from my 8 am Monday install time — and I get this voicemail from Comcast:

AT&T wants to know if you want to keep your second number.  Call us back at 404-266-2278 and let us know.  Your installation has been rescheduled for July 9.

What the WHAT?!  You’re supposed to be here first thing Monday morning and you call at the last minute to let me know you won’t be?!

Strike 8 – June 26

No, I didn’t want to keep my second number.  If I did, I would have listed it on the form.  You’re going to go ahead and cancel my appointment before you confirm that?!

Strike 9 – June 26

And the soonest you have is two more weeks away?!

Strike 10 – June 26

I call back within 90 seconds to tell her, “No!  Don’t cancel!”  But did she give me a number where I could actually reach her?  No.

Well did she at least give me a number where I could reach the people who rescheduled my appointment?  No.

Instead, all I get is the main Comcast number and I have to figure out who can help me best since none of the options have anything to do with installation.

Strike 11 – June 26

I finally find my way to someone who lets me know that “It’s a great day at Comcast!!”

I’m glad it’s a great day somewhere, I guess.

He’s no help, though.  Even though they apparently just canceled my appointment, somehow that appointment is no longer available.  The soonest one is July 2.

“Is there nothing that I can do?”

“Hold on a second and let me check…”

On-hold music…

On-hold music…

On-hold music…

On-hold music…

I hang up because everyone is waiting in the car on me and I can’t wait any longer.  I’m sure hoping he gets this resolved and they show up Monday like they were supposed to.

Strike 12 – June 29

They didn’t.

Strike 13 – June 29

I jump back into Live Chat and make it clear to the nice customer service person (without being ugly) that I am Not Happy and that I might very soon be a Former Comcast Customer if they can’t get me on the schedule for the next day.

She “does understand me” but she “tried checking the soonest schedule and this is the soonest so far.”

I respond: I would suggest you get me to a supervisor who *can* help, or I may very soon be a former Comcast customer.

She replies: I understand, Shane. However, just to set your expectations, the supervisor will tell you the same thing as there is no sooner schedule.

I leave her with: There is always a way to get someone here sooner. It’s just not a high enough priority for you to retain a customer.

Why You Should Care

Why should you care about this if you’re not Comcast?  Three reasons.

First, acquiring a customer is very difficult and very expensive.  It’s way easier to keep a customer than to win a new customer to replace them.  The people doing customer service for your business should understand that, be able to identify when you’re on the verge of losing one, and know what to do to keep it from happening.  If you don’t, you could spend all your time getting people in the front door only to see them walk right out the back.

Second, there are all sorts of businesses where the vast majority of customers are unhappy with every business in it.  You’re always looking for a competitive edge, and that’s it!  Make your customers happy!  If you don’t know how, just read Mark’s blog.  This is a huge advantage!

Finally, guess what happy customers do.  They tell people!  Lots of people!  Especially these days.  When people have a good experience, they tell people about it.  If Comcast fixed some of these customer service problems, they might not even need Shaq and Ben Stein.  We’d all tell our Dish and DirecTV friends how crazy they are for not “Ditching the Dish.”

But look what we’re doing instead…