Comcast, when I ordered service from you, you were there for me. When the big faceless phone company said it would take 2 weeks to get DSL, you were there for me with broadband Internet cable access the very next morning. I was very impressed.

A couple months later and we have a fairly nasty storm here in Northern California. My cable service went out immediately and it has now been 3 days. I understand nature is unpredictable and service is subject to whims of things beyond your control. But it has been 3 days and I live in a densely urban area in San Francisco. I know I’m not the only one that wants to know two basic things that your customer service reps can’t seem to give me.

1. What is the nature of the problem exactly, how widespread is it?

2. When will service be restored?

Pretty much any solid company that deals with customers will tell you that a little information goes along way. Just knowing the extent of a service problem and what’s needed to get it resolved is usually enough to keep most people from the storming the gates of your business.

So Comcast, why can’t you give me this information? Each time I have contacted you, all I get from you is: There is an outage in your area. Our technicians are aware of the problem and are working on it. We don’t know when it will be fixed.

In other words, piss off, we’re busy, don’t bother us. That’s the message I’m getting from you.

If your technicians know what the problem is, why can’t they tell you so you can tell me? When my phone service goes out, ATT will tell me if there is downed telephone line and will give me a rough estimate of when service is restored. When my power goes out, PG&E will tell me if a transformer blew up and how long it will take to replace. Comcast, you have smart technicians, they know what’s going on. Why can’t you get your act together internally so customers like me have a little more information? All I’m asking for is a little transparency. Give me the illusion that you care about me and my $70 a month.

UPDATE: Comcast, please tell me this isn’t really you. Now I find out that not only you hate me, but you’ve been lying to me too! Are you sleeping with someone else? I just spoke to one of your customer rep supervisors who tells me that this outage is bay area wide (her words) and that EVERYONE is affected (her words). I just polled my friends on Twitter and found this to be completely untrue. Come on Comcast, I know you can do much much better.