Thursday, September 4, 2008

Hate


I like my cable company. It offers just about all the channels I want. The internet service is fast and generally trouble-free. My only beef is the price, and if Verizon ever gets around to installing Fios in my town, I'd strongly consider a switch.

I had to visit the cable company's office Tuesday morning to swap out a bad cable box remote. Walking into the customer service area was like walking into Fort Knox. The customer service representatives were behind thick glass. I had to put the bad remote into a cube made of similar material, with an electronic door. The customer service rep removed the bad remote from the other side, and put the new one in the cube. There was no human contact. None. Zero.

Do people really hate the cable company that much? Banks don't have that much security, and they handle a lot more money. I understand the need to keep employees safe, but I was shocked at what I encountered. It reminded me of the opening scene from the TV series "Get Smart," where Max has to go through several gates to reach the offices of Control.

I assume the super security wouldn't be there unless there was a need, and I also assume the customer service representatives encounter their share of unhappy customers. Maybe the cable company wouldn't need the glass walls if it could keep its customers satisfied.