Cable/Internet advice needed

We talked about doing this but I think it helps him feel more 'normal' and connected to the world. It is his quick escape outside of the hospital while he doesn't have time to actually lead a normal life.

[DCJenn]

Here it is:

Woman Gets Cable Bill With Derogatory Name
Comcast Fires Two Employees Involved in Incident

http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolnews_phot...19123109990005
Chicago Tribune / KRT"I was so mad I couldn't even cuss," said LaChania Govan after receiving a Comcast bill addressed to "Bitch Dog."

CHICAGO (Aug. 17) - Like most everybody, LaChania Govan got bounced around when she called her cable company to complain. She made dozens of calls and was even transferred to a person who spoke Spanish -- a language she doesn't understand.

But when she got her August bill from Comcast she had no trouble understanding she'd made somebody mad. It was addressed to "Bitch Dog."

"I was like you got to be freaking kidding me," said Govan, 25, of her reaction when she saw the bill. "I was so mad I couldn't even cuss."

Govan said the only thing she did to Comcast employees that might be considered rude came after a few dozen calls when she felt she was treated shabbily. "I did tell them, 'You know what, it has to be a qualification to work for your company that you have to be rude,'" she said.

Comcast officials said the name change shouldn't have happened.

"We only use the actual customers names on the bill," said Patricia Andrews-Keenan, a Comcast spokeswoman.

Two employees were fired after company officials went through records and identified them as being involved in the incident. It was unknown why they did it, Andrews-Keenan said.

"We are appalled by this treatment of our customer and want to extend our sincerest apologies" to Govan, the company said Wednesday in a statement. "This is not the way Comcast does business."

Govan said she talked to a supervisor about the bill and he said he'd find out what happened and get back to her. He also offered her two months free service, which she turned down. Then Wednesday, about two weeks after she got her bill, somebody from the company left a message on her answering machine in which the caller apologized.

Govan noted that the apologies and firings came only after her story was published in the Chicago Tribune and gained widespread media attention, but she also told the Tribune she appreciated Comcast's actions.

In another case, Peoples Energy customer Jeffery Barnes started getting letters addressed to "Jeffery Scrotum Bag Barnes."

"I had no bad words at all. I guess the earliest letter is dated in May and from then on up until now my name has been listed as Jeffery Scrotum Bag Barnes and I have no idea why."

Barnes said he received an apologetic call from a company official. He also has contacted an attorney to determine if he can take legal action.

A Peoples Energy spokeswoman called the letter inexcusable.

"We are in the process of conducting a search of every single record that this person has touched and if any records are touched we are going to contact the customers immediately and those records will be corrected," said company spokeswoman Elizabeth Castro.

The Citizens Utility Board of Illinois, which investigates complaints about utilities and other service providers and received a call from Barnes, said such problems are relatively rare.

Part of the reason may be that it's easy to track down the culprit. "So an employee would be committing suicide by doing it," said Martin Cohen, the board's executive director.

Still, Cohen said the two recent name changes underscore the frustrations of both customers and customer service representatives.

To cut costs, companies have fewer people answering calls, meaning longer waits on the phone and increased anger from customers, Cohen said.

Cohen expressed sympathy for the employees fielding calls from dissatisfied customers. But, he said, "They have a responsibility to be professional. And a couple of them are going into a new line of work."

[fluffhead]

That is the funniest article I've ever read. I'm having a tough time keeping a straight face, and I'm in the middle of proctoring a chemistry test.

[DCJenn]

No kidding, huh?

I remember when it hit the Washington Post- I was LMAO all day.

J.

[Thirteen]

I hate Comcast with the heat of a thousand suns. I hate them more than I hate Ryan Seacrest.

I too have heard similar things regarding Comcast (one friend in CT, one in MA).
I had Verizon (non-Fios) at the old apt, and I never had anything crash or go down. Yes, DirecTV isn't the same, but my parents have it and are generally pleased with service/reception.

Hope this helps!

[Thirteen]

Forgot this one:
**THREAD HIJACK**

At the old apt, I had Charter Comm. for my cable (local + basic [including HBO]) for $26.79 a month. I moved to my current apt., and carried Charter over (same package). They tried to charge me $10 more, and on top of that, it was 6 local channels, the weather channel, and a TON of Armenian/Mandarin/Farci infomercial channels. That's it. I was pissed.

I upgraded to "expanded basic," and made them give me the rate I paid for basic (about $37.00). With internet, it was about $77 mo. Then, ATT UVerse came into my life (available in my area): what a special day!
Not only do I have a ton more channels and faster internet speeds, but I got them to give me $100 for canceling with Charter, and another $100 for signing up.
My bill is now $69ish a month for both cable and internet. No problems, no drama.

I love ATT. Make your cable/internet people WORK for you, not vice versa.
Sounds like Comcast really sucks...

[Michele]

Comcast sucks. We have a ton of issues with our Internet service. We have an antenna for tv and get all we need. Oh and we love netflux

[peggyfromwastate]

I used to love DirecTV, but not so much anymore. The customer service people are being stupid.

We were thinking of using Comcast cable b/c we have the internet connection with them already and it would save us about $15 a month... But I'm not sure it would be worth it...

We've had DishNetwork before, though. I did like it...