this is the thread where we bemoan the existence of TIME WARNER CABLE and its hideous service and its monopoly over all other cable tv/internet providers

I love the pre-recorded "we are currently experiencing service outages in Manhattan in the vicinity of [insert my address only here]."

They are the lessors of the worst electronic equipment I have ever encountered.

also since everything's working fine now ("now" = RIGHT now, at this moment), there's no point of comparison between the modem we're using and whatever else they test when/if they finally get here.

2) as soon as i hung up w/ customer service my roadrunner went back down and has konked out three times since

3) i'm beginning to think this is a conspiracy

4) "sittin' on the dock of the bay" is INGENIOUS hold music

At which point he goes downstairs never to be seen again.

To top things off, Time Warner never actually mailed me my cable modem either, like I was told. I eventually called them and was told that someone screwed up and it was waiting at a location all the way downtown for me. I told the guy no way in hell I was going downtown when there was a Time Warner location in my neighborhood, walking distance on a nice day.

The upshot is that I'm getting a couple months of free cable out of it, so at least you might have that to look forward to, jody.

so like is it a thing in New York where no ones HD cable works between 8 and 11, because this seems to happen to everyone

more like The City That Never Watches HD TV between 8 and 11 pm

I called to ask how much cable would cost, said no thanks, they added it anyway, billed me, and when I called to cancel (after like five different long phone calls/chats) they put me on my old plan at a new higher price. I've been angrily trolling their facebook page all day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/business/media/comcast-time-warner-cable-deal.html?rref=homepage&module=Ribbon&version=origin®ion=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Home%20Page&pgtype=article

excerpt:
Regulators declared victory on Friday after Comcast and Time Warner Cable confirmed that they had aborted their $45 billion merger, which would have created a truly national cable company with unprecedented control over the future of the country’s television and broadband markets.

The unraveling of the deal came after Attorney General Eric Holder told Justice Department lawyers at a meeting two weeks ago that they had his support in deciding to challenge the transaction, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The collapse quickly set off a new round of deal chatter. On Friday, bankers representing Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications, the regional cable operator, started early talks, according to one person with knowledge of the discussions. Last year Charter, backed by the billionaire John C. Malone, lost out to Comcast in the bidding for Time Warner Cable, and Mr. Malone had said they would try again if the Comcast takeover fell through.

malone has balls, i guess. he's as responsible as anyone for the current media landscape in the US, for better and (mostly) for worse.

i read ars technica a lot on this stuff, and it's gratifying that i seem to be noting a shift in the attitudes of the commenters there. years ago there was a lot of psuedo-randian libertarian stuff that seems pretty rampant in tech circles. but all the debate around net neutrality seems to have really opened folks' eyes to the dangers of monopoly and oligopoly and there seems to be consensus support for government regulation. i'm hoping this signifies a broader shift, but maybe it's just the one website.

otm.

Personally I am glad to now be living in a Comcast-free zone. I had it at my last place and the service was dreadful, and when it came time to move I was glad to learn I would now be living in territory carved out by the OTHER US internet provider (monopolies carving up territory mob-style!). I cancelled Comcast and returned my hardware and paid my remaining balance. Only to get a letter in the mail saying I still owe $100 for equipment charges. I ignored this letter because I had already given them back the equipment, and had a receipt to prove it. A month after that I got another letter in the mail, this time from a collections agency, about this $100 they wanted from me. Time to get on the phone w Comcast and explain why they do not deserve any more of my money. 30 minutes on call waiting, then 15 minutes of going from one service rep to the next, CS reps barraging me with offers and special promotions rather than fixing my issue. At the end, I got in touch with someone who pulled up my account on their computer, and of course my receipt for returning the equipment had been processed and confirmed months ago, and yes I didn't owe any money.

What a relief to know I didn't owe any additional money for services I didn't receive! So glad the burden was on me to wade through customer service in order to stop collectors and possible legal action against me for something I didn't get! When something like this happens I get on the phone and am pretty terse about it, I want this taken care of and I want it taken care of now kind of thing. I bet a lot of customers simply look at the bill, curse Comcast, and pay it, hoping they will just leave them alone. That is a shitty way to do business.

The company is too big for customer service to even be a factor. I'm sure they look at service issues and think "Instead of fixing this, let's let our CS reps handle it" because once you are on the phone you are back in the marketplace and they will just try and sell you more and more. Service sucks? Maybe you should consider upgrading!