Tuesday, June 2, 2009

TWC - WTH were you thinking???


I'm going to take a moment and do what my husband may say I do best at times, and rant. So instead of my typical fluff posting of recent months, I'm going to make this one all about complaining and ranting.... if that bugs you - then I guess, well, what are you doing still reading???

Gather round' kids, it's storytime in Sarahland... actually I'm going to give the cliffnotes version.

We opted out of TWC for our cable provider after 12 long years of service with them, so last Saturday we took the cable box back and made sure that our internet service would stay the same, because it's the only really decent internet provider in the area. SO, I get my receipt showing canceled cable service and remaining internet service and we're on our way. We already had Direct TV installed several weeks ago and were having problems with a few channels so we had a service appt. set for Thursday of last week to get that corrected, so fast forward to Thursday...

Thursday morning after we got home from taking big E to school, I decided to stick little J in the bath because he was really stuffy and a bath always seems to help open his airways up a bit when he's stuffy. While he was playing in the bath DTV called me to ask if they could come to the house early because of schedule changes on their end and I asked them to give me 15 min to get the kid out of the bath, but otherwise, sure. So I get little J out of the bath and get downstairs to see a Time Warner Cable van in my driveway (yes, NOT Direct TV)?? I was puzzled, so I stepped outside and asked the total arsehole gentleman what he was there for, and he said to me in a condescending voice "ma'am, you DID change your services" and I replied, "right, but no one notified me that you'd be here today and I didn't receive a courtesy call, which has always been the case in the past 12 years with you guys so I hope you can understand why I am puzzled that you're here." (needed the jerk to know I wasn't an idiot to their practices in general) He again replied "ma'am (as if I'm 12) I'm here to downgrade your services, ok?" I'm a bit annoyed because he's pulling the waffle house "ok sweetie" tone with me that I loathe and I decided to leave it alone, I said "Ok, please verify on your work orders that our internet service is to remain the same" he said AGAIN with the "you idiot" tone "yes, you're downgrading your CABLE because you opted out of CABLE ma'am, not internet, your internet will not be interrupted because that's an entirely different line".... I said "great!! thanks, and have a great day!!" and walked in the house....

5 minutes later, when he was leaving my driveway - my internet was DOWN. So I called TWC, got the run around for several minutes then finally they called him over dispatch after I told them that this seemed almost intentional and I hear him say "oh, I thought I had disconnected the right one but I wasn't sure." RIGHT - wasn't sure my rear end. So they tell me he's headed back to our house and after his tone and attitude w/ me I asked them that he not even come to the door this time, just do what he needs to do outside and leave. I was furious!

Direct TV arrives during my phone call, and he's amused, he also tells me that HE could reconnect it for me at the outside box but he'd just let TWC do their thing.... SO, TWC arrives shortly after DTV does, and that was interesting. The TWC guy is in the yard for a while and I tell the DTV guy who's in my house that I need to go stick the kid in the bed for his nap and I'll be back in 2 minutes, I walk back down my stairs and guess who let himself in (without knocking) the TWC guy!! I asked the DTV guy if HE let him in and he said "NO MA'AM, I'd get fired for that!!"... so this guy let himself into my house!!!! Not only that, he didn't even speak to me, just stood there staring at me while he put his shoe covers on. I finally said "do you need to ck my modem or something?" he nodded yes, and I pointed him to it. He was upstairs for 15 min, then walked out of the house, then WALKED BACK IN without knocking (each time before with TWC and with DTV, anytime they come or go they knock... courtesy? Anyway, the last time he walked in, he came into the kitchen, said "its up" and then walked off.... nothing else. No apology, no have a good day - nothing.

The Direct TV guys had to pick their jaws up off of the ground and couldn't believe how the man treated me. All I can say is WOW. Daniel with Time Warner Cable, WOW. You have to know that I fully understand that people have bad days, people make mistakes, it happens - but letting yourself into someones home is not appropriate.... knock first dude.

So I want to know - TWC, what the HE%# kind of service is that after spending TONS on cable and internet for the past 12 years???? We're debating on dropping internet and going with a different provider, the only problem with that is I've had the same email address for a VERY long time, and so has my hubs. We both depend on that email address for our income to a degree, because we both do alot of work from home.... argh - I'm frustrated...... Took a photo of the two vans in my driveway because it was amusing at one point or another - took it with the crappy camera because I didn't want to be obvious and walk out to the yard and take a good one with the good camera. I haven't handled this with the company yet - but I plan to - this week, somehow.

6 comments:

Michael F said...

Ha! You do have a knack for the rant. Very nice. I think you should start your own service where you call bill collectors for people and give them the "whatfor" as we say in the south (have no idea what that means but it is supposed to be bad).

On a side note... It would be a pain to switch e-mails, if you do, go with gmail or yahoo, just something that is not tied to a ISP. Heather and I got tired of changing our e-mail addys all the time so it has worked out well for us at gmail.

Lisa said...

send 'em a link to yer blog! That'll show 'em!

Shanna said...

I'm so glad I stopped by here from your WW post on your other blog. Thanks for sharing.

sharnee said...

Oh man! How RUDE! You held it together pretty well I think, considering the rudeness! I hate crappy customer service so much! But I guess there is crappy customer service and then there is this!!!

Also... my husband never says that I 'rant' (like yours does! how cheeky! I bet you don't really) but mine always says that I 'nag' - aka: asking him a question. Men are so silly!

Debo Hobo said...

That is acactly why I too canceled TWC. They are rude on the phone, but I never had an issue with the field guys though.

Banteringblonde said...

WOW I'd have given the guy a piece of my mind before he left!