The Comcast Chronicles, Volume 2

Welcome back to my hilariously awful account of my experience with Comcast.  Let's recap, shall we?

We added a baseball package in April 2013 and promising that the price would be broken up into equal monthly installments (as we had done yearly for the last 3 years). However, the entire package price was applied to our bill each of the next three months. We took time out of busy lives and called in May, June, and July and were promised each time that the issue was resolved, given the "correct" bill amount, which was paid on time. We were assessed late fees each month for not paying the full package price, even though we were told to only pay the installment.

Now back to August......

The next Comcast bill arrives.  Its incorrect AGAIN.  Oh holy hell.  What part of this can't Comcast understand?!  Why am I now calling them for the fourth month in a row?!  This time when I called, it was a bit different.  Mind you, each call is getting exponentially longer, as I have to explain that we were wronged not one, not two, not three, but four times.  I can picture the look on the rep's face as I'm talking.  They probably hate me, but you know what, I couldn't care less.

I tell the rep that I'm really upset, I feel like we've been lied to since April, as we've been told for the last 4 months that they'd do something for us that they've failed to do.  Repeatedly. I'm even more angry that I've had to spend my one day off calling Comcast multiple times.  It's not ok. This rep is less than apologetic for their mistakes, and says he is sorry that I can't afford to pay my bill on time.  What?!  That's not the issue. Could I have paid it in full the first month? Absolutely. But why would I, when you told me I didn't have to?

Anyhow, this person insists that this package can't be broken up into payments, that we were told this incorrectly each time I called (this is a lie, and was confirmed months later).  This person stated that my calls were to get an extension on my due date, because we couldn't afford to pay our bill, but now that the monthly payments would have ended this month, there's nothing he can do for me.

Oh really?!

Ok, great, thanks.  That's amazing customer service.  Because you're wrong.  Because I never once said the words "I can't pay my bill".  [insert blood-boiling rage here]  That's ok, maybe this person is having a horrible day, and he isn't normally a total asshole.  I'll let it slide this time, after all, I've been with Comcast for more than half my life.  Certainly this is a one-off problem (that happened to inconvenience me four times). Bill paid - immediately in full, clearly I could pay it - end of story.

A couple of weeks later, I receive a letter from my good friends at Comcast,  who were very concerned that I may not be tapping into the full potential of my high speed internet.  We don't rent from them, we own a modem and wireless router that is apparently not the latest in greatest.  The letter recommended I call and ask about leasing a better one from them - for a monthly fee, of course.  No thanks, our internet seems really fast to me, not worried about it.

But who cares about this letter, right?  Well, it just so happens that another letter comes about 3 weeks later.  This letter states that Comcast did an audit on my account, and it was discovered that *gasp* I haven't been charged appropriately for the modem I'm leasing from Comcast, and a monthly rental fee will be assessed on my next bill, and every bill thereafter.

BUT I OWN MY MODEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What the @*&%?!  You've got to be &*@^&$% kidding me!!!!

Guess what this means?  Time for another call to Comcast.

Stay tuned to find out what they said, and how many times I would have to call about this issue!

The Comcast Chronicles, Volume 1

I wish I could say "Its not you...it's me", but that would be a lie.  It is you.  I know we've been together in some fashion for the better part of two decades, but there's nothing you can do to make up for the last few months.  Tumultuous, excruciatingly frustrating.....abusive.  That's right, abusive.  I refuse to stay in an abusive relationship, so Comcast, you've gotta go. Maybe you'll learn from your mistakes so the next girl doesn't suffer as I have, but I doubt that you are enough about me to make any changes. I'm already way happier without you.  Take care. xoxo, Me

If only my break-up with Comcast was as easy as sending a letter.

I never thought I would devote any blog space to talking about my relationship with Comcast, but here I am. As I mentioned, I was in a relationship with Comcast for the better part of the last 2 decades, but the last year has been awful.  So awful that if someone had told me the story, I would have thought they were embellishing, if not flat-out lying.  So awful that it's almost funny.

Almost.

Now that the relationship is definitely over, and I can start to laugh about what happened, I want to share all the gory details.  Maybe I'll even convince you there is Life After Comcast, and encourage you to make the choice I did: RUN FAR, FAR, AWAY!!!!

To understand my story, you need some history.  Growing up, my family had Comcast cable service ever since they came to the Northwest and took over whoever was here before - over 20 years ago, maybe even close to 30.  My father even worked as a technician for many years.  When I moved to Arizona, I took my Comcast service with me.  When I moved back to the Northwest, I brought it back with me.  I was what you'd call a loyal customer. 

