Help

[andicap]

I am a free-lance writer doing a story about how cable tv companies answer the phone, that is, do they leave you on hold, solve your problems on the phone, etc.

Does anyone have an anecdote, GOOD OR BAD, about how their cable TV OR DBS company treated them on the phone. Also I'll take similar anecdotes about phone companies or electric utilities.

Thanks

Andicap

[Trijack]

My cable company is Coxcable in Orange county, Ca. I have called them about 4 times in the past 2 years and they have always solved my problems and I have never been put on hold anytime. Most of my problems have been when I build a new computer for myself or friends I have a hard time getting a cable connection started again. Different areas have different computer names and my friends never seem to keep that info handy.

[ceejay]

I think that overall my cable provider is pretty good. I rarely wait on hold more than a few minutes. I will pass along two stories about their telephone reps.

Last year, after seeing an advertisement from the cable company for the "NHL Center Ice" package, I called to sign up. Here I was, a customer calling trying to spend money. I was told that the customer service computers couldn't handle the orders yet because the service did not begin for a few weeks and I could not order the service before it was available. I was told to call back. I've gotta think that if you have a customer calling you to try to buy something that you are advertising, then should make it easy for them and not tell them to call back in two weeks.

Then there was the time that I asked a phone-based customer service rep why my service consistently went down in the rain and what can be done to fix it, that I was told to get a satellite dish if I want consistent service. I "took" that one to the cable company's management office and the underground lines were fixed.