If you need another reason to hate Comcast...

I haven't been very forthcoming about my Comcast woes here... mostly because my attempts at dealing with the company have fallen woefully short. Don't try withholding payment to Comcast for shitty service. Doesn't work. Nor does screaming at some poor technician, or his cubicle mate who is trying to pass off as his supervisor. Come to think of it, calling up sales knowing they are the only department staffed well enough to answer the phone within a reasonable time period is not a proven method to solving problems either.

Sometime during summer, after one of my screaming matches with a poor fool paid to answer phones, I downgraded my service. A few days later, a guy came to the house, climbed the pole, came in and took my DVR (I suck in my breath now.... in despair... I didn't realize what life would be like when I couldn't pause my favorite show while my kids were crawling all over me begging for attention), and I was left with... Basic Cable.

I didn't want to have basic cable, and I didn't want to be without a DVR. But Comcast was driving me insane with bundle-this and bundle-that, and in the end I was getting a few network stations and slow internet for the same price I was paying for the previous year of full-fledged technology.

No big deal over the summer, when Zoe spent a month with her dad and I had no ER to dedicate my Thursdays to.

Then, a miracle happened: Fios finally became available in the sticks where I live.

I signed up, and canceled Comcast. They came and got the modem. I was free.

Or so I thought.

A few days later, I got a $450 bill for the DVR.

I called and explained that they already had it. "Do you have a work order?" they asked.

"DON'T YOU??"

Soon a collection agency was calling. This is while Comcast agreed to do an inventory search. Then a service technician who "happened to be in the area" called and asked if he could pick up the DVR.

I DON'T HAVE IT, I kept telling them. Then, another bill for $450.

Luckily I have all the work orders. Last night, I had a rather lengthy visit with the BBB web site, plugging in service order numbers and account information and very detailed bitching about the "service" that is Comcast.

I have now been harassment free for 24 hours. Good sign.