When I moved recently, I decided to switch back to Qwest from Comcast. My promotional period with Comcast had ended and I was paying nearly a hundred bucks a month for phone and Internet service.
Qwest, on the other hand, could offer all the same service for $20 less a month. So I figured it was time to go back to Qwest.
When I called Comcast to discontinue my service, they asked why I was leaving. I explained to them what I’ve just explained to you.
Her response?
“Oh, you should have called us first. Since you’ve been a customer for so long, you now qualify for a new promotional rate.”
So let me get this straight… *I* should have called *you* to get a new promotional rate?
Question: How would I have even known there was a new promotional rate I qualified for?
This is a perfect example of a company doing too little, too late. If they really wanted to keep me as a customer, *they* should’ve contacted *me* — and not the other way around.
In fact, there’s a high probability I would have remained a Comcast customer if they had called to offer me a lower rate. Their effort to lower my bill would’ve kicked my loyalty up a notch. And since I’m not much of a price shopper in the first place, I wouldn’t have switched to save $5 or $10 a month.
Lesson: Be proactive with your customers and clients. Make sure you treat them right while they’re with you — and before somebody else starts treating them better.
-Ryan M. Healy
{ 25 comments }
Too Little, Too Late: How Comcast Lost My Business: When I moved recently, I decided to switch back to Qwest fro.. http://tinyurl.com/qojnvt
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Yup, when ever I’ve called in to Comcast they’ve offered to reduce my rate. Seems pretty easy, must be their policy.
My brother said the same — that he was able to get a lower rate when he called Comcast and threatened to leave. It might work, but is that a good policy or a good way to train customers?
Ryan
Ryan,
I agree. We should have should have offered a better and lower rate when you called to cancel your service. I would like to know why this did not happen when you called. If it is not so much of a trouble, will you please let know the phone number on the account? This information will help me in understanding your experience better.
I know that you are now with a different provider, but I am willing to reach out to my contacts and see if we can get a better rate for you. If you are not interested at this time, I will understand. However, please know that I am here to assist in case you changed your mind in the future.
Regards,
Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com
No, it’s a lousy way to treat customers, and we’re finding it’s the norm. Same thing with changing from Dish network to satellite, or now to digital. They all have these enticing offers they offer you only WHEN you leave them. It’s nuts. They even continue to expend money and effort to continue calling AFTER you’ve left them, as though you’re really going to change again in the next two weeks?
My ultimate bad customer service story is AT&T though. We were using their VOIP service and the quality was terrible. When I left, not only would they NOT let me keep the number (which was on all my business cards, website, etc) but they would also NOT put a forwarding voice mail on that number. Clients and prospects simply got a dead phone line, which I heard about for months.
Bad form for sure. How much faster does this kind of publicity spread? Much faster. I’ll spare you our horror story from Alamo car rentals, suffice it to say we’ll never use them again.
I’m a big stickler on customer service, both good and bad. Our home builder has the most exceptional customer service I’ve ever seen, and we talk them up all the time and would buy another home from him in a second. I try to offer the same to my clients.
Becki
I agree with your Ryan. They should have sent some mailings or even called to tell you about the promotional offer. Silly billy, imagine that this happens all the time with most of their customers.
They will soon close up.
@ComcastMark – I appreciate the gesture. To clarify, the lady did offer me a lower rate when I called to cancel — but I had already called Qwest to switch my service. Hence, “too little, too late.”
My point is not to dog Comcast — I think they’re a good company. My point is that many companies only offer you a better deal when you call to cancel. Personally, I don’t think that’s a good policy to have because it encourages disloyalty.
@Becki – Sounds like quitting AT&T was a nightmare.
Tip: If you’re ever going to cancel phone service, and you want to keep your phone number, call your NEW service provider first and ask them to switch your service for you. Legally, they can get the number. But if YOU call to cancel before switching, then you’re out of luck.
And you’re right: bad customer service experiences spread quickly. I didn’t visit a Borders store for years because of multiple bad experiences at multiple locations. To this day, I try to avoid Borders whenever possible.
@Lela – As Becki pointed out, I think this is “par for the course” with many telecomm companies — cable service providers, satellite TV, Internet, etc. Low introductory price that graduates up after a predetermined time period.
Although they should have sent me a promotional offer before I left, I don’t imagine Comcast will be closing their doors soon. :-)
I’m ready to drop the hammer on my cable provider as well.
It really is insane.
And it happens with almost all business. They spend crazy money in advertising, chasing new customers and don’t realize the profits are right there in the business already .
Just take care of your existing customers, make it priority one to keep them … and your business will explode.
Interesting…I had the same experience here in Ohio with Time Warner.
I called to discuss dumping the digital phone service and came away with a $35.00 buck/mon reduction, and… no reduction in service!
It’s the economy stupid…I told myself. Should’ave done it sooner!
@Joe – I completely agree. If we spent as much time/effort/money keeping customers as we do getting them, business would explode.
@Robert – I’m confident the economy is playing a role in service provider’s willingness to “deal.” And I bet just about anybody could call up their phone/cable/Internet provider and get a discount in a heartbeat.
The thing is, if there are lower rates available, they should be offering them to their current customers instead of secretly hoping they don’t find out.
Ryan
Ryan,
My feeling is Comcast has grown too big for its shorts.
If you make changes to your rates…communication is of utmost importance with your current customers paying a higher rate.
