BRotD - Entry 0259 Regulating Technology

Best Reading of the Day

"Robber Barons"

That's what they were called.

In the late 1800s they industrialists who used questionable methods to get rich came to be known as robbers. 

Here is a bit more on that subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist)

That is the language now in use to describe Google, Facebook, Amazon and more who have convinced the masses of the population to hand over their valuable personal data for free.  Time for regulations of these giants in technology?  There is an argument to be made.

Read more here:

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611425/its-time-to-rein-in-the-data-barons/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

When Mark Zuckerberg appeared before Congress earlier this year to discuss how the now-defunct political-data company Cambridge Analytica acquired data of up to 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge or consent, one of the few pointed questions came from Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina. “Who’s your biggest competitor?” Graham demanded. After Zuckerberg replied that Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft all had some overlap with various Facebook products, Graham chafed at the answer.

“If I buy a Ford and it doesn’t work well and I don’t like it,” pressed the senator, “I can buy a Chevy. If I’m upset with Facebook, what’s the equivalent product I can go sign up for?”

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Comcast Teams with NBC to Battle Netflix

The online streaming wars are heating up.

Read more:

http://adage.com/article/media/comcast-plan-online-rival-netflix-nbc-shows/308616/

Here is a snippet from the piece:

Comcast Corp. plans to introduce an online video service offering hit shows from its NBC Universal TV networks in the next 12 to 18 months, an effort to compete with rivals Netflix and CBS Corp., according to people familiar with the matter.

The new service will include programs from the NBC broadcast network, and could include shows from Comcast cable channels Bravo, Syfy and USA...

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

Comcast Sales Metrics

Waitaminute, the service support staff is supposed to sell, sell, sell?!!?

Hadn't we figured that out?

I think there is no question this has been the case for some time with some of the major service providers but this story tells the inside details we always suspected.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/8/19/6028059/training-materials-show-how-comcast-pushes-customer-service-reps-to

I first found this story over on ArsTechnica:

http://arstechnica.com/business/2014/08/leaked-comcast-employee-metrics-show-what-we-figured-sell-or-perish/

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Media attention and fallout from Comcast’s viral customer service missteps continue to plague the country’s largest Internet service provider. First there was Ryan Block’s ludicrous cancellation call, then Comcast refused to refund invalid fees for Tim Davis until he caught the company in a lie, and then Comcast kept Aaron Spain on hold for three hours, long enough for the customer service lines to close and leave Spain in limbo.

Each instance has been met with a swift response from Comcast’s PR group after going viral, but quick, reactionary responses don’t do anything to fix the underlying problems. Leaked documents obtained by The Verge (full PDF) paint a portrait of exactly how broken things are in Comcast call centers throughout the country, and the documents confirm what current and former Comcast employees have been saying for the past few weeks: selling services is a required part of the job, even for employees doing tech support.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

**UPDATE** It feels like the floodgates have opened.  Here is a new story about a poor customer service call.  This one was recorded for YouTube, lasted nearly 2 hours, and had the caller go through 6 different reps without getting an answer to his issue.
http://bgr.com/2014/08/20/why-is-comcast-so-bad-15/

More Bad News for Comcast

Can you believe Comcast is in the news yet again for poor customer service?

Then again, if you are one of those who has experienced poor service from that company maybe it isn't too hard to imagine.

This fellow was put on hold so long the customer service center closed ... with him still on hold.  Ridiculous.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/comcast-keeps-customer-on-hold-until-it-closes-to-avoid-cancellation

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  This marks my return from a summer vacation week.  Very good time.  If you have never ventured to Montreal and you are in the Northeastern United States go ahead and make the trip.  Great time.

Comcast Customer Retention - Part 2

Ready for more?

Following the most recent internet sensation caused by Comcast retention processes news organizations and websites have been following up for more.  The testimony has come in as a landslide.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/28/5936959/comcast-confessions-when-every-call-is-a-sales-call

Here is a snippet from that piece:

...The Verge put out a call and sought out current and former Comcast employees, hoping to shed light on the inner workings of the largest broadcasting and cable company in the country. More than 100 employees responded, including one who works in the same call center as the rep in Block’s recording.

These employees told us the same stories over and over again: customer service has been replaced by an obsession with sales, technicians are understaffed and tech support is poorly trained, and the massive company is hobbled by internal fragmentation.

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant

PS  Much has been written and continues to be written about Comcast due to this.  Here are a couple more.

First a Forbes.com piece listing 5 reasons you should admire Comcast:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2014/07/28/5-reasons-why-you-should-admire-comcast/

Then a Consumerist piece that tears apart the Forbes piece:

http://consumerist.com/2014/07/29/lets-break-down-forbes-laughable-5-reasons-to-admire-comcast/

Enjoy!

Comcast Customer Retention

This one is all over the news but maybe you've missed it.  I've gathered together a few stories that add it all up.

The essentials of the story revolve around a woman attempting to cancel her family's service from Comcast.  Eventually the husband got on the call, an executive at AOL, and he recorded the last half or so of the call and popped it on the internet creating a firestorm.

How is nearly 20 minutes of nearly abusive behavior by the Comcast representative attempting to retain the account?  Sound like fun?

Here is the core story:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/15/5901057/comcast-call-cancel-service-ryan-block

Here is a snippet from that piece:

Almost anyone that has tried to cancel cable service, wireless service, or a gym membership knows how difficult it can be to do over the phone, but a recent call to Comcast by one customer might take the cake for the worst of them all. Ryan Block, formerly of Engadget and now at AOL, called Comcast to cancel his service, but instead of politely obliging and going ahead with his request, the representative on the line insisted on taking him through a circular argument to find out the reason why he was canceling service.

Block was able to capture about eight minutes of the call and has posted the audio...

Here is a follow-up with credentialed testimony from a Comcast employee who knows these matters:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/16/5909591/here-s-why-your-comcast-rep-is-yelling-at-you

Here is a bit about the proposed merger between Comcast and Time Warner (that sound great for improved customer service across the country right?):

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/13/5407704/comcast-confirms-45-billion-acquisition-of-time-warner-cable

Happy Reading,

J.W. Gant