I have so many things that I would like to blog about. At the top of my list is a recap from our recent trip to the beach for Christopher's FIRST MARATHON! Team Timmons blogged about it...twice! and I need to as well. Instead, I spent my evening after work today writing to Time Warner Cable. To make it worth it and compensate for the lost blog post, I am sharing my feedback submission with you below. This is pasted directly from their feedback form with only one change - I censored what we pay for cable because, quite frankly, it's a little embarrassing. So without further ado, I bring you my feedback:
I got a phone call this morning from TWC. I didn't catch the woman's name but she was trying to sell the signature package. She didn't ask if I was interested but just jumped in and explained it. She was nice enough and thorough in her explanation. She got to the end of her pitch and told me we were paying $XXX before tax and this signature package would be $XXX before tax. Then asked me if I wanted to switch over.
Here's some background on my household. I don't care that much about TV. There are a few shows that I enjoy watching but I could do without them or catch them on Hulu. If I could choose my dream cable package it would be the network stations, whatever channel Breaking Bad comes on, maybe HBO & Showtime, and DVR. So, like, seven? eight? channels. My husband is the one that likes TV and we actually JUST had a conversation (which my husband started) about maybe cutting back on the cable. We use the internet - we don't have any problems with our current service. We have a phone - it rings - I typically don't answer it. I never pay attention to our answering machine and, to date, I have not been burned by that. Additionally, I think it's basically stupid to sign up for something over the phone that you have not researched. It's all "It's only another five dollars" NOW - but then it goes up $20 in two months -- but nobody would mention that over the phone! That would be silly! People wouldn't sign up. And people don't think to ask questions like that. "Five dollars? Sounds good! Sign me up!"
So - back to the story from this morning. $XXX to $XXX (before taxes, mind you). She asks me if I want to upgrade. First - are you effing kidding me?!?!? We pay THAT MUCH? EVERY MONTH??? That's our problem - not her's, so I don't even address that with her. I thank her for explaining this and tell her that I really don't pay much attention to our cable package - that my husband is the one that really likes the TV, and I asked if it would be okay if I just tell him about our conversation and have him give TWC a call if he is interested. She literally - the literal use of "literally" - laughed at me. And not just a brief chuckle. A good 10-second hearty guffaw. Then was silent for a moment. And then asked, as if I was a moron, "Well, what is it? Is it just the five dollars? I mean - you're basically paying for it anyway."
Excuse me?
Let me tell you one of the things I hate most about myself. It's that I let people throw me off guard too much and that I err on the side of caution and polite (except when it comes to written correspondence to customer service, obviously). I was trying to be polite. Because really, the two options we were dealing with this morning were "hells no" and "let me see if my husband is interested." "Yes" was not in any way on the table. Please refer back to "I don't care about TV" and "Five dollars now, $20 in two months."
Seriously, when would it EVER be appropriate to laugh at, and essentially make fun of, one of your customers?
P.S. Your dropdown menu above includes Kudos, Suggestions, Programming, Products and Services, Channel Requests, and TWC Websites. In order to make this feedback form true and relevant, here is my "suggestion": Everyone I know has used TWC at some point. I see my friends, and even strangers, routinely talk about TWC on social media. You need a "Complaints" option. And the fact that it defaults to "Kudos" is cute. Oh, and let's not forget this suggestion - DON'T LAUGH AT YOUR CUSTOMERS.
