Victory Over Comcast Via Twitter

I woke up a few weeks ago to the headline that Comcast was about to raise it’s rates.   My “economy tier” internet was going to go from $35 to $40 dollars, a whopping 14% increase.   While my other local telecommunications provider Qwest is an equally distasteful company, they were willing to offer me a sweatheart deal for six months with no contract.   After which, I was free to see what Comcast could offer me.

Once the Qwest DSL was up and running, I was free to unplug Comcast and cancel.   I did that on December 9th.    Last week, I received a bill, indicating that they had charged my credit card on the 14th for service through the 18th.  You read that right, five days after I canceled my service, they charged my credit card for an additional 9 days of service that I never received.

When I called them, they were happy to send me a refund in the mail that would take 4-6 weeks.   If I was pissed before, I was even more fuming.   I asked to speak to a supervisor, but the representative promised me that it was impossible for a Comcast supervisor to refund the money earlier.   I told them that if they could instantly take money from me, they could instantly return the money they fraudulently store.  I chose to hang up rather than wait on hold for a supervisor.

What A Scam

First, they charge me for an extra 9 days of service, hoping that I won’t notice.  Then, they tell me the check is in the mail.  I am sure they will, again, hope I don’t notice when the check doesn’t arrive, just like the rebate scam.

Rather than get mad, I got even.   I took to Twitter to see if I could make Comcast spring into action to immediately refund the money it fraudulently charged to my credit card.

By the end of the day, I had a message on my home answering machine indicating that I should expect a prompt refund to my credit card.

Lessons Learned

Every time there is a new media invented, it seems that companies race to conquer it.  Seemingly intractable problems are solved quickly and painlessly when you invoke the new media.   First it was email, later discussion groups, then blogs, then Facebook.  Today, you just need to tweet your problems when customer service tell you to take a hike.

Comcast fraudulently charged my credit card and admitted it.  It is sad that a simple phone call was not sufficient to make them take action.    In the end, I had to ask them, via Twitter,  if I needed to get my state’s Attorney General involved before they say fit to promptly refund the overage.

Welcome to 21st century America.