Comcast Brilliance (Not)

Update: It two minutes or so to solve via email after getting contacted by National Customer Care, and 28+ minutes in a chat. See below for the gory details.

Two Three Four great examples of Comcast’s brilliance…in one screenshot.

EcoBill is a great feature — if you can’t get your bill to download, you can’t print it out. A clear win for the “green” movement. (Of course you also don’t get a copy of your bill, even electronically.)

A chat window that requires you to scroll the text area to view the chat. Resize the window, nope doesn’t help.

A customer service rep that wants me to “go to my local office” (involving driving) to get a copy of the EcoBill I’m supposed to be able to download electronically.

And an email option that doesn’t work to get a copy of the transcript.

You really should read on…

Click on the image to view the full-size image.

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Source: Brandon/Comcast

Good Design

And I took the screenshot at 10:52, as of 11:04 I’m still in the chat. The “brilliance” continues…here’s the chatlog

user Brandon_ has entered room
Brandon(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:48:41 GMT-0500 (EST))>
Ask Comcast Escalation
analyst Jaime has entered room

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:48:49 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Hello Brandon_, Thank you for contacting Comcast Live Chat Support. My name is Jaime. Please give me one moment to review your information.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:48:53 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Hi, how are you doing?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:49:15 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Well I’d be better if I could read your entire messages without having to scroll to the right…

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:49:47 GMT-0500 (EST))>

My apologies.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:49:51 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Anyway, hopefully you received the question that I entered into askComcast

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:50:02 GMT-0500 (EST))>

“I’ve signed up for EcoBill but for the last week the system has not let me print my January 2010 bill”

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:50:25 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I keep getting “We’re sorry, the system could not process your request at this time.”

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:50:48 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I see.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:50:58 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Let me check on the information here for you Brandon.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:51:52 GMT-0500 (EST))>

May I have the account number please?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:53:35 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I’m guessing it’s xxxxxxxxxx8304

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:54:22 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Thank you.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:55:27 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Where you able to print a statement Brandon even once, or not at all?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:55:57 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Yes, I have been doing it for months

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:56:19 GMT-0500 (EST))>

and I just tried another browser to see if it was a problem with the Microsoft-based programming you’re using

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:56:32 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I can successfully download the December bill

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:56:39 GMT-0500 (EST))>

…for example

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:57:24 GMT-0500 (EST))>

But can you print the december or its just the same like the january bill you tried to print/

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:58:05 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I can download and print December

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:58:09 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I cannot download January

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 22:58:28 GMT-0500 (EST))>

as I said before, “I keep getting “We’re sorry, the system could not process your request at this time.””

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:00:02 GMT-0500 (EST))>

What browser you are using now Brandon?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:00:54 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I tried with Firefox 3.5.7, Firefox 3.6, Safari 4.0.4

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:01:15 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I seriously doubt it’s the browser

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:01:19 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I believe you’re using a mac pc?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:01:35 GMT-0500 (EST))>

No, I’m using a Mac, not a pc

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:01:50 GMT-0500 (EST))>

As I said before I can download the December version of the bill

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:02:11 GMT-0500 (EST))>

so unless Comcast has put some different code in for accessing the January bill, it’s not the browser or the platform

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:02:24 GMT-0500 (EST))>

it’s a problem somewhere with Comcast’s billing system

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:02:55 GMT-0500 (EST))>

can you request that a duplicate copy of my bill be generated on paper and sent to me?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:03:32 GMT-0500 (EST))>

or can you tell me why I can’t download the January bill from the system?

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:04:08 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I check on the account here Brandon, I don’t see any information that may cause the error you’re getting.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:04:51 GMT-0500 (EST))>

You can change the settings on you’re online account Brandon so that you would still be able to receive a bill statement per month.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:05:20 GMT-0500 (EST))>

that may do for future bills

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:05:29 GMT-0500 (EST))>

but I asked, “can you request that a duplicate copy of my bill be generated on paper and sent to me?”

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:05:42 GMT-0500 (EST))>

as in, can you send me a paper copy of my January bill?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:06:02 GMT-0500 (EST))> since the EcoBill service is working so well, I can’t view my detailed bill at all

But wait, it gets better…

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:06:19 GMT-0500 (EST))>

You can get a copy of your january bill, through the nearest local office Brandon.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:07:13 GMT-0500 (EST))>

you want me, to go to my local office to get a copy of the bill that I’m supposed to be able to get electronically?

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:07:24 GMT-0500 (EST))>

please tell me that your script didn’t just tell you to say that

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:08:23 GMT-0500 (EST))>

There are two ways you can get a copy of your bill Brandon.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:10:07 GMT-0500 (EST))>

and those two ways are???

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:10:48 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Through the local office and through the settings online.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:11:15 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:11:15 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Let me try to make a request here on my end Brandon.I really want to help you with this.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:11:32 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Just give me a moment to check on my resources here.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:16:49 GMT-0500 (EST))>

…

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:18:19 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I search here Brandon on what other ways we can give you your copy for january but as of the moment, those are the only information Brandon.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:18:36 GMT-0500 (EST))>

do you have a supervisor I can chat wiht

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:18:38 GMT-0500 (EST))>

er with

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:18:41 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I can give you a number for the local office so you can request if they can email it you instead.

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:18:57 GMT-0500 (EST))>

Without you going to the local office instead.

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:19:16 GMT-0500 (EST))>

that doesn’t make any sense

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:20:28 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I’ll just call somewhere later, I’ve wasted 28 minutes here already

Brandon_(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:21:09 GMT-0500 (EST))>

if you’re still there, good-bye

Jaime(Sun Jan 24 2010 23:21:24 GMT-0500 (EST))>

I do apologize Brandon.

Wait it gets even better…

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Source: Brandon/Comcast

Why have an email option if it doesn't work?

At this point, I hope someone from Comcast’s customer support that monitors blogs and the web contacts me, like last time. At least I had time to put together this post while waiting on “Jaime”.

But really, is anyone surprised?

Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 1:13 PM

Hi I got this message from Mark Casem.

The phone number for the account is xxx.xxx.xxx, please send a copy of the bill to xxxxxx@mura or send a paper copy to the address of record.

Brandon

On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:34 PM,

Hi Brandon,
Mark asked that I look into this. I will forward your most current statement in the morning as I do not have access to our billing system at the moment. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Best,
Detreon Roberts
National Customer Operations – DMO
Comcast Corporate
Comcast will deliver a superior experience to our customers every day.
Our products will be the best and we will offer the most customer-friendly and reliable service in the market.

Sent: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:46 PM

Hi, thanks.

It didn’t seem like this was that hard a thing to accomplish. Total time in email. Oh 1 minute. Total time in a chat trying to resolve the same issue, over 28 minutes.

Brandon

On Tue, Jan 26, 2010 at 11:47 PM,

I agree, we should have been able to get this done faster for you. I am looking into the experience and I will definitely share the feedback with leadership.

Best,
Detreon Roberts

National Customer Operations – DMO
Comcast Corporate

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