If they didn't have a monopoly, I might take my business elsewhere
God is clearly punishing us for getting cable.
For the last four years or so, we've only had the most basic of basic cable - all of our local channels, C-SPAN and the Weather Channel.
When we moved in August, we bundled everything together - cable, phone and Internet. The bundled deal includes about 100 cable channels.
Since we made the switch, we've had technicians out to fix about half a dozen different problems. We've also had a lingering billing issue (they've been crediting our payments to the wrong account) that has resulted in periodic collection calls.
Back when we just had the basic channels, there were no service calls. There was no trouble at all, which leads me to believe that we're being punished for upgrading our service. Take today's experience as evidence:
About two months ago, the cable in our bedroom went out for no good reason. After climbing around the crawlspace a few times, I decided to have the pros from the cable company look at it.
Long story short, they came today and fixed the problem. But not without knocking a shutter off the side of the house in the process. And by "shutter" I mean a superfluous window accessory made in the early 1930s back when stuff was still made in America from actual wood. And by "off the side of the house" I mean from a second story window.
When the guy called me outside to show me, he explained that he was in a bit of a predicament. Since the problem was taking longer to fix than anticipated, he clocked out at the scheduled end time. He knocked the shutter off the house after he clocked out, which presented a bit of a timecard issue for him.
Technically, he wasn't at my house when he knocked the shutter off. What to do?
He offered me two choices. First, I could find someone to hang the shutter back up on my own. Or second, I could report the damage to Charter.
If I reported the problem, that would tell his supervisor that he was still at my house after clocking out and he would be flogged mercilessly just days before Christmas. If I didn't report the problem, he would think I was a cool guy and it would be our little secret and I would have to hang my own 1930s shutter back up on the second story window.
Hmm (scratching chin). What to do?
I opted to report the damage to Charter. The technician is probably being waterboarded even as I write this.
Yet tonight, while he gets pink-slipped, I can flip channels for a few minutes before we go to sleep. And I can sleep soundly knowing that the cable company - not me - is responsible for hoisting the shutter back up to the second story window.
And that's really what this time of year is all about, right?
For the last four years or so, we've only had the most basic of basic cable - all of our local channels, C-SPAN and the Weather Channel.
When we moved in August, we bundled everything together - cable, phone and Internet. The bundled deal includes about 100 cable channels.
Since we made the switch, we've had technicians out to fix about half a dozen different problems. We've also had a lingering billing issue (they've been crediting our payments to the wrong account) that has resulted in periodic collection calls.
Back when we just had the basic channels, there were no service calls. There was no trouble at all, which leads me to believe that we're being punished for upgrading our service. Take today's experience as evidence:
About two months ago, the cable in our bedroom went out for no good reason. After climbing around the crawlspace a few times, I decided to have the pros from the cable company look at it.
Long story short, they came today and fixed the problem. But not without knocking a shutter off the side of the house in the process. And by "shutter" I mean a superfluous window accessory made in the early 1930s back when stuff was still made in America from actual wood. And by "off the side of the house" I mean from a second story window.
When the guy called me outside to show me, he explained that he was in a bit of a predicament. Since the problem was taking longer to fix than anticipated, he clocked out at the scheduled end time. He knocked the shutter off the house after he clocked out, which presented a bit of a timecard issue for him.
Technically, he wasn't at my house when he knocked the shutter off. What to do?
He offered me two choices. First, I could find someone to hang the shutter back up on my own. Or second, I could report the damage to Charter.
If I reported the problem, that would tell his supervisor that he was still at my house after clocking out and he would be flogged mercilessly just days before Christmas. If I didn't report the problem, he would think I was a cool guy and it would be our little secret and I would have to hang my own 1930s shutter back up on the second story window.
Hmm (scratching chin). What to do?
I opted to report the damage to Charter. The technician is probably being waterboarded even as I write this.
Yet tonight, while he gets pink-slipped, I can flip channels for a few minutes before we go to sleep. And I can sleep soundly knowing that the cable company - not me - is responsible for hoisting the shutter back up to the second story window.
And that's really what this time of year is all about, right?
posted by Leighton @ My Best Investments at
5:51 PM
6 Comments:
Grr. Our Cable company drives us bananas, too. We have had so many problems since we moved two years ago. Including probably about 10 visits from technicians. And that's a conservative estimate. I think we are on our fourth box! I'm sure they think we are cranks.
They haven't damaged anything, luckily.
Maybe the Charter guy should have offered to hang it back up for you? Assuming you are well insured against lawsuits, of course. Can't you just imagine him falling off the ladder and Charter refusing to pay for his injury, being that he was off the clock?
Comfort and Joy!
Something doesn't add up... it was taking longer to fix so he clocked out. HMMM. I smell a rat.
aw dude. you kill me!
This is so stinkin' funny. (My highest compliment.)
Merry Christmas to you and your family -- and may your shutters stay fixed and your cable stay on in 2008.
Oh, yes... the cable man! I laughed so hard about this post that I actually wanted to kiss my remote! I hope your "shutter" has been hoisted to its previous station in Life! Seems to me, you should have "clocked" the fella OUT, instead of letting him do it himself (-:
JUST TO JOYFUL !!
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