« Calculations | Main | Things I've Learned Recently »
September 19, 2007
Comcast Part Three
So yesterday the Comcast repairman came to…well, repair. As you may recall, the MDU (whatever that is) was broken in my brand new building, and it took them 11 days to get me a follow-up appointment. I've been going a bit crazy…between moving to my new place, random travel, and a tiny (and by tiny I mean a strong possibility of losing my fingertips) bacterial infliction I've been pretty much confined to the house (when not in the Canadian frontier). So it was with eager anticipation that I entered the 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. appointment zone.
Unfortunately, 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. came and went with no sign of any internet miracle. I ended up calling Comcast, who rather lackadaisically informed me that they couldn't check on the progress of the technician directly, but could instead call the dispatcher who could relay the message to the technician, and then somehow pass an updated time on to me. For a company that proclaims itself at the forefront of the digital revolution, you'd think they could get a better tracking system in place.
Whatever.
Anyway, the Comcast guy did eventually show up at 12:30 p.m. (at which time I was beginning to think that a tetanus show was a good idea—my cat-bitten fingers were turning distinctly purple) and managed to fix up the MDU lickety-split. Unfortunately, he informed me that he was just the repair guy and that I would need to make another appointment in order to get the internet actually turned on.
WTF?!
But wait, lest you think that my ordeal was over, please enjoy the next development. When I called Comcast to schedule yet another appointment, the next available appointment was….wait for it…13 days later.
I repeat, WTF?!
That's right, I was going to have to wait until OCTOBER FIRST to get my internet hooked up. But here is where a tiny glimmer of redemption happens. The Comcast technician, seeing that I was on the verge of a hysterical meltdown, told me to put down the phone and let him handle it. Indeed, a quick phone call to one of his "people" and I had an appointment for this morning.
Lo and behold, the guy this morning was even EARLY, and my internet was hooked up my noon—prompting me to practically drool all over my computer at the magic pictures that appear at the mere push of a button. (Not THOSE pictures, dear reader. Get your mind out of the gutter.)
Anyway, Comcast, I still hate you and your customer service bureaucracy, your crappy MDU installation process, and your ridiculously long waits for available appointments. But every once in a while you surprise me. That MDU technician…hold on to him. Right now he's the only thing keeping you from the inner rings of hell.
