Took a trip with Emily and her friends to Vegas for Superbowl weekend.  We stayed at the Venetian and the highlight of my trip was seeing Jon Stewart perform stand up for that weekend.   It was fantastic.  I brought along my new Canon S90 for some actual shooting and it was great, especially in low light handheld situations.  Enjoy!

Also, Comcast update coming soon!

Evidently, I was too optimistic after receiving the comment in the post below.  So like the non-questioning consumer, I contacted Comcast again to verify the promises Rufino had made me yesterday (see post below).

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 13:58:05 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

But for your cable, there is no promotion available for cable, by let me check if I can do a workaround.

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 10:58:38 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

So I was supposed to get a refund on top of the $15. Basically, I was promised a promotion but it was never applied for the past month and I was told I’d get a refund for the difference

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 10:58:55 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

And the representative also noted he would make a note to the sales department to try to apply the promotion now.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 13:59:11 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

I can make the cable rate to 29.99 per month for 6 months.

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 10:59:44 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

I was told I would be able to get $24.99 for 6 months

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:00:28 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

as well as the refund

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:00:49 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

You will get the $15 refund.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:01:01 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

But the promotion for 24.99 is not available in your area.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:01:10 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

What I can do is the 29.99 per month.

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:01:43 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

No, the $15 was a credit for having to contact Comcast, on top of that, I was supposed to get a refund for my last month’s bill since I was supposed to have the promotion applied but it was not

At this point, I pasted the transcript where I was promised this

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:03:10 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

Let me check.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:04:45 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

I am really sorry, there will be no refund. You were misinformed by the previous agent, did the previous agent ask you to call the loyalty department?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

And this is where the fun begins:

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:19:09 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

Can I ask you, can you look up transcripts based on the transcript ID? You’ve got to have it in your system at least right?

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:19:22 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

The loyalty department says they cannot, nor can my local comcast center.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:19:39 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

We can not pull up the chat transcripts, Chen.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:19:48 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

Since that is for security purposes.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:20:04 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

That is why we asked you to either save or print it in your end.

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:21:50 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

So if I save it or print it, how can you verify that this conversation even took place?

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:22:34 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

There are notations in the account.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:22:54 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

If there are notations in the account to support the claims, then we can help you with the process/

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:24:22 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

So what if the representative does not make the notations in the account but tells the customer through the chat?  There is no way for the customer to prove the conversation occurred.  For me, this is the second time this has happened. 1.) The first rep Fabiolo told me he was applying a $24.99 promotion for 6 months, that did not happen and there was no record other than my transcript

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:24:46 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

2.) The representative yesterday telling me I would be given a $15 credit PLUS a refund PLUS a $24.99 offer

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:25:03 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

Now I understand if you cannot make up promotions that do not exist, but at the very least the rep should have told me that.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:26:27 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

I am really sorry, that is why I am telling you the right information and also properly notate your account so that you will not be misinformed and this will be the last.

Chen(Thu Feb 04 2010 11:27:14 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

If you walked into a grocery store and someone accidentally put up the wrong price for a product, it is the store’s obligation to honor their mistake and to change it for future customers.  It is not supposed to punish the customer for a mistake their own employee made.

Alberto(Thu Feb 04 2010 14:28:03 GMT-0800 (Pacific Standard Time))>

I am really sorry and I do understand your frustration that is why I am making up for there mistakes and giving you the right information, Chen.

So to make sure I’m not paying $60/month on cable TV, I opted to take another promotion while I wait for the other Comcast representative to contact me.  Meanwhile, I am still owed a $15 credit and a refund for the difference.  I don’t care what they say, this was promised to me in writing by an employee of Comcast and I intend to enforce it.

In summary: Comcast has AGAIN screwed me through online chat.  Comcast has AGAIN refused to honor what they admit is a mistake (through no fault of my own) by an employee of their company. Comcast has AGAIN pushed me one step closer to DirectTV and Verizon.  Comcast has AGAIN informed me that the burden of proof for promises their company makes is on the consumer and it is their responsibility to follow up to make sure these promises were made.

Mark Casem, Comcast Corp., National Customer Operations, We_can_help@cable.comcast.com! I know you’re reading this.  CONTACT ME.  The next time I say I’m going to cancel my services, it’s not going to be so I get a better rate.  It’s so I can ask where to mail back your cable box.

Update: Stephan pointed out to me that you are legally entitled to Comcast promises in writing, unfortunately I did not know this but will keep it in mind.

Hours after writing the post below, I get a comment on my blog with the following:

I apologize for the experience. We will look into this to make sure that the promotions and credits are applied as promised. So that we can look into this, will you please send us the phone number on the account and a link to this page?

Regards,

Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations
We_can_help@cable.comcast.com

After some research, it seems this is not an uncommon occurrence.  On one hand, I am very impressed the representative actually took the time to read through my post and they are trying hard to maintain customer satisfaction.  I certainly don’t envy Mark’s job.  On the other, a little creepy that they found my post so quickly, but hey, if it gets the issue resolved, I don’t mind.

Lesson learned: If you have complaints with Comcast, don’t hold it in.  A quick Google search can tell you there is a vocal minority who don’t think too highly of Comcast, but to their credit they are trying to change that, one blog post at a time.

