I’m glad they recorded it, but sad they didn’t use their megaphones to connect this directly to the last day of commentary on net neutrality.
this is exactly why comcast (and other monopolies) are so bad, and they captured it so well.
This guy is waaaay too fucking nice…
Most of these situations seem excruciating because these droids are trained to exploit the tendency of most people to be polite and non-confrontational to the point of acting against their own needs and thus doing whatever the company wants.
Don’t fall for it. State what you want, once. After that, tell them you’re gonna shove the cable modem up their ass sideways and piss on their grandma’s grave. Make THEM want to get off the phone with YOU, and make it obvious that the only way that happens is for them to do what YOU want, not the other way around.
Being nice is often a sure way to get hosed.
I’m amazed he stays so calm. I’m pretty sure I would have been using language not fit for broadcast by the end of that.
I read once that an effective, reliable means to escape the typical script is to state that you do not use the service in question. I suppose in this case one would state that one is selling one’s computers and televisions and will thus have no further use for Comcast.
Transcript anyone? I can’t listen to stuff at work. 
I currently work in a call center for a Comcast competitor, while waiting for another tech support contract to come in to replace the one I used to work on. Bear in mind that there is probably someone looking over the rep’s shoulder (either recording (and yes, the client does pull recordings to check them), or literally sitting side-by-side) making sure that they hit every single one of the points they’re supposed to.
"It seems we are at an impasse. Connect me to your supervisor.’’
This is horrible. It’s worse than nails on a blackboard. It’s almost as if one needs to file a lawsuit and get the courts involved just so they cancel.
What’s next, a series of drunken, late-night phone calls saying how Comcast misses you and can change?
I start off polite, but now, as soon as the scripts start I rudely ask for a supervisor and am utterly unreasonable until they pass me on up. I try to get the low-level person off the hook as soon as possible.
When I moved overseas Comcast gave me this exact same runaround until I literally began shouting “CANCEL MY F***ING ACCOUNT” repeatedly everytime they began speaking…finally they shouted back “OK, I’m cancelling” it. Then I said “Thank you” and went about my day.
I use the app Total Recall to record calls on my Android Galaxy S2 t-Mobile and it works GREAT, capturing both sides of the conversation perfectly, even if I use a bluetooth headset. Most manufacturers block the ability to record calls which is troubling. I need to keep clients accountable and make banks and telecom companies do what they said they’d do. Without a recording there’s no accountability. I recently loaded Cyanogenmod on my phone, and it was awesome - except that the Cyanogenmod people purposely blocked call recording, so I had to revert back to the factory OS. Boooo.
Unfortunately, some states require the consent of both parties when recording phone calls. Somehow, though, this seems not to apply to corporations, which often give you a take-it-or-leave-it “your call may be recorded for quality assurance” announcement when you call.
Reminds me of the time AOL switched from being able to cancel the service online (or inline, inside of AOL’s world), to having to call them to disconnect the service. Every single time I told him I wanted to cancel my account, he would keep giving me info for different deals they had for monthly, or whatever deals they had at the time. Around and around it went. “I want to cancel my account.” “Oh thank you sir so we’ll sign you up for the 3 month plan then?” NO. Just cancel my account." “So our monthly rates if you bring your own connection.” etc etc etc. I was on the phone for at least 30 minutes. I was not getting off that phone until AOL was canceled. Funny, the reason I canceled AOL was because our cable company first started offering cable modems (in the long long ago), yes it was Comcast.
Seriously though I hate this crap that companies pull.
Why would I be interested in helping your company do better? I don’t work there.
Just because a very few states require consent from both parties does not mean that everyone should be denied the ability to record their calls. Analogy: some states still have 65mph speed limits on their interstates. Should all American cars then be limited from the factory from going faster than 65mph? Another analogy: plastic bags can suffocate you if you put one over your head. Should all plastic bags be banned?
That sure sounds like permission to me.
How do we rise up and stop this awful situation. Not just from a customer service standpoint but from a monopolistic empire standpoint. Where I live the only broadband I can get is Charter no one else. I have lived through what this guy has and have sent it along to the California Public Utilities Commission President, my local Assembly person, and my Mayor.
I have had ten Charter internet outages in the past month and it has nothing to do with my equipment. Yet there is nothing they can do and they are accountable to no one.
Any Ideas?
When I hear “your call may be recorded”, I don’t hear “but only by us”, and I take it as consent from the company for me to record.
