Comcast Conundrum

So, let me tell you about Comcast.

I like Comcast. Really, I do. They offer a good cable TV product, and their Internet is speedy and reliable. I have no reason to leave Comcast. In fact, I'm having Comcast installed at the new house, including the new Comcast Digital Voice phone service.

That's right, I'm going for the full-monte package, baby. And, since they gave me a deal on it, I couldn't pass it up.

(They should be paying me a residual for the advertising they're getting from me.)

However, let me tell you how many teeth I had to pull to actually get them to the house to install the stuff!

Back on September 6th, when I finally decided I was going to move, I called Comcast to set up service at the new address. I talked to a nice rep who was on the ball, and set me up with an installation appointment on September 30th. That would be just right, because I was officially moving in on October 1st, and the property manager was very kind and let me get the keys a few days early to clean the place up.

So, September 30th comes. I'm excited, because I've been without TV or Internet for 3-4 days now (I had to pack it up and move it, after all). The tech comes to the house and looks at where my house is in relation to the nearest telephone pole with a cable transmission box on it. He walks it off and comes up with 265 feet. That's how far the telephone pole is from my house.

He explains that, over more than 100 feet, the bandwidth tends to degrade and the signal strength needed for fast Internet is compromised. The previous tenants apparently only had cable TV (which requires less data than the Internet), so I needed a new cable with a larger gage wire strung to my house from the cable box on the telephone pole, so that I'd get a clear, strong data stream.

Ok, I say.

The tech says, as soon as the construction guys from Comcast come and hang that wire, give him a call and he'll come out and hook me up. Shouldn't be more than 2 or 3 days, he says.

So I call Comcast. Turns out the construction crews don't work all that fast, and can take up to 2 weeks to fill a construction order. I about cried. They set me an appointment for October 7th.

I figure, I can survive one more week. I have movies.

So I call Comcast on the 7th, just being nosey and wanting to see if there was any way of moving things along, and I hear the automated lady announce that I had a pending appointment on October 14th.

October 14th?? Oh, no no no no.... that can't be right.

So I talk to a customer service rep who says, yeah, October 14th is right. October 7th was just the day the work-order was issued, and it can take up to 2 weeks to have the crew come out and string cable.

Wait, the order was issued today? I called you a week ago. I thought I had an appointment for them to do installation today?

No, she says. The work order was issued on the 7th. Your appointment is for the 14th.

I press the issue and say, but I called a week ago. Don't you show me calling a week ago for this appointment?

Yes sir, but the work order was just issued today. It can take up to two weeks.

Is there any way to make it sooner?

No, the construction division is kind of a small unit. They can take up to two weeks.

(Yes, I know that already!) I ask, can I go ahead and make an appointment, then, for the inside tech to come to the house for the inside part of the installation (outside techs don't do inside work, and vice-versa)?

Why yes... I have an appointment available on the 15th.

I'll take it!

So I wait. And watch movies at night. And listen to the radio a lot. And read...

(Oh, hey... I remembered that I like to read.... but that's another post.)

The 14th comes, and the cable-stringer guy does a bang-up job stringing a nice, big cable to the house for me. Nice fellow. Job well done.

So, now I'm all ready for the inside-tech guy to come to the house on the 15th. The only problem I have is that I am literally running out of power-sockets in the house to plug appliances into. I have my TV all set, and my computer, but I don't have any power sockets left to plug the digital telephone into.

So I think to myself (I know, dangerous to do), I should just cancel the phone service. My cellphone works great at the house - 5 bars all the time - and I haven't had a house phone in years.

So I called Comcast. I talked to the rep who said, no problem, we can cancel the phone service part of the package. Let me just cancel your appointment for tomorrow and set you up a new installation appointment.

What???? Why do I need a new appointment? Just tell the tech who comes tomorrow not to bring the phone thingy.

Well, it's a new service order, so we need to cancel your old one and make a new one. One second please.

I say, Wait!!! Can you just refill my appointment slot tomorrow with the new service order?

No sir, I can't. That service order would be closed, and the next new service date is October 28th. I'll set you up an appointment.....

NO! I said..... don't do that. Just leave the appointment for tomorrow as it is. Don't touch anything. Nothing. Just leave it as is. I'll deal with the phone thing another day.

Ok, sir, I can do that, he says. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

No.... thank you.

Alrighty then, thank you for calling Comcast.

(P.S. I'm happy to report that my daughter just called me, informing me that the inside tech did a great job, and I am all hooked up!)

I love Comcast..... I really do.....