My wife loves the Olympics. So every couple of years, we get a cable for just long enough to enjoy it. I always pay a premium price for this privilege - cable without a contract is always the most expensive way to go.
Unfortunately for me, this year I forgot, and my wife missed the inaugural events. She was bummed. Finally, last night, I put everything else on hold, and sat down to order cable service.
We get our cable from Comcast. And boy was I excited to discover that just by adding the Digital Starter cable package, my wife would be able to watch the Olympics on the web. (Nothing soothes disappointment like a surprise.)
So, I tried.
Almost 12 hours after I was told my wife would be able to watch the Olympics within an hour, I still can't access the service.
Ordering the Digital Starter package required that I chat with someone to finalize my order. What follows is a transcript of that chat. It's a "fun" read but not a light one, so if you want to, you can just jump to the takeaway.
Prashast: Hello Aaron, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Prashast. Please give me one moment to review your information.
ME: thanks
ME: just want to watch the olympics
Prashast: Thank you for choosing Comcast.Before we start for today, may I know how are you doing today?
ME: trying to complete order of digital starter cable package
ME: i'll be great if my wife can watch the olympics right now
Prashast: Sure, i will definately assist you with this today.
Prashast: Please allow me a minute to pull up your account related information.
ME: go, go, go
Prashast: Thank you
A few minutes later, I'm still pretty excited...
ME: hello?
Prashast: Yes i am here ME.
Prashast: May I have your account number and last four digits of your SSN to verify your account, please
ME: don't have account number
ME: ****
ME: *** ******* ****
ME: winchester, va *****
Prashast: Thank you
Prashast: ME, i would like to tell you as i can see that you want to watch Olympic very soon so for that i have a suggestion for you that i am going to add dig. starter package to your account and to watch Olympic soon you just need to go the local cenre and need to get the self installation kit from there.
This is where things start getting weird. First of all, I already knew what I needed - the Digital Starter package. Why he needed to "suggest" that at this point, I have no idea. But more to the point of my frustration, this is where he begins suggesting that I need a self installation kit in order to proceed...
ME: no
ME: i want to watch it online
ME: i should be able to do that now right?
Prashast: Alright.
Prashast: Let me tell you the options.
ME: ...
ME: if this is going to cost me more money then i want to cancel the whole thing
ME: the website said "click here to upgrade now"
ME: so I did
ME: i want instant gratification
ME: if i can't have olypmics right now online, then i want to cancel the whole thing
Prashast: Let me tell you, you can watch online free only if you have cable package in your account.
ME: right...
ME: that's what i just paid for right?
Prashast: That is the thing you were told online.
ME: It literally says
ME: "Upgrade your service now to watch this network"
ME: it doesn't say anything about waiting
ME: it doesn't say anything about needing to drive anywhere to purchase equipment
ME: it says "now"
Prashast: So for this you need to add digital starter package to your account and then you will be able to watch this online.
ME: that is what i just did through the order form
ME: but it required me to talk to you to complete the order
ME: is the order completed?
ME: it still won't let me watch it... so i'm guessing not
Here, clearly, we establish that I'm only going to proceed with my order if we can watch the service tonight.
Prashast: Yes you are right.I am telling you to to get the self installation kit if you wish to connect tv for the cable.I can add digital starter from here and you can watch the Olympic online in few time.
ME: if few time = tonight, then you've got a deal
Prashast: Digital Starter, will cost you $29.99/month for 12 months with two years contract. From 13-24 months it will be $49.99/month.
Prashast: But for this you need a box which you will get in the self installation kit.
ME: i'm going to cancel after the olympics
ME: i don't want the two year contract
Prashast: Then it will cost you $39.99/month for 6 months without contract. From 7-12 months it will be $59.99/month.
Prashast: Should i add it to your account?
ME: yes
ME: $39.99/month no contract
Prashast: Thank you
ME: digital starter
ME: right?
Prashast: Yes.
ME: done, turn me on boss
I thought we were on the same page. This is when it gets weird.
Prashast: You will take the SIK from local store or you want me to add it and delivered to you?
ME: i'll pick it up thanks
Prashast: You are welcome.
Prashast: Please allow me a couple of minutes to process your order.
Prashast: While I am processing your order let me share the Comcast Customer guarantee with you. - Our goal is to provide you with a consistently superior customer experience - that's our guarantee. Learn more about the Comcast Customer Guarantee at http://www.comcast.com/corporate/Customers/CustomerGuarantee.html?fss=customer guarantee
ME: ok
Prashast: Please let me know would you like to add any authorized user to your account?
ME: no
ME: my wife is going to fall asleep dude
ME: when can i watch the olympics!?
Prashast: As i told you before i ma adding the package right now and when you will get the SIK you will be able to watch it online. To watch online you will need the box which you will receive in SIK>
Wait... what? I need a SIK? What's that again? Oh yeah. The self installation kit. And why exactly do I need that to watch something online, using the same computer I'm using to have this conversation with him, using Internet access that is also, sadly, provided by Comcast...?
ME: NO
ME: that is not what you said
ME: "So for this you need to add digital starter package to your account and then you will be able to watch this online."
ME: "Yes you are right.I am telling you to to get the self installation kit if you wish to connect tv for the cable.I can add digital starter from here and you can watch the Olympic online in few time."
Prashast: ME, i have told you about this when i told you about the prices.
ME: and i said that if few time meant tonight, then we were good
ME: you said tonight
ME: i can't drive anywhere and get anything tonight
ME: it's 11 pm
ME: the stores are all closed dude
ME: ?
Then, as if I haven't been following along, he reiterates, for extra confusion.
Prashast: "But for this you need a box which you will get in the self installation kit."