April 2013: Husband calls to order the MLB Extra Innings Package, as he has done for the past 3 years.  He asks for the 4 equal payment option as he has also done for the past 3 years - not because we can't afford it, but because he knows that this keeps his expensive sports-watching habits off my radar.  I don't pay much attention to an extra $40 a month, but I'd give some attitude to an extra $160. I get that it's the same, but it's the Sticker Shock Principle.  I digress.  The customer service rep says no problem, the service has been added with the split payments.  Let baseball season begin!

May 2013: The Comcast bill arrives.  The amount due is $310. Whaaaaaaaat?!  Who's been ordering Pay Per View?!  Is sombody splicing our line and ordering stuff on our dime?! Oh.  It's the MLB  Extra Innings Package.  We were billed for the entire season, instead of the equal payments we asked for.  No problem, husband calls Comcast.  They apologize, confirm that a mistake was made, assure him that it's been broken into the payments that should have been done already, and give us our new total.  We pay it online.  Issue resolved.

June 2013: Time for the bill to arrive again.  Peek at the total - holy cow!  It's high again, with a nasty statement about not paying our last bill in full, and they've now assessed late charges.  But we called?  It was resolved?  Husband asks that I call this time (because I am far more assertive).  After being on hold for 20 minutes, am connected with a rep who apologizes, puts the package on the payment plan, sees that this should have happened last time, reverses the late fees, gives me the new total.  Pay it online.  Slightly irritated that this baseball package has required three phone calls to have in our lives (and billed correctly), but if it makes husband happy, I'll take it.

July 2013: Comcast bill arrives again....you guessed it, the total is high with another late fee and nasty message about not paying our bill on time.  This time, am fully angry.  Spend 15 minutes on hold and 30 minutes on the phone with two customer service reps - on my day off - trying to fix the problem. Express my frustration that this hasn't been resolved, despite multiple calls.  After putting me on hold several times, including one disconnection and call back episode, am assured that once and for all, this has been taken care of.  Late fees reversed, new total given. Comcast is so sorry. The rep is unsure why this hasn't been applied correctly each of the 3 previous times I've called.

If you're still paying attention, you'll see that we've called Comcast once a month for 4 months now, but have been assured (for the 3rd time), that I won't have to call again. 

August 2013....Comcast bill arrives..........

Stay tuned for Volume 2 of my Comcast Chronicles!

A Must-Read Post-Script To My Thanksgiving Shopping Post

I was directed towards this blog today, and felt that I had to re-post it.  Not because it's simply propaganda that supports my thinking, but because it's a honest and thoughtful (and perhaps a little less emotionally charged).  It even gave me some points to consider.

Everybody is different.  Everybody's situation is different.  We cannot make assumptions, or judge somebody based on decisions they're making for their lives, because we have no idea what they're going through.  A reader on this blog made some very false assumptions about me, my family, and my values based on my post.  I urge you all to reserve judgements, and really think before you make an assessment about somebody you don't actually know.   I try to always assume positive intent, to assume the best in people.  Otherwise, it's easy to be pulled down into a very negative place.

My favorite passage: "If you have a job that is paying you for your Thanksgiving Holiday: Be Thankful. If you have a family and are enjoying their company all day and would have no desire to leave them to shop on Thanksgiving? Be Thankful. If you think those crazy Christmas shopping crowds are terrifying and therefore do all of your shopping online to avoid them? Be Thankful. And if you have to go to Target or some store on Thanksgiving – or ANY day for that matter – remember there’s always a chance the person helping you is missing something – Thanksgiving Dinner, a soccer game, a parent/teacher conference – to do the job you’re watching them do. So, make sure you treat them with kindness and respect. And just Be Thankful that you live a lifestyle where you have the family and the resources to be snarky about people shopping on Thanksgiving."

So, I present to you this blog, titled "Before You Post Something Derogatory About Shopping on Thanksgiving".  Unfortunately, the comments there are closed, but feel free to comment here.  I always publish them, even if I don't agree with their content.

Thanksgiving cuisine of past and present

With Thanksgiving just a few short days away, and with the heavy posts of the recent week, I decided it was time for something a bit more light-hearted.  And what's more light-hearted than talking about food?!

Capriottie's famous Bobbie sandwich. Pure heaven.

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest eating days of the year.  Luckily for me, I won't be cooking the turkey this year - I was given  wine, homemade cranberry sauce and dessert detail.  Although that might actually be unfortunate for me, as the person/family who roasts the turkey is usually the one keeping the leftovers....which is why I found myself at the grocery store tonight with one mission in mind.  To purchase a turkey at an amazing price (the amazing price part was required).  Roasting date: to be determined. The whole reason to roast a turkey is for the subsequent sandwiches that can be made with turkey, leftover stuffing, leftover cranberry sauce and a bit of mayonnaise.  A re-creation of my one of my favorite sandwiches: The Bobbie from Capriotti's. Thanksgiving on a roll.  Unfortunately, Cap's doesn't exist here in Washington, so I'm going to bring a bit of Cap's into my own home. Have you tried it?  If you haven't, study their location map and run out to the nearest location for lunch, or make a mental note to stop by the next time you're on vacation.

