By popular demand – my “discussion” with Cablevision ……
When I got my electric back – about six days after it went
out – I was curious if my Cablevision would be working. According to everything
they’d said, it would still be functional.
Loaded everything up … and found that it wasn’t working. OK
… so, I immediately called them to get an ETA.
They took a cue from LIPA’s customer service ideals, and
basically had rendered any way to speak to a customer service rep null and
void. You only had options to deal with automated menus, or call back later.
So, I fired up my company’s iPad and hopped on the mobile network to chat with
them.
The first person said he had “no idea” when we’d be getting
cable back. He told me to check back later that evening. I checked back later,
and again, was told “no idea.” This
time, the individual told me he would have someone contact me.
I checked with my neighbors, who had switched to FIOS last
year; and they had their service. I called FIOS and inquired about their
service. They, not surprisingly, answered (which indicates their outages
weren’t nearly as severe). We spoke and I got an idea on cost and also, when
they could get there to install.
The next day, I again chatted with Cablevision; again, was
told, “no idea.” I explained that I had spoken with FIOS and now had an
appointment for them to do the install (this wasn’t entirely true). I explained
that it was now a race … if Cablevision could get there before FIOS, I’d stick
with Cablevision. If FIOS got there first, there’d be no rush for Cablevision,
because I wouldn’t have their service anymore. Again, I was told someone would
contact me.
Around 4:30 (still not having heard from anyone) I chatted
again, and bluffed hard. Told the specialist that I was ready to cancel, but
needed to know the steps to take. He gave me a phone number and assured me
someone would answer.
So, I contacted the disconnect department. Explained my
situation. The rep was decent (mostly) – explained it was my decision, blah,
blah, blah. Still no idea when I’d be getting connected again. But, then, she
made some critical mistakes.
First – there’s *no way* they could absolutely have no idea
…. They explained they were still “assessing the situation” – but, it had been
six days (and, unlike power lines, there’s no inherent danger in just ‘flipping
the switch’ on, to return service).
We then discussed the pace they were re-activating people. I
explained that, according to their website, earlier that day, a total of 1547
customers (on Long Island) HAD power and didn’t have cable service; now, it was down to 1512 … so they were
activating about 35 people a day … at that rate, it would take about a
month-and-a-half to get everyone back (and, worse yet, the percentage of people
in my area that had service had DROPPED from 73% to 65% that day … what the
hell were they doing?)
Her response was to explain why FIOS was still up (and had
fewer outages …). Basically, there’s a hierarchy when it comes to lines. LIPA
gets first crack at them; then Verizon (because, historically, they had been a
phone company), and finally Cablevision, because, historically, there were a TV
company. Even though Cablevision now has phone service, the hierarchy is
unchanged.
I asked, how on earth she thought that would be a compelling
reason for me to stay with Cablevision?
She told me about the higher cost of Verizon … something I
also disregarded (and, of course, said, “at least they HAVE service). Especially, when you consider many of my
friends have Fios and say it’s roughly the same price (yes, the ‘taxes’ are all
broken out; but, ultimately, taxes are just included with Cablevision … for
example, if I can buy a computer for
$300, or I can buy one for $200, but there’s another $50 tax on top of that;
I’m STILL going to buy the second one, right?
But, finally (and here’s the crux of the argument) she said,
“Of course Verizon is willing to work with you. You’re new
money to them.”
Wow. Sure, that’s true and I totally get the idea of seizing
market share. But, isn’t *every* customer, in today’s economy, “new money?”
Shouldn’t they be?
When there are options and choices for consumers, why would
any company not view even existing customers as ‘new money?’ This isn’t
something like a mortgage, where the consumer really has no choice (once
they’re secured), or even LIPA. This is something where *every month* a
consumer has to make a conscious choice to stay with your service.
I definitely prefer things like loyalty rewards … if you
want to retain your customer base, it’s best to not ignore them and focus on
new business. Retention is just as important. So, if you want to add an
incentive to your new customers; so be it (there has to be a reason for them to
“switch” in the first place, right?), but even after they’re customers, figure
out ways to reward their loyalty. Make them feel as though, by switching,
they’ll be missing out on something.
I left the conversation, repeating the same ‘challenge’ to
the rep. About 30 minutes later, my service returned. Although it feels good to
say it was a result of my conversation, I’m far more likely to believe it was
nothing more than coincidence.
A few other mostly unrelated tidbits:
LIPA – a lot has been made about LIPA’s poor communication. My power returned on Saturday,
11/3, but, for some reason, the following Thursday, I got a call from LIPA,
advising me that my “outage” (which was non-existent) was ‘more severe than
they’d originally though, and needed specialized manpower and equipment’ but I
should have my service restored by Friday at noon. Then, Friday afternoon, I
received the same message, apologizing for them not meeting their deadline, but
committing to a Saturday deadline instead.
I had power the entire time. This is remarkably concerning.
No WONDER it took so long; they were too busy restoring power to people who
still had power!
Last week, I also visited another diner on Long Island (not the same one I ranted about the first post) -- probably
my favorite ... the O-Co-Nee Diner. The place is a virtual Party City store …
every holiday there are more decorations in the diner than anywhere else. But,
the food is also exceptional. The owner had been the force behind the Seaford
Palace (a fairly famous diner on Long Island) – which used to have a 90-minute
wait on weekends for a table. For a diner.
On Foursquare, the dissenters will argue the service isn’t
great. Previously, I’d never noticed one way or the other. Last week, though,
we had an exceptional server. She was thorough, quick and friendly. While my
sister was discussing which soup to get with her husband, she mistook what he’d
ordered and she got the same type. When the soup came out, she expressed her
regret, and said, “oh, I didn’t realize you got the same one; I would’ve gotten
the lentil soup.” The server heard this and told her, “I’m happy to take it
back and get you what you want.” There was no reason to do this; no one
expected it; but – this was exceptional.
Halfway through the meal, the owner’s son came by and
dropped four super-large chocolate chip cookies on the table for us. Gratis.
We’ve been to O-Co-Nee before. At one point, we were going
fairly frequently. It’s definitely back in my rotation now. The sheer attention
to what makes a visit meaningful is what separates this
diner from the others.
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