« School says it will punish students with pink in their hair | Main | Woman accused of trying to spike ex-hubby's coffee with cocaine »
"Honey, get the claw hammer. We're going down to Comcast"
Fed up with lousy service from Comcast, Mona Shaw, 75, and her hubby grabbed a claw hammer and went to their local Comcast office to settle a score. She destroyed a computer and phone before cops got involved. "Now do I have your attention?" she asked one Comcast employee. (Washington Post | Multichannel News)
October 18, 2007 | Permalink
Comments
HI-LAR-I-OUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: KellyMac | Oct 18, 2007 5:14:54 AM
And that is why I won't switch from my satellite.
I may not watch my TV very often, and usually just for the weather or a show on Discovery or History, the weather may knock out my signal for awhile, but I have great customer service with my system!
Posted by: Soo | Oct 18, 2007 5:28:34 AM
I threw out the Adelphia guy when he came to my house (a day late) and "tried" to hook up the cable. He didn't want to leave, but changed his mind when I went to call the police. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with his supervisor and they sent a new guy out the next day. The new guy was great and I got a year of free cable from them. The whole story about why I threw him out is too long, but he definitely deserved it.
Posted by: lld | Oct 18, 2007 5:43:09 AM
Cable companies are a joke. There is no such thing as customer service with them. They have a monopoly that we pretty much can do little about. I have been a customer of time warner for 25 years. Last week we were shut off for being 12 dollars short on the bill. The mistake was theirs, but too bad they said we were late in payment.
Posted by: Jim | Oct 18, 2007 6:00:18 AM
Ha, That'll show em'! I only wish I could have been there to see their faces. I always get great service from my dish guys, but i know what it's like to talk to a machine or a really rude lady about fixing a problem. I just try to remember that i get grochy at my job some days too.
Posted by: Jessica | Oct 18, 2007 6:01:51 AM
How can a judge hear this case with a straight face? There truly is a new hero in town.
Posted by: jimmyjohn | Oct 18, 2007 6:24:15 AM
Crappy service is a significant (though not the main) reason why I don't have cable. I just rock the Netflix like there's no tomorrow.
Posted by: elchampino | Oct 18, 2007 6:51:22 AM
We've had Comcast for years (NOT for phone service, however) and, for the most part, customer service has been great. Service calls really wnet down when they went digital.
Posted by: pnwguy (no relation) | Oct 18, 2007 7:11:27 AM
Hilarious indeed.
I have had issues with the "customer service" people from Cablevision but the guys who actually come out and do the work are good guys. They have to put up with a lot of crap from both their bosses and the customers who finally get a human face to yell at.
Posted by: SwarthyTroll | Oct 18, 2007 7:36:29 AM
I wonder if she knows Soo's mom?
Posted by: debilsadvocado | Oct 18, 2007 7:44:01 AM
Pissed Off Comcast Customers UNITE!!!!!
Posted by: Cherie | Oct 18, 2007 8:42:27 AM
When I had NUMEROUS problems with my cable company (TWC) a few years ago I went to their web site, copied their Mission Statement, got the number for the main office and called the VP of Customer Relations and left her a message quoting their mission statement and then explaining my experiences. She called me back the next day....they must've noted my file...I've never had problems since then. I noticed a few months ago they removed the contact numbers and names of execs from the site. Go figure.
Posted by: Cherie | Oct 18, 2007 8:44:54 AM
Gee, I have never felt like doing that.
Meanwhile, has someone set up a defense fund for them yet? I would totally contribute.
Posted by: invah | Oct 18, 2007 8:47:19 AM
Why haven't two DJ's from a cheesy country music station written a song about her already?
Posted by: flatdaddy | Oct 18, 2007 9:06:19 AM
I am not one to advocate violence but that lady deserves a medal. What can you do when you play by the rules and get ignored?
I think most of us have had those types of situations where you would love nothing more than to cheerfully strangle the person on the other end of the line. It may not be their fault directly but they just happen to be the not so lucky one on the other end. Especially if they don't understand you and you can't understand them. Makes it kinda hard to make a complaint if the person on the other end can't write in English.
Round of applause for Mona!
Posted by: whyaskwhy | Oct 18, 2007 9:11:10 AM
Who among us hasn't been tempted to head down to the local Comcast office and destroy it with a claw hammer?
