TeamCushman

When did the phrase “no problem” take the place of “Thank you”?  I’ve noticed this for quite a while now, but it seems to be getting worse.  Of course that depends on your perspective.  There is going to come a day where they teach our kids their “Please and No Problems” in kindergarten.  No thank you!  I didn’t get this memo, nor do I want it.  This is not about slang or shorter version of saying thank you.  Either phrase is two words.  “Thank you” has 8 letters, the other 9, so we aren’t saving anytime.  So, what does this phrase really mean?  While I hear it being used as a replacement for thank you, I have also heard it as a replacement for “ok” or “sorry” or “pardon me” or even “sure”.  Sooner or later, it will become the new shalom or even aloha.  Perhaps its even the new generation’s shibboleth.  Now, I’m showing my age, but still don’t get it, nor do I want to.  Each generation has their own.  Growing up, we had our “Whatever!”  At the risk of sounding like my father, I can do without it.  I even will say its rude.  Would I rather people not say anything at all? sure, no problem.

I’m beginning to think that the word “Comcastic” is just a synonym for ignorance. You know the old joke “what’s the difference between ignorance and indifference? I don’t know and I don’t care.” I know I am not the only that has had problems with this company. Just check out these issues at the Consumerist. Let me indulge in a little story here. Our bundled package of phone, high speed internet and digital cable came up in July. Yes, this is the same package that is advertised at $99 that we end up paying $150 a month. They don’t advertise the fact that taxes and extra items can really drive up the cost. Imagine our surprise when we opened up our bill in July and saw that the amount due was well over $300!! Try reading the bill to find out!! Can’t be done. 

I consider myself a relatively smart guy. No way I could figure out the bill. So, I call and find out that our “1 year bundled package” has ended and they billed us for each service separately. What?? No phone call? no statement insert? no email? NOTHING! In addition, they charge me for the current month and next month which doubles the amount of my bill. Lets think about this for a second.

I didn’tt add anything to my service. Nothing changes. I have no idea I’m going off this bundled package, since one of the largest media conglomerates doesn’t have the technology to communicate that to me, so in the end, I have to pay double for really no reason at all!! I tell the “customer NO service” guy to reinstate my bundled package, but I refuse to pay the amount owed. I know exactly how much I owe this month and I am going to send in a check for that amount. If your company can’t figure out how to credit me this double billing, I will take my business elsewhere. After a few months of silence … the Comcast guy says to send in the check for $150, that’s all I owe, no problem.

That is … no problem until we open our August bill. which is still says that we over $300! If anyone knows another word for “flying off the handle” please tell me, because that is what I did. So, I have to call, get someone else and re-explain the whole situation to someone else. Now, I have to add a few more agitated statements like “please tell me why I shouldn’t just hang up now and call Verizon?” They are begging me to sign up with them. And by begging I mean getting ads in our mailbox on a daily basis and neighbors saying how much they like the service.

The customer no-service rep tells me that there is no way she can credit my account the double billing due to my package un-bundling last month. Her excuse is that she doesn’t have the authority to do that? Well, what about the guy that I talked to last month who told me you do, but apparently he was lying also, since I’m calling again with the same issue. My response to her is … “I want to be your customer, you want me to be your customer, but do you know how hard you are making this to be your customer??!!” All I want is my bill to be right and as I told the previous guy, it’s not my fault that you don’t have the technology to warn me that my bundled package is about to expire. “Mr. Cushman, I will need to escalate this to a manager and will give you a call back. ” fine, please call me back and let me know if I will continue to be a customer of yours or with Verizon. After about 30 minutes, she calls back and tells me they have credited my account, just send in the check for $150 and everything will be fine.

RIGHT!!! we just opened our August bill which has grown to $516!!! Again, for the same exact services that we had 2 months ago!! How can this be??? Either the kids have been watching a lot of movies or ignorant bastards at Comcast failed to live up to their promises. So I call. Again. Getting the national call center does me no good, because as the customer NO service rep puts its ” you must have talked to the local office. We can’t see their notes on your account, only they can. ” Are you kidding me? Ok, please transfer me to the local Comcast office. After waiting for what seemed like 10 minutes. I hang up and call back. This time, I choose the number for “disconnecting service”. Honestly, I get a live person in a matter of a few minutes. yes, she has the notes, but they are not complete, so I have to re-explain her the entire situation going back a few months.

After looking at our bill for a few months, she tells me “your bill is really messed up.” DUH!! (Emily hates it when I say that, makes me feel old) It takes everything I have to not yell. My mom always told me you get more with sugar than you do with vinegar. I kept saying this to myself. I think it worked. She spent a long time reviewing our bill. I’m sweating it out because I have 15 minutes until the Tennessee game kicks off.

Here is her explanation of what happened. When front line customer service reps give a credit, it goes through a quality check a few days later. It’s only a “temporary” credit. So, the last two times I have called, those promises were only “temporary”. And yes, she agreed that Comcast owes me $300. But wait, there’s more. How do I guarantee that this doesn’t happen again? She scheduled an appointment to make sure the credit “sticks” a few days later. She finishes the call by saying ” I hope that this does not deter you from staying a Comcast customer, we want to keep your business.”

Excuse me? Sure I say, I promise. And by promise, I mean the same promise that the other two Comcast customer service reps promised me my bill would be right.

Oh yeah, the number to Verizon FIOS is 888-GET-FiOS.