Lessons from Comcast (Part 2)

Sometimes I wonder am I an idiot or just a glutton for punishment?  A few months ago I wrote about my experience with Comcast and the decision to leave that provider after many years.  We moved to AT&T Uverse  after they gave us an offer we could not refuse.  Then I learned the following:

Lesson #1 from Comcast - when you want to try and re-negotiate your Comcast package don't call customer service.  Call the cancellation department (or what they call the customer retention department).  They will make you some great offers to stay!  

Unfortunately I had already had Uverse installed and thought I would live happily ever after with AT&T.  Well I was wrong.  My husband hated the channel line up we got.  We could not get CBS "on demand" - it was not available in our area.  Then we could not get a stable WIFI connection in our house.  I really did not want to be in my house and using my data plan for my phone! 

So I called AT &T and we parted ways.  A Comcast sales person had left a flyer and a card in our door.  It was some great offers and since we had moved to AT&T we were now a NEW CUSTOMER just what Comcast (and most other providers love!!!) 

So after the salesperson visited us and made us some great offers we settled on a plan which included home security for less than we were paying AT&T.  I had to sign a two year agreement to get the pricing I wanted.  So I signed the agreement and thought all is well!

WRONG!!!

Comcast installed our new system with all the new bells and whistles.  Fine, Fine, Fine.  My husband was happy, he had his channels back.  I was happy because I really do prefer Comcast - at least the WIFI worked. 

Then I got my bill.  WHAT!!!  It was significantly higher than what was on my 2 year agreement.  They charged me for things that should have been free (installation, digital receivers).  Then they charged me for the installation of 4 new jacks in my house on a day there was no technician in my house. 

I called customer service (talked to Candace).  She was unable to help and told me her "superior, Al" would be calling me back to sort through the problem.  No call, no change on my bill.  So I was able to get to a vice president of Comcast locally.  He was very helpful but I still had to send him a copy of the agreement so they could correct my bill. 

The other problem was our phone (xfinity Voice) would not stay on.  It would work for a few days and then we would get the message "No Line"  That issue is still not fixed but the vice president has got several people involved and we think we are on the right track.  In talking to customer service people they have asked me "who was the technician who came to your house"  I don't know!!  Don't you have that in your system.  Unfortunately once a service ticket has been cleared all records are eliminated from the system.  So they don't know who came to my house and did not fix our phone problem and also charged me for service not done.  No wonder as a company they have a culture of blame. 

So here is Comcast lesson #2:  Get the name and customer service number of everyone you talk to on the phone and every technician who comes to your house.  Evidently Comcast does not keep track of those things!!! 

Now I have to admit that in the midst of this journey with Comcast I have talked to some wonderful people who seem to be great employees focused on making my experience as a customer the best.  They are working to resolve my issues with the phone and with my bill.  I am sure it will be worked out sometime soon.  When all is done Comcast does have the best stuff (equipment, technology and offerings) so once this is all worked out I will be very happy.  Of course in two years my agreement will be done and I will be calling them again to negotiate a better price.

Although in two years who knows what the technology will be for home internet and entertainment? 

Cooking from Pinterest

Now that I have more time (having completed graduate school) I have been indulging myself in trying new recipes for my husband and me.  We are both on Weight Watchers so many of these have been ones that come with "Points Plus" tags so we can continue on our weight loss journey.

Yet sometimes a recipe and its photos look so appetizing that I just have to try it and see if I can replicate it.  Don't you just love recipes with photos.  I especially like the ones with step by step photos so I can see if I am following the recipe correctly.  There is nothing worse than trying to replicate a recipe and you do not know what it is supposed to look like when you are completed.

Yesterday, being Mother's Day, I went into a cooking frenzy.   There were two reasons for this.  First Mother's Day is one of the days where I miss my mother the most.  I guess being surrounded by all the social media explosion of friends and their tributes to their mothers just brings it home to me that my mother is no longer with us.  I asked God to give her a celestial hug from me just so she knows that I am thinking about her.  So I cook to help myself focus on things other than my own troubles.  Also, cooking relaxes me, especially on a Sunday when I am not rushed to get anything done by dinner.

So yesterday I tried something new, Buttermilk Bread.  First of all I am not a baker.  I tend to have problems with yeast (too hot and I kill it, too cold and it does not activate) but this recipe calls for the yeast to be included with the dry ingredients.  I followed the directions carefully (baking is chemistry not cooking)  and was a little worried when the bread did not rise really well on the first rise.  Yet I persevered and it turned out perfectly!   Not exactly a no points treat but it was still pretty great.

I love trying new recipes and have developed many that have become standard fare at my house.  The Chicken Fried Rice with Crock Pot Teryaki Chicken that I make is a huge hit with people, as well as the Skinny Taco Dip.  (Not served together of course!)  One of the next goals for me is to compile them all into a recipe book (yes there is software for that also).  That might be a summer project that I complete between semesters.

I love cruising through Pinterest and finding new recipes or something I have not thought of trying.  This will continue to be a source of fun, relaxation and eating enjoyment for my husband and family.  

Wallowing in Books and Loving It!

For the last six years I have been working on a doctorate.  So much of my reading has been school related or focused on the research for my dissertation.  I successfully completed my dissertation in October and graduated from Ball State University in December 2014.

Since that time I have been indulging myself in my love of reading but now I am reading fiction, not academic work.  Between BookBub the public library and Amazon I have filled my Kindle with lots of books to read. 

For me some are new books by favorite, or new authors.  Some of the books are ones I am re-reading because I love the story and want to travel through it again with the characters.  I am enjoying Charlaine Harris' new series set in Midnight Texas.  I got to catch up on J. A. Jance's Ali Reynolds series of mysteries.  I also was able to re-read some of my favorite books by Indiana author Liz Flaherty.  Her book "One More Summer" is one that brings out all the emotions I experienced when I first read it.  

I have found some great new authors also.  I have enjoyed the series of books featuring Kate Burkholder by Linda Castillo.  This series of books is set within an Amish community.  Kate Burkholder, the main character, was formerly part of the Amish community but now is trying to maintain the balance between the Amish and the English residents in her county.  One of the most interesting new characters I have found is Jessica Blackwood in the series of books by Andrew Mayne.  She is from a family of magicians but now is an FBI agent.  It is a interesting concept and I am waiting for the next book in the series. 

For now I have no plans to read anything that is not romance, mystery or a thriller novel.  No more academic journals or educational treatise for this girl.  I may get tired of my current reading diet of lighter fare but for the moment I just enjoying reading for fun and entertainment.  I will let my brain rest for a while.