Thursday, September 24, 2009

Welcome back to the real world - I'M LIVID - F@@@ Direct Tv and Verizon

NOTE: I started to write this WEDNESDAY afternoon. About to publish, and watching CNN, I felt inspired to comment on the UN activities today. Lets roll back the clock a few hours...

Well, vacation is over it was only a matter of time that stress of the real world crept back into daily existence. I go to make a phone call today. SERVICE DISRUPTED on HOME PHONE. Why? Direct TV, which I cancelled May 28th, was still being charged to my Verizon Bill. I call up Direct TV, and they say that cancellation was not completed. I have not had a Dish on my roof since before May 28th when my landlord ripped it off and threw it out. I have been paying for Cable via Time - Warner since June 1st. It is was over priced but all I can get. CAN WE SAY MONOPOLY? Now my ass really hurts from being F*&$ed hard by corporate America. My only payback or defense is blogging. Like this is doing me much more good than throwing the TV out the window. Although that is not far from happening. I have to admit - Bitching in public, even if no one ever reads this diatribe, is so truly therapeutic. So I call up Verizon to try and separate my bill from Direct TV so that the phone is not disconnected again. Many clients call me for booking on that line. My livelihood - and that of a dozen other actors , part time a least - rely on that phone. Their answer is to pay the bill and then dispute and HOPE for payback from Direct TV. If that does not work I have to pursue via legal means. Which could take years.

Anyone have similar experience? Any ideas out there? Free legal advise?

But this leads me to a larger issue of customer service which is a blog that has been wanting to get out for years. I really don't care if the customer service is in Queens or India or Colorado. Arguing outsourcing of American jobs is left for another day. Another rant.

When was the last time anyone picked up the phone and really received SERVICE. Let alone GOOD SERVICE. I don't mean the easy things. Actually the only company that has consistently HELPED me when I call is Best Buy. I pay for their GEEK SQUAD service via warranty for my computers. They will continue to get my business as a result.

But what do you do when an entire industry is bad. Name one phone company that really cares about your satisfaction. I just know my experiences with MCI, Sprint, Verizon and numerous mobile phones leaves me thinking the industry is full of con artists. And what defense do you have over the sneaky tricks. Cause if you call to complain there is nothing they are willing to do to help. They might send out a service guy and charge you whether issues are fixed or not. Chances are you just beg and plead and get nada. Rather what you get is a migraine. Acid Reflux. Clinical Depression?

I am at a point that I suffer serious severe anxiety from the notion of having to call customer service for anything. I procrastinate out of hatred for that feeling I get in my gut. As soon as I realized there was an issue today, I got light headed. Dizzy. Ate some pasta and tuna trying to calm down - not that pasta and tuna are any great remedy, but the only pasta and good cards laying around.

While on the phone today, while i said a few colorful comments, i maintained relative calm, but my hands shaked like leaves. Jokingly but seriously saying "My ass hurts from all of the violating activity back there" (I have in the past been less clever - relatively speaking - and more vulgar in similar situations) In fact at one point I leaned over to Laurice saying, "Can you please dump that out?" pointing to my ice coffee. "I honestly can't take anymore of that AND this!"

This is one of the few things that gets me going. Bottom line customer service - 9 times out of 10 - can do nothing but talk you down from suicide over the issue their company is causing. They have no power to do real good. They follow talking points closer that politicians on the hill. Meanwhile phone companies sneak on charges to your bill, change your package plan without any notice - SAY NO TO BUNDLES!!!! - and do it all knowing that their competition is just as evil and you will eventually come right back OR will just trade spots with a fleeing refugee from across the hall. Like a Libertarian hoping Democrats will listen to their plight.

Perhaps we could have the exact same rant about Health Insurance, Car Insurance, GAS (Ever get a call to save money on your bill - hang up - it will cost you more in months to come), Slum Lords, banks and anyone else that you are forced to deal with for certain service that have industry wide corruption. They are not much better than identity thieves. At least real crooks have the honor and just take your money. These other guys are hiding behind CORPORATE POLICY!

EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH
FALL 2009 SCHEDULE OF PUBLIC EVENTS
Saturday 9/26 - Sunday 9/27
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