I hate Comcast. With a passion. We went to cable when we moved and I've wanted my dish back ever since. Customer service sucks and the people they send out to do any kind of work are idiots.
I'll see your round of applause, whyaskwhy and raise you a standing ovation for claw hammer-wielding Mona!
Posted by: pnwgal | Oct 18, 2007 9:34:07 AM
I can sympathize. Thankfully I have not had that kind of problem with Comcast, but I have heard the stories. Of course the officials of the company say that their records don't match what she claims.
Posted by: Bob | Oct 18, 2007 9:35:00 AM
been pirating satellite for years havent paid ah bill
Posted by: 1270 | Oct 18, 2007 9:48:46 AM
It took me over a year to get Comcast to come out and switch my TV to digital cable. A freakin' year. The first three guys came in and looked at my 36-inch TV as if it were Godzilla and said they couldn't hook it up. The fourth guy - several months later- set it up in 10 minutes and left. I haaaaaate Comcast.
Posted by: Beppo | Oct 18, 2007 10:01:37 AM
Mona is 75! and still swinging a mean claw hammer. I can't wait for curmugeon-hood so I can mow my lawn in the nude, keep chronic cats, never throw out the newspapers, commit assorted felonies in public places and demand free donuts.
Maybe I should start practicing now.
Posted by: Henje | Oct 18, 2007 10:14:54 AM
I have heard so many bad things about Comcast - it's the only option for cable in our area (i guess we could get sattelite), but after everything we've heard we've opted for no television at all. you can downlaod any episode you want to from a pirating site anyway.
Okay, and maybe I'm being totally naiive here, but isn't the US economy/ govt. supposed to not allow for monopolies? I thought I learned that in high school - maybe something's changed since then. Why is this an exception?
Posted by: pirate wench | Oct 18, 2007 10:16:46 AM
My mom did something similar way back in the day. She was flipping through the channels and discovered Madonna on MTV. She called and called, but no one would answer, so she went down to the local office. She asked if she could have "that damn slut channel" taken off, and she was told it was part of the basic service.
She arranged for someone to come and shut it off. She took off work (two jobs) to wait for them all day, and they never showed. Meanwhile, she's calling and no answer. So she unhooked the box and its cable from the wall, and went back to the office. They told her no, she had to wait for them to come pick it up, and that if there was anything wrong with the equipment, she'd be liable for the damage. She allegedly said, "Damaged? I don't give a flying f*ck if it's damaged or not, but if it matters to you, then here you go!" then started slinging it around by the cable, letting it go so that it smashed into the front window of the office.
She then told them to send her the bill for the box, but if she got another month's bill for cable service, she was coming back "bigger ammunition."
Of course, that was back in '87. Customer service for cable companies has generally always sucked. Some people get lucky and get great service. Most people do not.
Posted by: Soo | Oct 18, 2007 10:54:50 AM
How do I hate Comcast? Let me count the ways....not the least of which was when Mr. Adams installed a satellite dish, and I called the local Comcast office to cancel our service. No problem. Hah! I kept getting monthly bills, on which I'd note that we'd cancelled the service, along with the date and the name of the customer service rep I'd spoken to. Seven months later (receiving bills the entire time, and returning them as described) a Comcast serviceman is knocking at my door, threatening to disconnect my cable unless I pay this huge bill. I explain to him that we'd cancelled the service long ago, Mr. Adams had disconnected the cable and we hadn't used their service for some time. He *still* stood on my porch and continued to threaten to disconnect my cable. Oy!
Posted by: Oriole | Oct 18, 2007 10:54:53 AM
Soo, I am soooooooooo in awe of your mom. Although it must have hell for breakfast to live through. And if she is still alive, maybe you ought to tag her with geo-locator, so innocent civilians will know where she is.
Still, have you considered writing a book --something along the lines "I TOLD you not to mess with my mom"
Posted by: Henje | Oct 18, 2007 10:59:45 AM
No one is forced to subscribe to cable. The couple's behavior is inexcusable and while jail time would be counterproductive, I do hope the couple is forced to reimburese the company for any and all damages. If you don't like your cable company, switch to satellite. If you like neither, read a book.
Posted by: Dick Tater | Oct 18, 2007 11:10:22 AM
