When I canceled my Daily News subscription, I was dismayed
about the rigmarole I went through just trying to terminate home news delivery.
First, they tried tempting me with a cheaper subscription and when that failed,
they went to plan B - make it as hard as possible to cancel. Rather than just
allowing me to cancel on the spot, they said a representative would call me
back to "confirm my cancellation" over the next few days. Although
infuriated, I held my temper and finally agreed to the callback. Suppose I
missed the call? Would I be stuck with the paper? After the second
representative failed to renew my interest, my subscription was ultimately
canceled. Way to go Daily News! You've now guaranteed there is NO CHANCE I will
subscribe again! Unfortunately, other companies also play these games. In a recent Comcast service cancellation, a subscriber reported this conversation:
“Why don’t you want the faster speed? Help me understand why
you don’t want faster Internet.”
“We are the No. 1 provider of Internet and TV service in the
entire country. Why is it that you’re not wanting to have the No. 1 rated
Internet service, the No. 1 rated TV service available?”
“I’m just trying to figure out what it is about Comcast
service that you don’t want to keep?”
“For nine years, you’ve been a Comcast customer… all of a
sudden you’re moving and you want to change?”
“So you’re not interested in the fastest Internet in the
country? Why not?”
Personally, I would support a bill that requires prompt
cancellations of non-contract agreements without callbacks or harassing sales
pitches. I can understand companies should have the right to some form of
recourse to maintain customers but cases like these go too far. Meanwhile,
Comcast continues to charge excessive rates for channels you don't want all to
get a few better choices like the Science channel. Eventually, the gig will be
up as more competition enters the market. Until then, buyers beware! You may
need ear plugs and a ready supply of Advil just to voice your opinion as a
consumer.
The former Comcast customer that reported the problem trying to cancel later reported this to NPR:
ReplyDelete"Customer retention and other CS departments often provide financial incentives to representatives to prevent customers from disconnecting (among other things). Many people on the internet claiming to be current and former Comcast employees have come out of the woodwork to claim that's exactly how Comcast operates their call centers.
"That system effectively pits a representative and the customer against one another. Everyone loses — except maybe the cable company's bottom line, sometimes, if they 'save' an account."