As I’ve detailed in previous posts, I’m not a huge fan of Comcast.  Currently, I need to contact them every 6 months when my internet promotion expires or my TV promotion expires so I can see if there are other promotions available.  Every time I’ve done that, there have been other promotions at rates comparable to my current rate.  Last month, my cable TV promotion ended and when I checked with them, they told me there were no promotions available and my rate would go from ~$25/month to ~$60/month.  I tried online through their chat and then I tried through the phone, both told me there were no promotions.  So I told them they could go ahead and cancel my cable tv.  I could always shows on Hulu or through my Netflix account.  So then I thought I’d try again online with a different representative and magically:

Chen > I called the local office and was told my cable tv price was going to increase to $60 without promotion, so I was hoping to find another promotion that would keep the price around what I am paying now. Otherwise, I will have to cancel my service.

Fabiolo > Just a moment, please.

Fabiolo > I need a moment more. Please bear with me.

Chen > I’m sorry, could you please try to come back as soon as possible?

Fabiolo > I am still working on it. This wil be for a moment.

Fabiolo > Thank you for patiently waiting.

Fabiolo > Chen, I have renewed your promo. for the next 6 months.

Chen > Is it at the same rate?

Fabiolo > Yes, that is correct, chen

Awesome! I was pleasantly surprised since I had actually planned on canceling.  So imagine my surprise this month when I see that they charged me the full price for cable TV. Thankfully, I am paranoid enough that I save the transcripts along with their transcript IDs (which I assume Comcast keeps track of) and email them to myself just in case I need to refer to them later.  Armed with this information, I went online and talked to a rep who told me that she could see I was promised a promotion but it was not actually applied to my account.  She then told me to call a “loyalty department.”  Fine.

So I call the loyalty department, an American voice (no doubt a saleswoman) answers and I explain the situation.  She seems surprised and says there is nothing in the notes to indicate I was promised a promotion.  Also, I should point out that it seems to take her several minutes to pull up this information.  What kind of software is Comcast using that it takes several minutes to pull up my info?  I read her the transcript ID and she says that does no good since they cannot look it up.  Are you kidding me? What is the point of having an online chat if you cannot reference the contents later? How can there be any accountability for your online representatives then? So I say, “Ok, just cancel my account,” at which point I’m transferred to another saleswoman who sounds higher in seniority.

This woman had a grandmotherly tone while listening to me vent.  I told her I have the transcript ID and she again says she cannot look it up.  Instead, she tells me to go to my nearest Comcast center and show them the transcript.  Now there is only one Comcast center near me.  I’ve only been there once, to return the phone Comcast sent me as part of a 6 month promo (it was cheaper to have cable/tv/phone than to have cable/tv alone…I hate comcast).  The line to the store started several stores down.  After waiting in line for 10 minutes with no movement, I went to the UPS store in the same shopping center and exercised the option of mailing the phone in instead.  With visions of that in my head, I ask her “Can you guarantee that they will honor the transcript?”  She goes and asks a supervisor (probably in the same way a car dealer goes to ask his “supervisor” if your offer is OK) and comes back with a “No.  Actually, we recommend you try again online and if that does not work, then try at the Comcast center.”  What?  Talking online is what started this.  I then ask “If I go to the Comcast Center, I can only assume they cannot access the transcript either.  So how is that different from what I’m doing now?”  She replies, “You have the printed record.” In my head, I imagined copying and pasting the transcript into a word processor and altering it so the representative promised me free cable and tv for life.  Hey, I have the printed record right?  So, in defeat, I tell her I will try again online.  She apologizes and assures me everyone at Comcast is doing their best (which at this point, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume to be true) and then says it is possible that the representative tried to apply the promotion but it got “lost in the system.”  Do you even know what a ’system’ is? After apologizing some more, she proceeded to blame this magical ’system’ as if she was sure it was the cause.

So an hour and numerous thoughts of burning down the Comcast Center later, I go online and talk to another representative who promises to give me a refund for the last month’s difference, a $15 credit, and to apply the promotion for the next 6 months.  The only catch is that I need to check back in 24 hours to make sure the promotion has been applied.  So that is where I am now.  Being even more paranoid now, I made the representative repeat himself several times in the chat just so I have the”written record,” as if it would do any good.

Chen > Sorry for sounding paranoid, but you have made a note in my account that I should get the refund and also the $24.99/month rate from now on correct?

Chen > My original problem came from the previous Rep not writing it in the notes

Rufino > Yes, I made a note that you should get a refund for the promised promo that was never applied. I am going to forward this issue to our sales so that the promo code can be applied and you will be able to get a refund

To be fair, I don’t believe Fabiolo was lying to me when he promised me the promotion.  On the other hand, the number of hoops I had to jump through and the number of people I had to talk to just to get this resolved was ridiculous.   I will be contacting Comcast tomorrow.  I don’t know what to expect, but I’m counting on you Rufino!

I present, the world’s largest banana, bought at a Safeway.

As it turns out, the banana was some sort of twin banana. As you can see in the last picture, there is a dividing line in the middle between the two bananas. After admiring it for a week and leaving it on the counter, I finally made it in a smoothie. Delicious.

On an unrelated note, I found a program called F.lux which changes the color temperature of your monitor based on your indicated lighting and the time of day.  I’ve found it to make my monitor pinkish in color, but it is certainly not as bright white.  You can manually tone down the brightness of your monitor, but this does it automatically for you.  Even after using this for 5 minutes, you definitely squint after going back to your bright default white monitor again.  Enjoy all you slaves of the PC!