When I pulled up to the house, I noticed a business card on the front door. Another salesperson working the neighborhood. I get about two a week. Probably a tree trimming service.
It was someone from the internet company we used to have. Once another outfit put in fiber, I went with them for better speed and lower price.
The old coax company lost a ton of business and were out to win back some customers. This guy came back to chat with my wife while she was in the garage. He came back a third time to talk to me.
He laid it on thick, complimenting me on being a “legacy” customer entitled to a special deal. He claimed that the company had upgraded their equipment, so he could offer me the same speed I had with fiber for half the price. Plus, the system could handle up to 240 devices simultaneously. He’d install it so I could try what I had next to his company and decide which one to keep. For free. “Sure, why not?”
Someone was out the next day. The old line had been severed during some hurricane cleanup a few years ago, so the tech laid out a temporary line, set up a modem and router, and I was ready to give it a try.
At first, it seemed to work just fine. I was very tempted to save money each month. Then I ran an internet speed app. The download speed was a little faster. The upload speed was much slower. Hmm. That’s not what he promised. He didn’t exactly lie. He just didn’t tell me the whole story.
The next day, another tech was out to bury the new cable in the yard. These folks were serious. However, later that after noon, the system was down for a few hours. I haven’t lost internet service for years, not even during severe storms.
This wasn’t going to work.
Now I had the pleasant task of calling to cancel. I wasn’t on hold very long before a customer rep from Kansas City, Missouri, was on the line to help me.
I know he was just doing his job. I know he was following the script they gave him. “We don’t want to lose you as a customer. What if we took ten dollars off your monthly bill? Do you know we can give you free mobile phone service?”
I said, “I want to cancel my service” nine times before he conceded and closed my account.
The next day, I took back the modem and router to a local office. An emotionless young man took the equipment and said I was all set. I did not get any follow-up phone calls or correspondence from the company.
I guess that’s it. Until the next time they work my neighborhood.
Waite for it... 