annoyedSo at the beginning of the year, we upgraded from regular extended cable (about 90 channels) to digital cable (over 130 channels) with a DVR box. The difference was about 10-15 dollars. We scheduled the installation for January 5th, since my roomie is a teacher and was still home during the day on Winter break.
When the guy came, he refused to install the box since we have an older television (with just the video cable), and refused to hook it up through the RF modulator we had (which our DVD player is hooked up through). He leaves the box and within five minutes is out the door. My roomie, bless his heart, is high strung and did not have a clue what to do. He let the guy go and this is where the problem started.
I came home, assessed the situation, and decided to call RCN the next day. I actually ended up calling them two days later on the 7th (Saturday) due to being busy (this is important for later).
Me = ME!
CSR = tech guy at RCN
(I paraphrase btw...)
CSR: What's your sitch?
Me: So the repair guy stiffed us. I need digital cable-dvr goodness! Help!
CSR: (walks me through the basic set up with an RF Modulator, it takes all of 5 minutes.) Now test it with your remote.
Me: Oh...Oh! We didn't get one.
CSR: Say wha? The install guy didn't install the box AND didn't leave a remote?
Me: Nope!
So he was super nice, ordered a new remote, said the order would be processed Monday by Customer Service, and we'd receive it within 3-5 business days. No big.
Fast forward to today. No remote, and I'm a little angry. I called and checked on the status, and all the rep can say is "well, it *should* have mailed out..." I also went over our plan since we were missing channels. Apparently, they didn't upgrade our cable either...And now, instead of the deal we were quoted before January 1st, the deals have changed as of 1/15 and the package we wanted is no longer available. To get the (2) channels we really wanted, we'd have to get the "Digital Tier" package, which was $20 more per month than the package we were sold. It includes virtually every channel under the sun, including premium channels. I declined, and found they no longer have any middle of the road digital packages. (Their loss...I'm not paying $20 for two additional channels!)
And then the remote. I had to be blind-transferred four times, with each person telling me another department handled the work order. In the end...No one mailed it. The remote work order was still sitting there on their systems un-completed. And the nasty woman I spoke with just made the situation worse.
Me = ME!
NCSR= Nasty CSR woman
Me: So how long is this remote going to take to get here now? We've already been waiting several days, and it's nye impossible to use this DVR box without the remote.
NCSR: You ordered the remote on a Saturday, and orders are processed Monday through Friday. It was not mailed out the day you called!!!
Me: I'm aware of that, but it should be here by now even with that processing time...
NCSR: 5-7 business days from that Monday is the time frame, which means sometime this week is when you should expect it.
Me: Say What? I was told 3-5 days originally...where is this from?
NCSR: Well you were told wrong, if that's what you were told. This all sounds suspicious...
Me: What does that mean?
NCSR: Well what you have explained contradicts our notes. Our repairman said he did the job as requested.
Me: He dropped off the box and left. How is that as requested?
NCSR: He noted that your television was so old, no RCN cable box would be able to work with it...
Me: Then how did we upgrade from one of your *other* cable boxes? Huh?
NCSR: (pause) Well perhaps he meant other DVR boxes...
Me: And perhaps he meant to leave the remote too, but he didn't.
NCSR: Well, if you want it so bad you can pick one up at (such and such address) between 9am and 5pm Monday through Friday. Otherwise the original order should be there in the next few days or so...
Me: One, my room mate and I work those hours, and two, that address is on the other side of the city! There's no way I can make it over there. Could you just escalate this work order? It's already two days late by *your* normal 5-7 business day time frame...
NCSR: Fine! If you want to go there, I can send this to my escalations department.
She huffed and puffed all the way through that as well. She nearly had a cow when I cancelled our HBO through her too (since it nearly doubled in price as of January 15). I swear, she acted as if all of these things were a slight at her personally!
I'll update more when the remote control situation is resolved...or when I talk to them unsuccessfully again.