Comcast E-Mail Rep Needs A Lot Of Words To Say ‘I Have No Power To Help You’

Tired of waiting around on hold when she called Comcast, Susan decided to just send them an e-mail with what she had to say. What she had to say to them was "Hey, why did you charge me $64 too much for installation?" The e-mail representative she talked to had an answer to this question: taking four hundred words to say, "I dunno, take some time off work to go to your local Comcast office and maybe they can give you a refund."

Here is Susan's story and Comcast's entire e-mail in its ridiculous entirety.

I had been warned (by online message boards) not to schedule Comcast installation over the phone because it would charge significantly more than it said it would. So, to be safe, I ordered online, got an online confirmation that stated that the installation charges would be $35. More than it should have been to flip a switch, but I bit the bullet and did it. Then, I got my bill which indicated a $99 charge for installation. After waiting on hold for too long, I emailed Comcast to notify it that I had been billed incorrectly. Here is the response:

Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 10:32 AM

Subject: Re: Web Form Submission: Billing/General Inquiry

([redacted])

Dear Susan,

Thank you for contacting Comcast, home of the Customer Guarantee. My

name is [N] and you have reached Xfinity TV email support. I will

do my best to assist you with your concern.

I understand that you were quoted for the internet installation fee

for $35 but upon receiving your bill, $99 was applied. I sincerely

apologize for the distress this may have caused. I know how important

it would be for this billing issue addressed immediately so you would

only pay for the installation fee that you have agreed. It would be my

pleasure to review your account and provide information on how we can

further assist you with your concern.

Susan, please feel free to get in touch with your local office so we

can further assist you with your credit request. Providing our

customers the best possible support is our priority. While most topics

can be addressed via email communication, there are issues that

require live interaction. We need to establish a free flowing line of

communication which cannot be achieved through email.

Furthermore, for the safety and security of the account certain

account information (for authentication purposes) are needed to be

asked. This will ensure that we are dealing with the account holder

and/or an authorized person on the account. Asking for account

information is for your own protection and guards against someone

making changes to your account without permission.

You may reach your local office at:

[local office address, phone number, and hours]

Since it is likely there are several local offices near you, you can

determine which one is most convenient to you by following this link:

http://www.comcast.com/customers/contactus/paymentcenter/locatePaymentCenter.ashx

Once you access the site, enter your address and Zip Code, and then

click "Submit". If the system cannot determine your local office

location by your address, you may be asked for more information to

clarify your location.

To ensure the time you need to spend in contacting us is as short as

possible, I suggest you have the following information available:

1. Name on the account

2. Complete service address

3. Telephone number associated with the account

4. One of the following:

4.1. Last four digits of the account holder's Social Security Number

4.2. Account Number

4.3. Last payment date and amount

4.4. Services listed on the account.

As part of our Comcast Customer Guarantee, you can always contact us

at your convenience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling

1-800-COMCAST (1-800-266-2278) or going online:

https://www.comcastsupport.com/chatentry

Please take note of the following reference number should you contact

us regarding the same issue: [redacted].

Thank you for choosing Comcast, Susan. We appreciate you sharing your

concerns as we continue to strive for complete customer satisfaction.

We value your business with us. Have a great day.

Thank you for choosing Comcast. We value your business and have a

great day, Susan.

Sincerely,

[N]

Comcast Customer Care Specialist

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This would all be very well and good if Susan had the time to take off work and visit her local payment center. She doesn't.

We sent Susan over to Comcast's Twitter team of customer response ninjas, and that had a sort of magical effect. "Comcast was very much more responsive after mentioning you. You are amazing!!!" she wrote back. Hurray!

by Laura Northrup via The Consumerist