ME: why can't the service be turned on so that i can access it online
ME: i do not understand why i need the self installation kit
ME: to make accessing something online possible
Prashast: As i told you before Aaron, you need box to watch it online and the cable package should be activated.
Prashast: You can create a Comcast Username at www.MyComcastID.com. You will need the last 4 digits of your Social Security number, birthday and phone number to verify your account.
Why is he telling me that I need to create a username? I already have one, already attached to my account...
ME: why do i need a box to watch it online?
ME: what is in the box?
ME: i have a comcast username
ME: ************@comcast.net
This next part is really unbelievable. After all this discussion, he thinks I'm confused enough to need to have Carson Daly explain it all to me again. Sadly, this was never to be...
Prashast: To learn more, watch this two-minute video: http://xfinitytv.comcast.net/tv/Olympics-2012%3A-Sport-Previews/175679/2250314352/Carson-Daly-Explains-Authentication/videos
ME: i can't even watch that
ME: it says i need to upgrade silverlight plugin
ME: and that takes me to a big fat error page
ME: what a giant waste of time
ME: i was very upfront with you about this
ME: i was very clear
ME: i wanted instant gratification
ME: you could and should have told me that wasn't possible
ME: and this conversation would have ended 15 minutes ago
ME: so please help me understand why
ME: i need a box to activate an online service?
ME: what is in the box?
Prashast: I apologize for this but you need a box to watch it online.witout the box you will not receive required signals.
ME: ?
ME: what the heck dude
ME: i have internet access
ME: at my house
ME: via comcast
ME: what box do i need?
ME: that doesn't make any sense
ME: hello?
Prashast: Yes, I am here. Sorry for the delay.
ME: is the delay because i'm going to get to watch the olympics now?
Here he takes one final stab at explaining to me how the service actually works, you know, because that's the part I'm confused about...?
Prashast: To watch online, simply 1. Visit www.xfinity.com/NBCOlympics and select a video you would like to watch. 2. A pop-up window may appear, asking you to select your Pay TV provider - Select “Comcast”. (If you are accessing from home, this step will be skipped) 3. If you have not already signed-in on www.xfinitytv.com, the sign-in page will appear. Enter your Comcast Username and Password. 4. Click Sign In 5. Start watching
ME: trying...
ME: it's still telling me i'm not authorized
Prashast: Because you need to add the dig. starter package to your account that i was going to add.
Prashast: Should i add it to your account?
ME: !?
ME: YES
ME: for crying out loud
Prashast: Please allow me a minute.
ME: waiting...
ME: you've had a minute
ME: dude is this going to work or not
ME: you're totally wasting my time
Prashast: I have added the package to your account and you will be able to watch it with in an hour.
Prashast: I have Digital Preferred to your account and your monthly bill will be $39.99/month for 6 months without contract. From 7-12 months it will be $59.99/month.
ME: right, thanks
ME: we've been through that
ME: are we done here?
Prashast: Would there still be anything else that I can help you with before you go?
Prashast: yes we are all set.
Prashast: I hope I was able to provide you with the concrete advice today.
Prashast: Take good care of yourself, good bye!
ME: oh yeah, concrete like a brick wall buddy
ME: it's not your fault
Prashast: Have a great day!
ME: this entire experience has been terrible
Prashast: Sorry for the inconvenience Aaron.
Prashast: Would there still be anything else that I can help you with before you go?
ME: no
ME: thanks
Prashast: You are welcome.
Prashast: Have a nice day. Bye.
Now, honestly, my day is not ruined by this experience. This is definitely what one might call a first world problem.
What bothers me is that at the heart of this really bad experience are two problems:
1. The user experience that Comcast has built for watching the Olympics online is deeply flawed.
This is something we've grown to expect from monolithic service providers like Comcast. Someone inside Comcast knows how shitty this experience is, but that someone is not empowered to fix the problem.
2. Clearly, I was unable to communicate effectively with the person who stood between me and the service I was trying to pay for
The second problem is something that American consumers have been conditioned to accept - we'll pay hundreds and thousands of dollars for services or products, only to be thrust into limbo as soon as we need support.
As a small business owner who licenses software online, I can afford to make neither of these mistakes. I frequently support people who speak English as a second language, and the communication barrier that often ensues is never allowed to cast a negative light on the experience of getting support from my company. Sometimes, if the exchange is particularly difficult, I'll simply refund the purchase price - this costs me nothing because the marginal cost of selling a new license is effectively zero, and the surprise it generally brings from the customer is worth every "penny" of the opportunity cost.
Here's where, I think, Comcast is missing the boat. If the Olympics are going to be available to watch online, and in fact they are, and if you're going to provide a way in which for people to purchase access to this service with no long-term commitment (it's $40 + taxes), then how do you justify these real costs:
Paying someone in a foreign country, however underpaid this person might be, to review my order before it's processed
Paying for free-to-me self installation kits, which in my case isn't even necessary because (a) I want to watch online, and (b) I'm going to be canceling the service within 30 days
Paying for Carson Daly to record a tutorial video which (a) doesn't play in my browser, (b) isn't designed to convince an undecided buyer to purchase the service, and (c) doesn't provide me with any knowledge over and above what I already knew from reading the text on the pages leading up to purchasing the service...
There are lessons to be learned here - about what not to do to earn the respect and gratification of your customers. Will Comcast do anything to change this outcome? Probably not. It's way too late for the Olympics, and besides: Comcast controls their market (for now), so what would be their motivation?
So in the end the lessons are there for me to learn, about how not to treat my own customers, potential and current, and they are here in my blog for anyone else to learn. Because everyone in business is in customer service.
