Its not easy being a Luddite

[MichaelM]

I feel stupid complaining about this, but I gotta vent to someone. My DSL modem bit the dust this week after being on 24/7 for over 12 years. I called Verizon to request a replacement and spent over 20 minutes arguing with the customer service rep in an attempt to convince her that I did not want Fios! "But Sir, I can't wrap my head around this. EVERYONE wants Fios." I swear that is a direct quote.
She offered a discount package, a free router, a $20 reduction in my phone bill, and finally a free tablet! When I asked her to combine all those cost and refuce my bill by that amount and just let me buy the darn DSL modem, she acted like I was the worlds most ignorant being.
I'm the *#%$@ customer!
Eventually she gave in, and "promised" 4-5 day shipping. It arrived the next day overnight express. I have to think a supervisor was listening in and they changed the shipping to make up for the obnoxious treatment.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a Luddite, but that's not Verizon's business.
Mike.

 

[monbla256]

I feel stupid complaining about this, but I gotta vent to someone.  My DSL modem bit the dust this week after being on 24/7 for over 12 years.  I called Verizon to request a replacement and spent over 20 minutes arguing with the customer service rep in an attempt to convince her that I did not want Fios!  "But Sir, I can't wrap my head around this.  EVERYONE wants Fios."  I swear that is a direct quote.
She offered a discount package, a free router, a $20 reduction in my phone bill, and finally a free tablet!  When I asked her to combine all those cost and refuce my bill by that amount and just let me buy the darn DSL modem, she acted like I was the worlds most ignorant being.  
I'm the *#%$@ customer!  
Eventually she gave in, and "promised" 4-5 day shipping.  It arrived the next day overnight express.  I have to think a supervisor was listening in and they changed the shipping to make up for the obnoxious treatment.
Yeah, I'm a bit of a Luddite, but that's not Verizon's business.
Mike.

You think Verizon was bad try disconnecting from AT&T!! It took me 6 months to break the connection !! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Dave_In_Philly]

Funny you should bring this up. I was just talking about Verizon with someone relatively knowledgeable in the field. Apparently Verizon has a new goal of attracting and retaining only those customers willing to pay at least $125/ month for service. They are no longer interested in "lower tear" customers. Wild.

I have had Fios for the last ~3 years. I like the product just not the price. I finally downgraded a month ago. I upped my internet speed and got rid of my TV package. My bill went from $200 to $75, and I got to keep HBO! So I'm pretty happy for the time being.

 

[PozzSka]

We've gone through the same issue with every cable provider forever.

I always call and threaten to switch providers and they typically give me an option to lower the price.

If I could convince my wife to drop the cable we would save about 45 a Month.

 

[bosun1]

ATT has been sneaking the price of my 6mps DSL up for the last couple of years. And my "phone bill" is more than $100.00/month with no long distance charges (but does count the DSL). They've been upgrading the local services and they finally talked me into "fiber". I guess its more than a dietary aid (g). So went with u-verse dsl and VOIP phone for a considerable saving (until the special deals wear off). Sort of uncomfortable without my copper/antique/dependable phone line though..

 

[deathmetal]

Yeah, I'm a bit of a Luddite, but that's not Verizon's business.

Is one a Luddite for merely not wanting more irrelevant crap in their life?

 

[Ozark Wizard]

Sometimes you have to pull off your sabot and toss them into the mill's gears to make a point...

 

[Fumus]

Sometimes you have to pull off your sabot and toss them into the mill's gears to make a point...

:lol!: Well said.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

We had to call Charter up a few months ago.  My bill kept going up, seemlngly almost monthly.  Finally I had enough. I called them up and told them that 'I was laid off and my wife only works part-time' and we could no longer afford their services, and they need to disconnnect our services completely.  Alomst immediately they transferred me to someone other than the disconnection dept. to try and work something out.  Initially they weren't very cooperative until I mentioned AT&T U-Verse and their $99 bundle.  So finally after 20-minutes on the phone with them (it seemed more like an hour) I had faster internet speeds and was going to pay $45 less per month  on my package - with the price locked in for a year.

Funny how that works.  :lol!:



Disclaimer: My wife works full-time and I work in retail and have my own lawn care business, but that's none of their concern.  8)

 

[juanmedusa]

I read an article once that was something like "5 things you didn't know about cable companies from a former employee." My biggest take away was that there is essentially no customer service. Customer service in a cable company is sales. A customer service rep is not trained to help you with the numerous actions you might require of a customer service rep. They are actually trained in sales. When you rebuke their attempts at sales and demand service instead they don't necessarily know what to do. Sometimes they are trying to figure that out on the job. When I look back this makes quite a bit of sense to me.

 

[bosun1]

I tried the online "chat" mode with the cable company that has the worst customer relations department. I'll leave you to figure which one it is (g).. I was pleasantly surprised. Much easier to type and read instead of having these old ears try to understand an accent not from my local neighborhood.She touched on the usual script things (unplug/wait/re-plug/does it work/ no then try..) she tried re-setting the box, etc. Fairly quickly she decided she'll get a tech out to the the palatial family estate. Tech shows up on Labor Day. Replaces the STB..no help. Go through my wiring and replaced some fittings. No go. Finally its time to get the ladder and climb the pole. Cut the feed wire from the pole to the house. Made it easy to see where the tree rats had been nibbling on the co-ax. Replaced. We have a winner!!

 

[deathmetal]

My biggest take away was that there is essentially no customer service. Customer service in a cable company is sales.

One reason for this, and not just at cable companies: phone tech support is the worst job in the industry with high turnover, so companies will almost never give phone techs any power. Therefore, the only people who can actually get anything done are managers or sales.

Our local cable company has phone tech support, but they hire people with mid-90s IQs to read off of procedure cards. I would be more upset, but I imagine that phone tech support is unbearable for anyone with an IQ above mid-90s.

Part of the reason that phone tech support is a brutal feedback loop: customers only get attention if they are bitchy, so they become very dramatic as a means of getting attention. This in turn further numbs the phone techs who quickly stop caring.

Eventually the only way to get a cable modem fixed will be self-immolation.