That got me thinking about what others are grubbin' on this time of year, which made me wonder what was served at the original Thanksgiving celebrations. Certainly not the same meal I'll be serving next week.  I found this post by Dina Spector at Business Insider:

"The contemporary Thanksgiving menu is a far cry from what the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe feasted on that historic autumn of 1621 to celebrate the colony's first successful corn harvest.
In fact, there is only one written account of the first Thanksgiving, and turkey isn't mentioned.

And because the Pilgrims didn't have a large sugar supply, the meal probably did not include pies, cakes, and other sweet treats either.

Nearly four centuries ago, diners likely enjoyed seal, swans, venison, and duck, perhaps prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods.

Eventually, however, the big meaty bird became a staple of the modern Thanksgiving dinner — along with sides dishes like mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and string beans, and desserts like pumpkin and pecan pies. And for that, we are very thankful!"

Amen! 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/thanksgiving-food-statistics-2011-11?op=1#ixzz2lXFPYv00

Since when do we chastise people for giving? My defense of the Walmart food drive.

Have you seen this photo?  If you watch TV or participate in social media at all, the answer is probably yes.  It began circulating a few days ago; it's a photo of a food drive one particular Walmart store is holding for it's associates to support their own.  Customers aren't asked to give, it's simply between associates.  I first saw it on my Facebook feed, with a very disparaging comment not only about Walmart (surprise, surprise), but about entire principle of the food donation.  How could they, one commenter exclaimed. This is clearly an example of how Walmart cannot pay it's workers enough, that they have to stoop so low to asking for handouts from other staff, asserted another.  Unbelievable, said yet a third. When I first saw the photo, I had no idea what company this occurred in.  My first thought was "Wow, what a caring company. It's great to see employees helping each other!".  Then I read the negative comments.  Then the photo went viral. 

I still stand by my original comment.

I won't get into the "Walmart is a horrible company" debate. Perhaps in another post.  Whether you believe that rhetoric or not isn't important. My point is this: why can't we just celebrate this food drive for what it is?  Associates caring about each other during the holiday season. 

Guess what?  There is need across all socioeconomic statuses.  I'd be willing to bet that there is an associate struggling to put food on their table at every company, but not every company's associates goes this far to fill that gap. Don't even get me started on the "living wage" debate.  The definition of "living wage" is a wage that is high enough to maintain a normal standard of living.  This is not a static figure for every working American. What would provide for one person would not for another. Does a single mother deserve more per hour than a single person, simply because the single mother requires more income to maintain a normal standard of living?  Do we pay people based on how much they need to survive, or how much knowledge, skills and ability their position requires? If the living wage is $21.50 for a mother and two children in my town (true story, it is), is it realistic to expect a Walmart cashier with little skills or education to make this wage? How would you feel if you were paid less simply because your financial needs were less than a co-worker with the same resume?  What I'm getting at: Does this problem really lie with Walmart?  I hardly think so. But I digress.

The fact that this store - no matter what company they work for - felt so strongly to rally around their own and help provide Thanksgiving dinner is something that needs to be celebrated. 

This isn't a story about a company who can't support it's associates. It's not a story about Walmart at all. It's a story about associates who are willing to go so far to support each other by providing food to ensure each of them can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner.  If you were in need, could you say the same of your co-workers? I only hope that you're so lucky.

Turkey, pumpkin pie and.....shopping?! Before you get your panties in a wad, let me tell you why it's not the worst idea ever.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been bombarded with the opinions of angry Americans who take any and all opportunities to express their disgust over stores being open on Thanksgiving.  They're talking about it on TV, every online publication has some angle on the story, and my Facebook friends have even gone so far as to post a badge on their profile that proclaims that They Will Not Be Shopping on Thanksgiving.  Insert eye roll here.

Their reasons seems noble enough - people should be at home with their families, it's America's holiday, etc. I'm all for family and celebrating, but let me tell you something: this proud American will be shopping on Thanksgiving, and I'm going to tell you why.

Do you have any idea how many businesses are already open on Thanksgiving? Do you know how many people are working, and have worked, on Thanksgiving?  Certainly you don't believe that this is the first year that folks will be reporting to work on Thanksgiving.  Do you realize how impossible it is to shut down this vast country for an entire day?   Contrary to popular belief (I'm looking at you bloggers and passionate Facebook posters), Thanksgiving is not a day about family for many Americans.  In fact, my husband has always had to work on Thanksgiving.  Many of my family members work on Thanksgiving.  Why?  Because the show must go on. Would it be great to have them all together on this holiday?  Sure.  But it's just not going to happen. 

