 Image from wozaonline.co.za The amount of money we spend each year on cable services, internet connections and cellphone services is staggering considering the quality of those products. It seems as if the more technologically advanced we become, the lower the standards are on the products or services we purchase. And frequently when something goes wrong we are forced to talk to an automated system (or swear at one, as was the case for me this morning). I could be assuaged, less likely to lose my cool if this were an isolated incident, but it is becoming ever more frequent, and not just for me.
Case in point: Last night before bed, my Direct TV stopped working, the TV showing a "loss of signal" message. This morning it was still off, so I called the customer service number. They are supposed to have 24/7 tech support, and they do, but what they fail to tell you is that you cannot speak to a LIVE person except during "such and such" hours. If you have a problem that is not during those hours, you can go to the website or listen to an automated set of instructions in order to troubleshoot whatever's wrong (that are, by the way, not helpful)! When I moved into this house and got Direct TV installed in October of 2012, I was assured that since my house had a clear view of the sky, our satellite should have no problems. That, alone, should have set off all kinds of warning bells! Since that initial activation date, I have had nothing but problems and they're getting worse, while my bill continues to go up. I thought, "Maybe it's just me" until I got on their website after being unable to get a live person on the phone and there they were, hundreds of complaints just like mine (every single one of these problems below I've had at least twice since 2012)! L.G. says, "Our service has been terrible for weeks and it is very frustrating. We have pixelated signals continuously and I have called several times with poor results. It needs to be fixed before the Bronco game at two. Can’t wait to cancel next summer!!!" (...for this, they changed out all of my cable boxes THREE separate times) K. adds, "Cannot believe we gave up TWC for this awful service. We set up a series to record and when the day comes it shows that it’s not recording. Then sometimes it will show that a show is recording and you’ll go to the list and nothing’s on there. Worst cable service I have ever had." (...for this, I can count on an event like this at least once every couple of months) D.A. expresses, "Worst TV reception since rabbit ears. Takes forever to start up, goes into freeze mode in great weather. I have missed the end of 3 movies in the last 10 days after watching for 1 1/2 hours, froze in the last 5 minutes of show. Package has more repeat and garbage channels than anything else." (...this is also a common occurrence with my service) On and on they go, and the more I read them, the more I want to take my laptop and fling it off the deck in frustration! How do they stay in business? Because the alternatives are just as problematic (I know, I've changed my services through a proverbial spin-the-wheel carrier option)! And in almost all of these services, there is nearly no customer support, or when you have it, there is little to nothing they can actually do to fix many of the problems that arise (I've been told this so often, I can almost predict when that little ditty is going to come out of the rep's mouth). And do they offer you a refund for time and money you've wasted with them? In going on more than two decades of dealing with these things, I have yet to have one. Remember "back in the day", when making a decent product or providing stellar service meant something? Companies like that are becoming few and far between. I do not consider the demise of quality work/services to be progress in any way, shape, form or fashion and I am completely disgusted with a lack of good options.
2 Comments
Tad Smith
2/16/2016 09:06:03 am
Working in tech support for the last ten years I have a different point of view. First I never worked for direct TV, I did have their service. I worked for TWC and now I work for Comcast. Just a little background. First off the problems most people complain about has always been with us. Two things have happened. There is more technology than before and there Andre more people using it. So despite the fact that it seems like problems have gone up the percentage has gone down. What we also have is a means where we can complain and thousands, if not millions, can see that complaint. So now you think "It's not just me". Well it never was just you, now you just have proof it's not just you. Now look at the number of complaints in the list. It looks like a lot and if it were just your street we were talking about it would be a lot. For each one of those complaints there are thousands of people using the service who never had an issue. So the fraction of a fraction of people with an issue doesn't come close to the people with no issue.
Amy Marie Schaefer
2/16/2016 09:45:30 am
Tad, Leave a Reply. |
About The Author
I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter. Archives
August 2021
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