Is It 1999 or 2009? Time-Warner Cable Isn't Too Sure
Thursday night, a Time-Warner service problems had me on the phone on hold about 90 minutes, total -- after five calls into their system...getting dumped each time, and then finally figuring out a way to trick my way past the recorded bitch who makes you press in your phone number and account number, and then tells you there's no record of you, leaving you at a telephonic dead end. (I can't remember what I did to get through, but I don't think screaming profanity at the recording, which sometimes triggers phone systems to get a person on the line, was it.)
At the 40 minute mark, I asked for a month's credit for all the aggravation and wanton stupidity (see below) and the woman put me on hold to "verify something." Next, I was on hold another 40 minutes until some other woman got on (it had been forwarded to their national desk at that time). And let me just say that woman one had my phone number and PROMISED me she'd call me if we got disconnected. Nice! (Did she think I'd forget?)
I waited for the first 40 minutes because I figured the problem had to be with my computer since there was no news posted on their site, and I need to write in the morning, not deal with crap like this. But, it turned out there had been some big L.A. outage. Why don't they post it, I asked the first woman?They don't, she said because people don't have access to the Internet in an outage. Hello? Check your watch, clock radio, calendar or other time/date telling device. It's 2009. Many or most people have phones and various other devices to that connect to the Internet! (This is a major national cable company and they haven't figured this out?)
Why, when you call a corporation like this, do you so often feel it's mostly run by highly compensated people who've had their brains sucked out of their skulls and replaced by shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and other taco fixings?
In case you're wondering, they're the only choice of cable Internet company where I live.
I have a Comcast bundle and have had *excellent* service from them.
Time Warner might take a general leaf out of their book but in the particular outage instance:
put outages on the pre-recored phone message
Comcast does this - you have an option to check outages in your area.
How simple is that?
Who would thought that there was actually a pre-recorded menu item that was helpful!!
antoniaB at September 11, 2009 5:29 AM
Many years ago I worked for Cablevision which for a long time was the only tv service and the only decent internet service. Our phone lines were jammed and the corporate people made it nearly impossible for a rep to ever call a customer back. I never promised call backs because I knew that it only enraged the person that I could not call back and rightly so. I'm not justifying your treatment, but the complaint should be made to corporate. If you ever saw how a call center was run, you'd have pity for the reps on the phones. I'd poke my eyes out with broken bottles before I'd ever work in a call center again.
Kristen at September 11, 2009 6:41 AM
My post Mindless Verbal Taylorism talks about some of the reasons for bad customer service.
david foster at September 11, 2009 6:48 AM
A contributing factor to this kind of organizational incompetence is insufficient competition. When there are more providers of a good or service the odds increase that at least one of them will be competent, and we can opt out of using the other ones.
Wireless internet access technologies are on the cusp of replacing DSL and cable, and there are a plethora of wireless providers. Granted, the cell phone companies have their own fully-staffed Departments of Incompetency, but at least there's more than one of them.
Pseudonym at September 11, 2009 7:06 AM
I guess that would be why I don't succumb to the endless offers to move my telephone service to Time Warner. When my cable is out, I can call.
To give credit where it's due, the internet service here (Central NY) is pretty good. The quality of the TV service, not so.
MarkD at September 11, 2009 9:06 AM
If it's any consolation, and it probably isn't, Time Warner Internet was down all night in San Diego as well. The "service" dropped at about 8 p.m. and wasn't operational again until this morning...sometimes they have pre-recorded messages detailing the outages prior to entering the convoluted phone maze, but I just didn't have it in me to call last night.
CJ at September 11, 2009 9:11 AM
The more complicated the "phone tree" of recordings you encounter, the more you can be sure that you are dealing with a company that does NOT want to deal with you. Maybe you'll just go away, after all.
Jay R at September 11, 2009 11:31 AM
This site probably wouldn't be helpful in the Time Warner case, but it has quite a few other companies:
http://www.gethuman.com/
Our TW internet went out yesterday afternoon, but we're in Texas. Hmph.
ahw at September 11, 2009 1:52 PM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/09/is-it-1999-or-2.html#comment-1667265">comment from ahwThanks - forgot about that - have the link in my browser.
Amy Alkon
at September 11, 2009 2:01 PM
"In case you're wondering, they're the only choice of cable Internet company where I live."
You've just described the root of the entire problem in a nutshell
Doh-San at September 11, 2009 3:24 PM
In the Rio Grande Valley, when I am there, we call it the Stupid Factor, but it is much worse in the Valley. Ordinary tradespeople and medical people and furniture salesmen suffer from it. And, if you question it, they become extremely belligerent and start shouting at you as if you are a criminal.
My beloved daughter and her husband built a new house a few years ago. They were waiting on the door knobs. Finally after waiting several weeks, they drove to the store. She told the man there that if they didn't come that week, she was going to call the factory herself.
Her husband told her she was awfully hard on the man in the store. She is one of the sweetest and non-confrontational people I know.
Turned out the idiot somehow never got the order placed.
irlandes at September 11, 2009 4:07 PM
I don't know what kind of phone you have, but there's a neat app on the iPhone called "Dial 0", where it'll give you tips on how to get through the phone tree to a person. I've only had to use it twice, but it has worked both times.
Amy said: "In case you're wondering, they're the only choice of cable Internet company where I live."
Yeah. You know, when we were first learning about monopolies in high school, I had to ask about cable companies, phone companies, and internet providers. How is it that in a HUGE city, I can only get one company for non-dish TV? And if I want cable internet (not wireless or dsl), I only have ONE option? How does that work?
I'm still not satisfied with the answers.
cornerdemon at September 14, 2009 9:33 AM
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