I'm writing this in the afternoon on Aug 21, 2007.

THE SITUATION...
I called Comcast on Aug 13, 2007 (8 days ago) and reported that my Cable TV service was unusable. I have three Comcast cable boxes and have no usable service on any on them. I reported that there is some error-laden signal present on the cable but it's too error-laden to produce intelligible video images and sound. The video is so error-laden that the picture either freezes solid or has so many pixilation’s and split screens and delays that images are not recognizable. The audio is mostly silent with half-second bursts of unrecognizable sounds intermittently popping through the silence . The signal is so bad that the cable box sometimes switches channels by itself -- apparently, it's searching for a signal it can convert to a picture and sound.

Comcast's Response...
Comcast's response was "Oh, that's not good. We'll send a service tech out to your home seven days from now." I responded that seven days was outlandish and that they had to respond more quickly than that to a service interruption. Comcast's response was: "That's the earliest we can get there".

On Friday night-- after four days of no TV service -- I called Comcast again and complained strongly that I wanted my service restored ASAP -- today, not in a week or more. Comcast responded that they would send a service tech out first thing Sunday morning.

On Sunday morning, a tech arrived and checked things out. He reported that the signal had thousands of errors per second and that the source of the problem was Comcast's cable, not any of the connections to my house or in any of the cable boxes in my house. The tech said he had to place an order with the "lines department" to fix the signal problem. I asked him to expedite that order as Sunday was my sixth day without service. He said he would. I asked if I needed to do anything to follow this up. to make certain it happened. He said "no".

On Monday morning, I called Comcast service anyway. I wanted to make certain a repair order had been placed and that someone would arrive to restore service. The Comcast rep checked and reported that someone would arrive at the end of the day to fix the problem.

On Monday afternoon around 4:00pm, I called Comcast service again and asked them to confirm that a service tech from the "lines department" was scheduled to arrive and fix the problem. The Comcast rep assured me that a tech was scheduled to arrive between 7:00pm and 9:00pm and that he was from the "lines department". I asked for the ID of the service tech who would arrive. The Comcast rep said the tech's ID showed on their screen but they were not allowed to provide that information to me.

On Monday night at 9:15pm, I called Comcast and asked where is the service tech who should have arrived between 7:00 and 9:00pm? (The service tech did not call to say he was delayed or to provide any status.) I got some gobbledygook response from the rep and asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor apologized that the service tech did not arrive and apologized that the service tech did not call. The rep said the service tech only completed half of his assignments and that he didn't know why. I asked him to escalate my problem up his management chain and get someone to restore my cable service. The supervisor said someone would call me back shortly (Monday night).

No one called.

On Tuesday morning, August 21, 2007, MY EIGHTH DAY WITHOUT SERVICE, I called Comcast service and asked to speak to a supervisor. I reported the situation, the fact that I was in MY EIGHTH DAY WITHOUT SERVICE, and summarized Comcast's failed promises to restore service. The supervisor, John, evidenced no surprise that I was in MY EIGHTH DAY WITHOUT SERVICE. He said that Comcast service repairs normally take between 7 to 10 business days. Let me repeat the supervisor’s statement: “COMCAST SERVICE REPAIRS NORMALLY TAKE BETWEEN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS”. You sure don’t get that type of information in their advertising, do you? The supervisor then assured me that someone would be sent to restore my service today. I asked what time and was told that they didn't have a time. When I asked why I couldn’t get a time, the rep said I did not have to be at home since the repair did not involve anything inside my house.

It's now Tuesday at 5:00pm on August 21, 2007, MY EIGHTH DAY WITHOUT SERVICE. I have no confidence that anyone will arrive to restore it.

AND COMCAST WANTS TO BE MY TELEPHONE SERVICE PROVIDER!?!?

N O T A C H A N C E!

I called Comcast service at 5:00pm, went through their various menus and waits, and, when the rep came on the line, I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor came on the line introduced himself as Michael and promptly dropped the call. I found myself talking to a dial tone. Wouldn’t you think the supervisor would attempt to call me back? They’ve got my number. I have to give it to them each time I call so they can call up their records. But no, no call back. I tried calling Comcast service back and, for the last ten minutes, all I can get is a fast busy signal.

As I said above, it’s MY EIGHTH DAY WITHOUT SERVICE. I still have no cable service and no confidence that anyone will arrive to restore it. The only thing in which I’m confident is that no one in Comcast’s management gives a ____. They’ve done an admirable job of insulating themselves from their customers. Our only answer is to stop giving them our business.