Almost anyone that has tried to cancel cable service, wireless service, or a gym membership knows how difficult it can be to do over the phone, but a recent call to Comcast by one customer might take the cake for the worst of them all. Ryan Block, formerly of Engadget and now at AOL, called Comcast to cancel his service, but instead of politely obliging and going ahead with his request, the representative on the line insisted on taking him through a circular argument to find out the reason why he was canceling service.
Block was able to capture about eight minutes of the call and has posted the audio to his Soundcloud account for the rest of us to enjoy (or sympathize with, if you’ve been in that situation before). It’s pretty painful to listen to, and even though it sounds like something straight out of a hidden camera TV show, Block insists that it was not a prank (he even asked the rep during the call if it was indeed a prank). Grab a cup of coffee and give a listen to the call below.
Editor’s Note: It has been my own personal experience that it takes an ACT of GOD or of Government to make this Elephant move. I experiences this in my own porting of a number years ago. Without the help of a state legislator in Washington State who happened to have a ComCast lobbyist standing in his office when I called. It would NEVER have gotten done. As it was it took over 3 months.
UPDATE:
Comcast posted a statement on Tuesday 7/15/2014 saying they are “very embarrassed for the way [their] employee spoke with Mr. Block and Ms. Belmont and are contacting them personally to apologize.”
They also tweeted this statement to “Mr. Block.”
.@Ryan we are sorry & embarrassed by what happened. We’re determined to be better. We clearly have more work to do. http://t.co/keQQM14KKr