Let's say for a moment that we could do the impossible - have everybody in America at home to celebrate this American holiday with their families.  Oh, but wait, that's assuming everybody who lives in this country is an American that shares the same values and you and I and want to stay at home. I want us to refer back to our history books for a minute.  Do you remember why this country was founded?  Do you know the tounge-in-cheek nickname our country has?  The melting pot.  Not every person in this country is American, and not every person in this country wants to celebrate this American holiday. 

But this is OUR holiday!  It's anti-American not to celebrate Thanksgiving?  I see....and it's so American to sit around stuffing yourself and watching TV, right?  Thanksgiving has turned into a day to sit around and be glutenous, with a side of reflecting on why you're thankful. Shouldn't you be thankful everyday anyway? I suppose I'd rather have it turn into that, than say, Mexico's holiday.  Cinco de Mayo has almost no other identification other than a day to drink one's self silly, pretending to be Latino for a day (news flash: drinking Corona and eating tacos on May 5th doesn't make you Latino). Every bar in Mexico is open on "their" day, why can't we shop on "ours"??   So much for the importance of holidays dedicated to specific countries.

How many of you have a crazy relative? Maybe two crazy relatives?  Or maybe you don't have family in town; maybe you can't afford to be with your family.  Do you think these people relish the idea of spending an entire day (consuming more calories than one needs in a week) with A. crazy relatives or B. alone?  Do you think that maybe, just maybe, these folks welcome a distraction, or a reason to "reluctantly" skip the family distractions?  Or maybe folks want to take the chance at extra pay? 

I saw a post tonight that made me shake my head.  Somebody commented on an anti-shopping blog, stating her son was a Target employee, and would be fired if he didn't work on Thanksgiving, and concluded that Target is a horrible company.  Wait, so you mean that if a business is operating and an employee fails to show up at work as scheduled, they get fired?!  Blasphemy!!!  Are you at all familiar with the concept of accountability?!  Target isn't a bad company, you're a bad mother! Yes, your son will be fired if he doesn't show up at work.  This is as true for Thanksgiving as it is any other day that Target is open.  I know this is going to sound harsh, but your son was not forced to work at Target  It is his choice to go to work on Thanksgiving or not; in fact, it's all of our choices to go to work on any day.  We may not like the consequence if we don't go in (hint: you'll probably lose your job), but you always have a choice.  If you work for a company that operates on Thanksgiving, and this upsets you, do something about it.  But don't for a second think anybody is "making" you do something.  Remember, you always have a choice.  It's a free country, remember? Free to be open for business, free to choose to report to work at said business.  Free to choose not to report.

Most of you bloggers and anti-Thanksgiving shoppers are operating under false assumptions. Not every other business in this country was closed on Thanksgiving before this year. Not everybody wants to be at home with their families, not everybody has a family to be with, hell, not everybody even observes this holiday!  Some people might even be ok with, maybe even welcome, this chance to work.

The stores are only open because people are going to them and spending money.  I don't care how family-friendly a retail store is, they're for-profit.  This means they want, and need, to make money to survive.  Go back to our mini history lesson.  Didn't those original pilgrims want to be prosperous?  What's so different about this?

Hm, so we've already concluded that this country is a melting pot of all different folks from all kinds of backgrounds, is built on the principle of freedom, and was also founded by a desire to be prosperous.  Dare I say it: it makes more sense for stores to be open on Thanksgiving than not to be!  I'm kidding.  Well, sort of kidding.

Let me clarify - I am American.  I do celebrate Thanksgiving, I do have a family; my husband is one of those non-retail workers punching the time clock on Thanksgiving.   I'm also very much into family traditions, and I've made some of the best memories with my family as we shop together on Black Friday.  It's not just about getting the best deal.  It's not about being greedy.  It's about being so excited to GIVE.  It's not about foregoing the thankful thoughts to focus on what I don't have, not at all.  Could we wait until Friday to shop?  Absolutely.  But do I really love having something fun to do after the turkey and thankful thoughts are done, something that doesn't involve seeing who can resist the Triptophan coma the longest?  You bet. 

So yes, I'll be shopping on Thanksgiving.  I'll be thankful that there are cheerful associates who have honored their commitment to their employer by showing up for a shift they may or may not be excited to have.  Also, I'll definitely be out before the sun comes up on Black Friday!  I'll be out with some of the most important people in my life, laughing and having a great time.  We'll have stories to tell about each gift we get, which will be almost more important than the gift itself. Some of my best holiday memories were made on Black Friday, because we're genuinely having a great time kicking off the magical holiday season. My shopping crew even ordered matching "Black Friday Shopping Crew" T-shirts this year.  I know that will really get you haters going.

Go ahead, call me Anti-American.  Chastise me for feeding into the consumerism "bullshit" that has now taken over Thanksgiving. That's ok, stay home, I'm not going to take your thoughts personally.  Besides, if you stay home, that's one less shopper out there in the stores snatching up my deals!