Hey Comcast Reps. Been a few days. Let’s sit down and have a little talk about this whole HBOGo thing. Grab a cuppa, I’ll hold on until you get back.
First, let me say I don’t blame you. You’re a customer service representative. I’ve been there. The only thing you’re allowed to say is what the boys and girls in the power suits tell you to say. At this point, though, it’s clear the “discussions” line is…well…just a line. We’ve talked to Roku users who got the same response in November with no end result. We’ve heard HBO imply it’s a load. We’ve seen Comcast not respond to the exposure of the issue in the industry bible, Variety. If it wasn’t a platitude, we’d be seeing Comcast falling all over itself to give you a new script, to assuage the fears and onslaught. It hasn’t happened, and my time in corporate America has taught me that generally means we’re getting a polite version of “shut up and go away” from your executives.
So…let me try to explain the position here.
We’re consumers, customers who chose Comcast over competitors, and chose HBO as a premium service. While that doesn’t, and shouldn’t, give us access to every level of corporate thought, it does give us the right to have an open and honest answer to our concerns regarding what is perceived to be a significant lack of customer consideration on behalf of Comcast. It means we expect, and for our money deserve, to know the actuality of what is going on over there in regards to our concerns. Not getting a line of “corporate speak” that could mean anything from “We’re working on the problem and trying to find an amenable solution, and HBOGo will definitely be available on these devices if we can reach one” to “HBO is asking us to do it, and we’re saying no.” Which is the range now encompassed by the official company line we’ve been getting.
What’s happening here is a basic reminder: Your company serves at the leisure of consumers who ALLOW your company to serve. In return for our consideration in allowing Comcast into our homes, into our lives, into our families, and into our bank accounts, we expect a modicum of respect and forthrightness. Failure to provide this is not only disrespectful to us as consumers that chose your service, but downright insulting to our collective intelligence as people, a base assumption made by your executives that “those mouth-breathers” will swallow the bitter pill and deal with it. Don’t you, and don’t your bosses, think we deserve more as people who, when given the choice, chose Comcast? Don’t you think it would be obvious that we expect to be treated as valuable consumers and not mere monetary units on the company projection charts at a stockholder’s meeting?
Your company won’t see an immediate impact of these decisions and platitudes, these outright lies and disrespectful responses. Some of the people threatening to disconnect will certainly forget about it when their contracts run out. Unfortunately…we’ll also tell our friends about it. We’ll tweet, Facebook, blog, and otherwise generally complain. We’ll point to the double-speak and meaningless statements, saying how all we got for our money was the same service a competitor could provide with a healthy side-helping of disrespect and belittling condescension from your executives. Others will notice, that market share your company hopes to expand into, and they won’t sign up. Or they’ll cancel their service contracts. Or they’ll decide to advance the cord-cutting trend.
Times have changed since the 90’s, the time period Comcast seems to be stuck in. We’re no longer consumers tethered to your services. Television is a luxury that can be replaced, internet can be had with phone service from the local company. We’ve stuck with you, remained loyal customers and friends and invited you to stick with us. We’ve welcomed your programming and service when we didn’t have to, even as times became lean and it became more of a luxury than ever before. We promoted your services, and crowed about our provider…and we got nothing but platitudes and disrespect in return when we asked for a real answer. It’s simply not acceptable, and I think you, who are on the front lines of this issue, know that more than any of the stuffed shirts above you.
I know you’re with us. I’ve seen your posts, I’ve seen your desire to help. I know you’d tell us more if you could, even if it was just the simple truth Comcast does not now, nor at any time in the foreseeable future, plan to offer HBOGo access on the Xbox, Roku, or SamsungTV.
So why don’t you pass this on up the line, and see if they’ll let you return the respect, consideration, and loyalty that we’ve shown to your company for all this time?
I’m waiting with bated breath.
