Let me tell you about my day.

Friday, February 19, 2010

A Fall of Olympic Proportions

Can you believe I hadn't watched a single moment of the Olympics until this morning, when I watched several minutes of video on the NBC website? Turns out there was some pretty exciting stuff going on there.

I watched the men's figure skating videos for Plushenko and Lysacek. Basically, I was like, "meh, that doesn't look so hard. I could probably do that." Plus, I though their landings looked kind of sloppy. This is the Olympics, gentlemen! Stick those landings!

But, oh! Then I watched the, um, bloopers(?) video with all of the falls and spills, and people crashing into gates on the slalom ski slope, slamming into the boards in hockey games, coming out of triple lutzes to land on their butts, and I thought, "oh, maybe this is kind of hard." So, yeah, if you need some perspective on the actual difficulty of the tasks they set out to do, maybe your best bet is to watch the best athletes in their respective countries fall magnificently.

ALSO. How mad would you be if your skating doubles partner fell on the ice, and ruined your chances for a medal? What about the guy you're speed skating AGAINST who trips and crashes into you? I can't imagine how disappointing that must be.

In unrelated news, snowmaggedon prevented me from leaving DC at all to go home for the Super Bowl, so I watched the Saints win at my apartment, by myself. Talk about lacking a party atmosphere. It did give me three days off of work, but had I my druthers, I would have gone home.

4 comments:

ComcastCares1 said...

Snowmageddon. I like that :)

Winter is pretty and brutal at the same time. My daughter got sick and made my body sore due to shoveling the snow for 2 hours!

Anyway catch up on the Winter coverage on TV. It is definitely exciting.

By the way, on your profile, you wrote, "cursing Comcast." May I ask why? I work for Comcast. Maybe I can help.

Regards,

Mark Casem
Comcast Corp.
National Customer Operations
We_can_help@comcast.com

Swistle said...

I don't watch ANY Olympics, and I like to say it's because I'm not interested but actually it's because I know myself and I would get TOTALLY OBSESSED.

Also, OMG, a Comcast person is COMMENTING ON YOUR BLOG. And ASKING TO HELP. That is kind of COOL.

Buttercup said...

Mark, I have been cogitating on this and trying to decide WHERE TO BEGIN.

For starters, I should say that I don't really have a problem with the service, per se. It's always working when I need it to work (like during the multiple snowstorms, when I was avoiding shoveling).

But, oh. The customer service. I had problems with Comcast when I was living in Michigan, so when I first decided it was time for internet service in Virginia, I looked elsewhere. Unfortunately, because I live in an old house converted into apartments, other companies couldn't offer me service because of missing hardware.

So, fine. Comcast it is. I tried to sign up using the online system, input all of my data, and was connected with a customer service representative. The representative asked me to confirm my personal information, but instead sent me the PERSONAL INFORMATION for another customer, in Chicago. At that point, I decided my personal data was not safe with Comcast and decided to try AGAIN with other companies. No luck. So, I go back to the Comcast online system, and, after having put all of my information (for the second time around), the customer service rep tells me that I need to put the information in again, because they were unable to retrieve it. So I put it in again. (Really, I could sum up this whole part of the story with saying that the system through which one signs up online for service is inefficient, unsecure, and frustrating.)

Then, I am told I will need to pay the installer for my first month of cable. This is fine. Because I'm not sure of the relationship between the installer and the company, I don't want to hand over my checking account information and so I get a money order. Slightly out of my way, but not such a big deal. Then, I'm told I'll need to wait several weeks for someone to come install, unless I want to take time off to wait for the cable installer. So I wait a few weeks (for someone to come out on a Monday).

Then the installer won't take the money order and says that I just pay the company. I don't see the point of telling me I have to pay the installer if the installer won't take the money.

Bottom line: I don't understand why Comcast is so much harder to deal with than utility companies. I've found, in many dealings with the company, that the customer is put last. Whereas companies that offer such necessities as water and electricity maintain some modicum of courtesy when dealing with their customers, a lot of Comcast reps don't bother. And in many cases, internet access is necessary to a person's livelihood. Basically, Comcast has its customers over a barrell, and does nothing to make that position any more comfortable. (And it's expensive -- the end)

Anyway, I doubt there's anything to be done about my past experiences with the company. I appreciate your offer to help all the same.

Buttercup said...

Swistle, it helps to start paying attention in the last few days. That way, only so much of one's time is devoted to Olympics, and there will hopefully be no job-losing or child-forgetting.