WOM UP!: COMCAST AND TWITTER

I’ve never had many good things to say about Comcast.  In fact, I don’t know if I’ve ever said anything nice said about them.

But all that changes today – this is the day that I’m going to “WOM up” Comcast.

Long story short, last week I received a bill and was charged for a service that I hadn’t ordered.  This had been an ongoing issue related to a DVR box that I never requested, but was installed anyway.  I thought the problem had been resolved, but I was dead wrong.

Frustrated with the progress I’d been making with both customer service reps and supervisors, I tried my luck by sending the following message (or Tweet) to the Comcast Twitter account (@comcastcares):  “I need help You guys are killing me and the woman that I’m speaking to is being somewhat rude and definitely unhelpful”

Almost immediately, I received this message:

So I did exactly that.  I sent Frank (Comcast’s customer service manager) a (painfully) lengthy email, detailing my ongoing struggle with my DVR box and the billing issues.

Within hours, I received another message from Frank, who put me in touch with someone from my local office.

The local representative called and was extraordinarily apologetic for everything that had happened, making sure I knew that I had done nothing wrong.  He promised to correct all of my billing errors, and even offered me a year’s worth of DVR service for free because of my hardships.  That’s right – a full YEAR.  That’s around $250 of free service.

In my countless dealings with Comcast, these two employees were the most friendly and helpful people I’ve ever spoken with.  The “above and beyond” solutions that they offered blew me away, and I’ve now taken on a (slightly) different opinion about the company.

So, thank you Comcast, @comcastcares, and the gentleman who called!  You deserve a “WOM up!”.

MGH’s take on it: We tend to talk Twitter up a lot (especially for how unstable of a system it really is), but do believe in its customer service applications.  As a social media tool, it’s perfect for putting brands and consumers directly in touch with one another.

As one who hates waiting on hold and talking to person after person, the Twitter model presents an ideal solution.  It offered a quick and painless answer to a problem I had been dealing with for almost half a year.

Additionally, the positive buzz that can build out of story like mine can have quite an impact on a brand’s perception and in restoring a struggling customer relations division.  Just read some of the nice things that have been written about Comcast and its Twitter account thus far:  Here. And here. And here, too.

MGH WOM’s suggestion: Follow @comcastcares on Twitter and learn the right way to use social media tools for your customer service communications.