I am posting this to the forum because of the ludicrous character limit imposed by the email form. Here we go.
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On Saturday, June 2, I called Comcast Support regarding an internet outage. I spoke with a support representative, who took me through the usual steps, after which she could still not see my modem. She suggested that Comcast send a technician out, which I agreed to, before she informed me that there would be a fee if the problem was with my modem, and not with Comcast.
As we had fairly heavy thunderstorms the day before, I was concerned that my modem was just blown. I decided to defer the technician visit until I tried another modem.
On Sunday, I called Comcast again with a new modem, plugged in and ready for activation. Upon giving the support representative my device’s serial number and MAC address, I was told to wait an hour, and to call back if I still didn’t have internet.
An hour later, no internet. I noticed that the new modem was having the same problem as the old one. It would power on, acquire its downstream signal, and then fail to connect upstream. This was obvious from the front panel lights, but I confirmed in the modem control panel as well.
I called Comcast again. I was told to wait another couple of hours, which I thought odd, but fine.
Two hours later (three hours after my first call), still no internet. I called in again, and was asked to give my modem’s details again, and was told that they were unable to register my modem over the phone, and that I should take it to a Comcast Service Center.
I took a day off from work on Monday. I arrived at the nearest Comcast Service Center (30min away) shortly after they opened. After recounting – briefly – my situation to the clerk and asking for her to register the modem for me, I was told that “we don’t do that here”. I was baffled, of course.
I called Comcast Support from inside the Service Center, and was asked if I could please unplug and replug my modem. Of course. After I repeated that I was, in fact, at a Comcast Service Center – where I had been directed to go by my previous support representative – I was told that I should return home, call in again, and we’d either fix it over the phone or get a technician out to my home.
I got home, plugged in the modem, same problem. Called Comcast. Was asked to unplug and replug my modem. Was asked to give my make and model, serial number, MAC address. Was asked to remove the splitter that I was using. Was asked to try a different coax cable. Was asked to a try a different Cat-5 cable, which was, frankly, insane. This support representative really outshone the rest. Did not listen to or perhaps understand my situation. Seemed to have no knowledge of my previous six service tickets in a three-day span. Asked me to try a different Cat-5? Really?
Eventually I was able to impress upon her my need for a technician. She acquiesced and scheduled one for later that day, between 1p and 5p. I was told that the Comcast would call me half an hour before the technician arrived, to make sure that I was available.
At 440p, I called Comcast Support to inform them that I had not heard from a technician, and as I was supposed to be called 30min prior to my visit, and the window ended at 5p, was I still expecting a service technician? I was told that the technician had come earlier, and made a note of “no access”.
“No access.” I had given my cell phone number to each of the support representatives – including the most recent winner – at least twice. I was told that I would be called by Comcast half an hour before the technician was supposed to arrive, to make sure I was available. I was never called. The real baffler was that the technician didn’t try to call me himself. “No access”? If only there had been some way to get access… some way of contacting the customer who was experiencing trouble with his internet.
I was still on the phone with Support, and asked was the next step was. I was told that the representative would call the local Comcast office and see if someone could still get to my home that evening. I was told that he would call me back soon either way.
I didn’t hear from Comcast any more that day.
The following morning, I called Comcast again, informed the representative that my technician never showed, and was given a very half-hearted apology. We were able to set up another technician visit for late Friday (as I couldn’t really take any more time away from the office that week).
The technician arrived promptly on Friday, and resolved the problem with my service in probably less than half an hour. There was too much noise on my line.
It took nine calls, six days – and a totally unnecessary 1hr drive – to get my internet back up and running. At every step along the way I was as helpful as I could be. I rearranged my schedule. I double-checked my modem settings, my laptop settings. I patiently waded my way through the answer-bot every time I called.
Every person I spoke with at Comcast was pleasant and professional, but none seemed to understand what I was telling them. I could tell as soon as I connected my new modem and saw the same upstream status that I had with the old one, that the internet problem was on the service side and had nothing to do with my hardware. And yet it took forever to get a technician. I do not understand why.
