Comcast customer service

Last night I was forced to telephone Comcast regarding my cable bill. I say "forced" because I only phone customer service--of any category--as a last resort, when all other options have failed or aren't applicable. My extreme reluctance to telephone customer service, in this case Comcast, is due to the frustratingly long time it takes to actually speak to a real person; pardon me, but I'm only phoning because what I need can't be answered/accomplished any other way, so why the heck do I have to jump through metaphorical hoops before speaking to someone?

With Comcast, no matter the time of day, I invariably get the automated, "We are currently experiencing unusually high call volumes. Please stay on the line and your call will be answered in the order it was received or you may wish to hang up and call again later." Ugh. As I mentioned in a previous post (Hello? Anyone there?), if this happens all the time, it's not unusual--perhaps I should buy them a dictionary.

Well, as I said, last night I phoned Comcast, but... what was this... it was different! Yes, I had to cycle through two automated menus, but then the message was, "We are currently experiencing unusually high call volumes. Please try again later." Then... and then... get this... Comcast HUNG UP on me!?!? What the heck?!

I stared at the phone in disbelief for a few seconds. Did *they* just hang up on *me*? That's a switch. I just had to try again to see if it was a bad connection, or if Comcast did that on purpose. It wasn't, and they did.

My first response was irritation. But on further thought, I decided it was better than the alternative of waiting on the phone for an eternity and a half. Still, I think the best option would have been Comcast to provide an estimate of the wait time, and then give the customer the option of hanging up or waiting.

Anywhoo, this morning I tried again and surprise surprise I got through on my first try. I have to say the representative I spoke to was great--polite, professional and helpful, and best of all, I had no trouble whatsoever understanding her English, unlike reps in other companies ::cough:: Dell ::cough:: I've had the displeasure of contacting.

Overall, a definite improvement in Comcast customer service.