Why I HATE Cable Companies!
Example 1:
For years now I’ve been paying for a 7mbps internet connection through my local cable company, RCN. At some point several months ago I noticed that my bill listed me with a 10mbps connection. The RCN website no longer even listed a 7mbps plan. However, even though my bill said 10mbps, I’ve regularly tested the connection speed over the past months, and it always maxes out at 7mbps. I tested it one last time before heading off to work this morning, and it was still at 7.
Finally this afternoon I got around to making the dreaded phone call that I had been putting off for months. I wasn’t at all surprised when the technician on the other end of the line said “I’m showing that your account is already active for 10mbps.” Of course he wanted me to be sitting at my computer to walk through some tests with him, which is something that I couldn’t do since I was at work when I called.
When I got home this evening, the first thing I did after turning on my computer was a quick bandwidth test. Lo and behold, I’m now magically getting a full 10mbps.
If the cable company is going to try and skimp its customers because they know that most customers wouldn’t ever realize that they’re not getting their full bandwidth allocation, the least they could do is not pretend we’ve already been upgraded to 10mbps, when clearly we haven’t been.
Example 2:
After I got off the phone with the tech support guy I called up the billing department. As everyone knows, cable bills are totally fluid. It seems like each month the amount I owe increases by a little bit. It’s just small enough that I notice it but don’t want to bother calling up to complain because it’s such a nightmare dealing with customer service. When I got on the phone with the representative this afternoon I said “My bill continues to rise each month. Is there anything I can do to lower it?” After putting me on hold for a minute or two he comes back on the line and says “I’ve just applied a promotion to your account, and you’ll get $10 off every bill for the next 12 months.” I told him thank you and then hung up.
Now, on the one hand it’s nice that you can call up and ask them to lower your bill and they’ll kindly oblige. On the other hand, it kills me that they rip us all off until we actually say something to them about it!
Example 3:
A few months ago my cable modem was malfunctioning. I had already done all the troubleshooting and was quite sure that the problem was with the modem. After 5 days in a row, 5 different tech support reps, and approximately 5 hours on the phone, I was still getting “Sir, we don’t see a problem with the modem or the connection, and there is no supervisor available to speak with you.”
On the 6th day I called again. Their system is setup in such a way that if you go more than 5 days without a resolution, they will finally let you talk to someone who actually has a clue. Within approximately 5 minutes, this second-tier technician was able to diagnose a problem with my modem, just as I had suggested all along. He gave me the address of a local office where I could exchange it for a new one, and I was once again up and running.
The key is to never call the number for billing inquiries when you have a problem with your bill. I tried that number a couple of times and like you, the best I got was a $10 “promotion”. What I have learned is, you need to call the number for canceling your service. RCN has the whole menu of options like everyone else. After you select the option for canceling your service, they then ask if you are canceling because you are moving or for another reason.
My bill for digital cable/DVR and 10mpbs internet had reached $160. Like you I had been meaning to make the dreaded call, but never got around to it. Two days ago I made the call and selected the option for canceling your service. I told them that I was leaving because Comcast was offering a comparable deal (slightly slower internet and the dvr was only free for the first 3 months) for $70 a month for the first 12 months. Within 5 minutes they offered me the deal to keep my same service for $73 a month. My rate went from $160 to $73 for the next year. At best I thought they would cut it to $125. I highly recommend this method.