Kvetching about the cable guy

My cable TV is not working correctly, and the cable guy blew me off this afternoon. The customer service rep on Wednesday went through the remote diagnostic procedures, but resetting my cable card didn't reset my access to the premium channels that I am paying extra for. We set up an appointment for Friday between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.; I made sure I was home, awake, and in reach of a phone at all times. I had given them my home number as a primary contact, and, since they insisted on having a backup contact number, I gave them my cellphone number, too. Since I was in my own home, though, I didn't have my cellphone turned on. I figured that the cable people would have the common sense to try the primary contact number first, and only try the secondary number if there was no answer on the primary. But no, at 2:58 p.m., the cable guy called my cellphone. The call rang over to voicemail, so he just hung up without leaving a message and crossed me off his list as "not home." I now have to wait until Sunday to get my HBO and Showtime.

What bothers me most, though, is that, when I called in at 3:45 to find out where the cable guy was, the customer service rep insisted that the technician had tried both of the numbers they had listed for me, even after I explained that (1) I was home, (2) the phone was working perfectly, and (3) the phone did not ring, thereby conclusively proving that the technician did not try the primary contact number. The next glitch is no one's fault but my own: while waiting on hold for a supervisor, I accidentally hung up instead of switching back from speakerphone. I was thus deprived of the opportunity to express to the supervisor how unsatisfactory an experience I had today with Comcast Cable. Ptui.

When I called back, they offered to have one of their "go-back" teams come by before the end of the day. A guy came right at 6:00, but all he was able to do is poke around and tell me, "Yeah, your cable's not working, but they didn't give me any parts, so I can't do anything for it." They'll send someone by on Sunday, before the crack of noon. Bleah.

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