What Comcast did to you sends me this message:
From Comcast to you: “We don’t value your business enough to give you an opportunity (at the very least) to take advantage of the lowest possible rates for the highest possible value of our services…unless you threaten to leave us that is…so in reality, we’re actually hiding our best rate from you intentionally.”
I understand that carries a “deception perception” ( <— that rhymes, LOL…) with it…but perception is reality.
Effective communication can control that perception.
Joe
I like Becki are a stickler for customer service. I understand someone like comcast will not keel under because a little slip up like that. However I feel that large companies at large can be complacent and forget that without customers in general they might not be there tomorrow.
I suppose coming from the UK, it is particularly demoralising to feel that most big companies and certain politician can behave with impunity. However I digress, yes you are right Comcast is a big company but you never know what tomorrow might bring them.
Even if they had lowered your rate, would it have just been another promotional rate for a limited rate of time?
It’s better to go for a good quality, good value service package when starting out. You want to work on your business; you don’t want to have to waste time because some service company is unable to provide quality service at a competitive price.
Thanks for sharing this, Ryan. I plan on moving back to the States within the next year or so (maybe to Colorado!) and this may well save me some time and trouble (not to mention money).
@ComcastMark – You’re missing the point.
Ryan shouldn’t have HAD to call you knuckleheads in in the first place! If you would have done some “out-of-the-box” activities, like keeping in contact with your customers and making the offer “proactively” (hope I’m using the right corporate vernacular here), before they get torqued off and decide to bolt… you wouldn’t have this problem in the first place!
Consequently, your customer service rep wouldn’t have had to put out this un-necessary business “fire.”
This kind of thinking is why people are fed up with corporate America today: Little to no common sense or consideration for their customers, much less trying to provide a valuable product or service.
Well put Brian straight to the heart of the matter even though I wont say it the way you would. Never the less it is as you say on the last paragraph but it does not only apply in Corporate America but companies in general specifically large ones.
@Joseph – I think that’s the heart of the issue. It feels like they were intentionally hiding their best rates from their best customers (even if it wasn’t intentional).
@Lela – Good point. You never know what tomorrow could bring. Especially in times like these.
@Tom – If you move to Colorado, definitely give me a ring! Would love to get lunch with you.
@Brian – You’re more passionate than I am! Thanks for having the courage to say it like you mean it. :-)
Ryan
RT @michelfortin Reading: Too Little, Too Late: How Comcast Lost My Business by @healymonster (excellent!) http://bit.ly/17Q0Hv –>THANKS!
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Are You Pro-Active in Keeping Customers? http://bit.ly/K4IS8
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Ryan,
It’s hard to communicate when you’re in the communications biz:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-ventura/att-operators-should-answ_b_205859.html
@Walt – Thanks for the retweet, as well as the link to the AT&T story. Interesting that there was dead silence when she tried to engage AT&T on Twitter…
Ryan
Too Little, Too Late: How Comcast Lost My Business http://ff.im/-378Hl
This comment was originally posted on Twitter
Same problem here in the Great White North, except it was my cable provider. They gave me a better rate only when I threatened to leave. What really makes me shake my head is that they have special customer reps just for people who are ready to jump ship. Wouldn’t it be cheaper to keep your existing customers happy?
This paradigm must have looked good on some MBA’s thesis. But in the real world, pissing off your customers when they find out they’re being stiffed is not a good long-term business strategy.
Is loyalty gone?
As always Ryan, your posts are provocative!
A.J.
Hey Ryan –
The reason I’m commenting as bluntly as I am, is because I refuse to deal with or reward stupidity or arrogance in business. I think you’d agree I’m normally not a ranting or raving kind of a guy; but there comes a time when you have to mentally draw a “line in the sand,” and not put up with it.
That’s because these people and companies waste your time – which is your most valuable asset. Had a conversation with a couple of time-wasting prospects a couple of weeks ago, which led me to this decision. Maybe what and how I said it is couragous in this politically-correct world we live in – I prefer to think of it as taking a stand for good business practices and common sense.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend.
Well — as a Qwest employee, let me welcome you to Qwest! I hope that your customer service experience there is better.
I’m deep in the bowels of IT at the moment (whilst edging towards a copywriting career) so I don’t know how the customer experience fares, but I am happy to have you as a customer!
@Carl – Thanks for the tweet!
@A.J. – I know it was a rhetorical question you asked, but, YES, it would be far cheaper to keep their existing customers happy.
@Brian – True. I’ve had to get firm with telemarketers for wasting my time, too. At some point, you have to.
@Gina – Thanks for the welcome! Actually, Qwest ain’t perfect either. When I canceled my service with them nearly two years ago, I returned the modem as they told me to. Kept the receipt (thank God). Because they turned me over to collections for supposedly not returning the modem.
So, for 6 months I had to deal with Qwest and the collections team they sicked on me. Fortunately, with the receipt in hand, all I had to do was repeat the modem number and my receipt number every time anyone called.
But… it’s amazing how one good experience can go a long way. When I first opened my business account four years ago, the service rep went to a lot of trouble to get me a good number. She found 720-344-7788, and that’s been my number ever since. I still have good feelings about that experience.
Anyway, both Comcast and Qwest are good companies, and both make mistakes — it’s just unfortunate that Comcast was hiding their best rates from me until I decided to switch.
Ryan
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