I'm assuming that most people on this forum, as AV fans, have run into some sort of problem that is beyond our control. It seems like every time I call into some technical support helpline, it is always someone whose native language is NOT English. I have read somewhere (maybe here, who knows) that alot of these helpline jobs are now being sent to countries like India. While my opinions on outsourcing itself are mixed, I feel that it is much easier to communicate MY problems with someone who speaks the same native tongue. I'm not trying to be a racist or anything like that, and I shouldn't get mad at them since I'm sure they are working hard for a fraction of what we make, but I think the nature of the job requires a firm grasp of our language.
Yesterday, I called to schedule a service call since I couldn't receive my HD channels all of a sudden. I eventually had to request to speak with a supervisor after 15 minutes of accomplishing nothing with a man who could barely speak English. Whatever, not the end of the world, the problem was fixed, whoo hoo... Today, I needed to inquire about HDMI cable boxes and swapping out my old ones and getting an amplified splitter installed. INstead of calling, i used the online "chat now" service that Charter Cable has. After setting up the cable box swap with Kevin, I got transferred to speak with Melchor about installing a cable splitter. Well for all I know, Melchor is the name of a computer program, because after the greeting he just started (i assume) copy / pasting the generic troubleshooting steps for any problem with your cable service. After each step I interjected with a paragraph explaining my problem. I actually copied the paragraph after the first time I typed it and ended up pasting it 5 times, once after each troubleshooting step, along with "I have already done this, there is nothing left to troubleshoot, I would like to schedule a technician to visit my house".
Finally, about an hour after I originally logged on to their "chat now" service, Melchor tells me a technician will come on monday between 8 am and 12 pm, and then cuts off the connection. Well thanks, now I have to miss school, and Im not going to risk rescheduling. I really wish I could have copy / pasted the conversation, but the chat window only displayed about the last 4 messages, and there was no way of scrolling down to read anything said before that. Maybe an attempt to hide how unhelpful that service really is?
So, that's my rant, but I know that this can't be the worst customer service hotline story out there. My best advice is to vastly exaggerate how long you have been a customer and how much you pay per month for whatever service (i.e. "I have been a customer for 23 years and pay close to $200 a month and you won't even include a $10 component video cable?!?!?"). It generally produces results as long as you don't over-use it.